I just got a unibody, late 2011 Macbook Pro. It's the last 17 inch model they made, with the 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 processor. It's been updated with 8 GB of DDR3 1333 MHz RAM and a 750 GB hard drive at (slight upgrade) 7200 RPM (not the stock 5400 RPM). It currently has 10.7.5 OS X Lion.
So I've read it's technically upgradeable to High Sierra. But I've read you want an SSD and ?possibly? 16 GB of RAM in order for things to run smoothly. I've also read about certain things not working with certain later OS X's on the late 2011 unibody's-enough to where I've confused myself.
So based on my laptop's specs, can you all tell me which OS X you would upgrade to? Basically which one will run the smoothest (based on my specs) with the most features still working? I plan to use this laptop just for basic stuff, the reason I want to upgrade the OS X at all is because Chrome doesn't seem to work with everything properly when surfing the web (I'm often told my browser's too outdated). I plan to sell this laptop in the fall to go towards purchasing a newer laptop. So I don't know if the fact that I'm going to resell it soon affects which OS X I should put on it. Anyway, would love to hear anyone's recommendation. I'm hoping the answer's pretty clear cut, but perhaps if several people give their 2 cents I'll just go with the OS X that's recommended the most.
Also, one last dumb question, as I've only worked on macs previously and never owned one. Is it correct that I would simply go to the Apple store and download whichever OS X I choose for free? That seems to be the case based on what I've read.
Thanks in advance you all!
So I've read it's technically upgradeable to High Sierra. But I've read you want an SSD and ?possibly? 16 GB of RAM in order for things to run smoothly. I've also read about certain things not working with certain later OS X's on the late 2011 unibody's-enough to where I've confused myself.
So based on my laptop's specs, can you all tell me which OS X you would upgrade to? Basically which one will run the smoothest (based on my specs) with the most features still working? I plan to use this laptop just for basic stuff, the reason I want to upgrade the OS X at all is because Chrome doesn't seem to work with everything properly when surfing the web (I'm often told my browser's too outdated). I plan to sell this laptop in the fall to go towards purchasing a newer laptop. So I don't know if the fact that I'm going to resell it soon affects which OS X I should put on it. Anyway, would love to hear anyone's recommendation. I'm hoping the answer's pretty clear cut, but perhaps if several people give their 2 cents I'll just go with the OS X that's recommended the most.
Also, one last dumb question, as I've only worked on macs previously and never owned one. Is it correct that I would simply go to the Apple store and download whichever OS X I choose for free? That seems to be the case based on what I've read.
Thanks in advance you all!