MacBook Early 2009 Advice

[willas00]

Hi All,

I've got a MacBook 13 inch Early 2009

Spec:

Processor: 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 2GB RAM (Recently upgraded to 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
Graphics: NIVIDA GeForce 9400M 256MB

Running OS X 10.9.5

The MacBook has been running rather slow for some time and I've just cleaned it up with a fresh install of 10.9.5

The RAM has been upgraded to 4GB and from what I see this is the limit.

I've had a look at what else I could replace to speed it up and the only other thing I can see would be an SSD HDD.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I can bring life back to this old machine at all?

 

[chscag]

Mactracker says your early 2009 MacBook can accept up to 6 GB of memory. That would be 1 x 4 GB + 1 x 2 GB modules. (See below.)

Maximum Memory 6.0 GB (Actual) 4.0 GB (Apple)
Memory Slots 2 - 200-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SO-DIMM

However, if you have already spent money on 2 x 2 GB modules, you may not want to remove one of them and replace it with a 4 GB module which will cost more.

The addition of a SSD replacement for the 5400 RPM hard drive that's stock for your machine should give it a good boost. Make sure you buy a SSD with enough capacity. The folks at OWC (Other World Computing (OWC) - Performance Upgrades For Your Mac) currently have a Xmas sale on SSDs. Their SSDs are highly recommended and should give your machine some new life.

 

[chas_m]

Is it really worth pouring all this money into when a 2012 MBP with far more expansion and built-in capability can be bought for maybe $600? Yes, the SSD would make that machine perform better than new, but think about this: by the time you're done upgrading this thing, you'll have spent more than half the cost of a brand-spankin'-new MBP, and still won't have:

*decent graphics
*802.11n or ac
*Bluetooth 4.0
*16GB RAM capacity
*All-day battery
*Future compatibility or expansion options