Your system should be able to support the newer OS's (most of the Core 2 Duo systems are 64bit clean). Don't forget to upgrade your current apps as well here (if they are 32bit).
You'll need to do a few things here to upgrade to Lion. Upgrade the RAM to 4 GB Note: Not all of the RAM will be accessible to the OS (only 3 GB). But its best to use two 2 GB modules (matched pair) Vs a mix of one 1 GB and one 2 GB module. Upgrade your EFI firmware follow this Apple TN. Get an external HD to copy over all of your stuff as you will need to reformat your current HD (requires a different format type).
How to instructions and videos to upgrade the RAM in Mid-2009, Mid-2010. Q&A is up-to-date and covers pre-Retina 'Unibody' MacBook Pro models. Each model can be uniquely identified via model identifier and one or more. Apple formally recommends that you 'fill both memory slots and install an.
You may think about upgrading the HD to a larger unit if you have 250 GB or smaller HD. Note: your systems HD SATA I/O is SATA I (1.5 Gb/s) make sure if you get a new drive it is able to run at this speed. Many newer HD's have a jumper to set to the lower SATA speed.
Consider the costs (RAM & HD), the time, and if your current system will suit your needs for a couple more years, before starting your project. I happened to glance at this question when it was at the top of the page and felt I might be able to clarify a little bit. It wasn't entirely clear if the user who originally asked the question had an answer that was clear. For the benefit of any others who might have this issue as well, I wanted to see if further input might help. Question: Does the Late 2007 MacBook support the latest version of OS X (Mavericks)?
Further, if not, what is the latest version that it does support and how can I go about attaining it? Simple Answer: No. Unfortunately, your system will not support OS X Mavericks. The most recent version of OS X that you can install is Lion. Detailed Answer: From your question, I gathered that you already have the Mac App Store. If that is correct, you can purchase OS X Lion by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE for $19.99.
You will get a content code that you redeem in the Mac App Store that will allow you to download and install the upgrade. Advice: I kept my 2006 MacBook Pro for 6 years before upgrading. At that point, the $3000 investment had cost less than $500 per year. That's like buying a low-end laptop that's never as user-friendly and making the transition every single year. At the end of those 6 years it was still a very capable computer. With any Mac of its age that is still in use, it is typically safe to presume that it has served its purpose well for many years. That said, the reason we look to upgrades like SSD's and our OS is because the the content that we are consuming is becoming more life like and intuitive.
As the content grows larger and more complex the platform that you use to view it has to advance with it. As the platform, be it a plug in like Adobe Flash or your entire operating system, is advancing the hardware has to work harder to keep up. That concept is rather simple, if not for technical reasons then because it's a life cycle we've all experienced with all the products we buy throughout our lives. The missing link, I believe, develops in the many layers between what we eventually consume and the hardware that enables it. Your MacBook is, effectively, as up to date as it will ever be from a hardware standpoint. You can't upgrade the processor, you have the most memory your system supports, and you've upgraded to an SSD. From a software standpoint, you're able to take a step forward but even then it's to an operating system that is no longer supported with updates that help it change and adapt to the ever changing content it is used to consume and the ever evolving threats that may be encountered to get in the way.
It's safe to say that your Mac is, fortunately yet unfortunately, living past the end of its product lifecycle. As the content, plug-ins, and OS's continue to advance, your system is no longer able to adapt and maintain compatibility. If all that you use the system for is to interact with the current versions of the applications that are on it, I've encountered individuals who are still using Mac hardware over 12 years old. With regard to content from the internet, however, the portion that your system can access will only decrease from here on out. So one can assume that you most likely got years of above average performance from a system that has turned out to be quite a value.
Although now might not be the best time to consider doing so, replacing it will be a better value for your money and definitely your time. While you might now be able to buy a new Mac for less than $800, the broad majority of tasks you may have performed on the MacBook are possible on a $500 iPad. A new iPad has the benefit of being more portable, more powerful, and built with today in mind. Just some food for thought.
I hope that I was able to be helpful. I have a late 2007 (or very early 2008) white A1181 laptop (1.5.8 or 1.89.5, can't remember which as I'm not at home where it's located) Very easy to load in Lion os, but because (I'm told) of the graphic card, can't install anything higher. This is fine for me as most of the DOCK stuff is redundant and later versions are even more so. Also was told not to invest in SSD. I wouldn't get full benefit of the new drive. May or may not be true - I'll check further. Now - please don't talk about technology versus an old machine.
My 'old' apple has features which let ME work on it. I can install most anything under the covers that I wish.
Newer Apples may be skinny and fast but they no longer have a cd drive (I do have that). The battery is hardwired to the motherboard, etc. The user is either forced into the shop or where the price of a repair might be more than the user is willing to pay, force the owner into purchasing a new Apple. Which, of course, is a really intimidating marketing ploy. Did you have a specific question? I'd still recommend upgrading to an SSD if you are looking for increased performance.
As long as you don't require lots of storage, an appropriate SSD could give you exponentially better storage performance for not much money. Today, a 120GB drive can be had for around $60. Your system has SATA 1, capable of transmitting 150MB per second. The standard hard drive in your system can transfer as much as 40MB/s while a budget model SSD can achieve closer to 450MB/s. Would the SSD reach it's full potential, no. To make it even better, a 300%+ increase in transfer speed isn't even the best part.
Most of the tasks performed by the average user require thousands if not millions of tiny file transfers. The hard drive that came with your system can perform between 50 and 100 transfers per second. The same budget SSD can perform between 55,000 and 85,000.
That means start ups in less than half the time and applications that launch nearly, if not, instantly. I sell Macbook duo cores on Craigslist. Most I load Snow Leopard on with a SSD but I dual boot Windows 10 and or a version of Linux.
These machines tend to only have 2gb ram and run better with Windows or Linux then OS X. Snow Leopard, Lion and Mountain Lion are no longer supported by Apple. While the hacks can get you to Mavericks or beyond unless its a Macbook Pro I just wouldn't. Google reFind. Use it and Linux distros like MINT or Ubuntu or Arch and try them out. Take note of CPU and Ram use. Its lower then OS X.
If you don't want to go through the hassle of making your Linux install look like OS X use distros like Elementary OS or Zorin or Pear OS. Windows requires extra drivers.
Check out the Bootcamp updates or find drivers for sound, etc. These units are around $50.00 on Ebay. A 128 SSD is $40.00 or less. Some have 4gb ram. Thanks for the info.
I installed Mountain Lion, which was incredibly easy thanks to the people who made Mac Post Factor. Runs quite well. No incompatibilities so far.
Faster than Lion. I don't think it is as fast as Snow Leopard, but the difference is tiny. Another plus is that it seems to have improved 2 key functions vs. Snow Leopard: namely, trackpad accuracy and Airport connection. The trackpad seems to work more smoothly and accurately. Not as much as recent OS like El Capitan and Mavericks, which I use on other Macs, but more than Snow Leopard and Lion. I was always irritated by the poor wifi connection with SL and Lion.
Weaker signal, in the same room, vs. Other OS, and irritating loss of connection after the MB Pro woke from sleep. The connection seems more stable and stronger now with ML. I don't think I want to try El Capitan on this machine. I've seen a definite slowdown going from Mavericks to Yosemite to El Capitan on less powerful Macs (2010 Macbook Pro, 2011 Macbook Air). I had serious problems on my 2007 macbook pro when I upgraded from Mavericks to Yosemite, so I had to go back to Mavericks. The computer worked fine and, as I was considering purchasing another macbook, I decided to try to upgrade to El Capitan as a last attempt to keep this workhouse of a computer.
To my surprise, I saw that the app store allowed me to download the upgrade and I figured I had nothing to lose. I thought everything was going to freeze up and not work, but everything worked perfectly. Please note, that I do not use any processor (graphics or otherwise) intensive programs and use this computer mostly for email, web browsing and excel work. Therefore, I would not do the upgrade if you intend on using any programs that work fine on the current OS you are running. That being said, the best thing about the upgrade is that it gave this old horse new life and allowed me to use imessage, as well as pick up phone calls from my iphone, on the laptop. I was surprised it work. Now, I'm wondering if I should upgrade the hard drive to an SSD, along with replacing the superdrive which died two years ago, and try to get another two years out of this bad boy.
I hope this post helps. Well, I believe the original subject was intended to cover the late 2007 mac 3.1 firmware whitebook. That being said, some in here have indicated that an upgrade to later than Lion is possible. Honestly, I would like to be able to do this. I don't have a need for graphics as I am blind, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Does anyone happen to have the method I can use to get around the GPU requirement in t. Lion or later? I simply do not have the income to afford even a refurbished later model (not even a low end mac mini). I haven't tried a blind installation of MacOS before, but MacPostFactor makes the installation of 10.8 (Mountain Lion) as painless as it could possibly be. You would need to have 10.7 (Lion) installed first and have both the 10.8.5 installation app ($20) and an empty 8GB USB drive ($5?) handy in order to accomplish the installation. All that being said, it might seem blasphemous to Apple fans, but be a smarter move to switch to Windows 10 (though a bit more installation hassle) as it runs well on even the original MacBook and should continue to get vital security updates whereas Apple has already stopped supporting 10.8 for quite a while now.
Follow these steps to keep it up to date:. Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu, then click Software Update to check for updates. If any updates are available, click the Update Now button to install them. Or click ”More info” to see details about each update and select specific updates to install. When Software Update says that your Mac is up to date, macOS and all of its apps are also up to date. That includes, Books, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos, and FaceTime. To automatically install macOS updates in the future, including apps downloaded from the App Store, select ”Automatically keep my Mac up to date.” Your Mac will notify you when updates require it to restart, so you can always choose to install those later.
Such as macOS High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, or earlier,. follow these steps to keep it up to date:.
Open the App Store app on your Mac. Click Updates in the App Store toolbar. Use the Update buttons to download and install any updates listed.
When the App Store shows no more updates, your version of macOS and all of its apps are up to date. That includes, iBooks, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos, and FaceTime. Later versions are available.
To automatically download updates in the future, choose Apple menu () System Preferences, click App Store, then select ”Download newly available updates in the background.” Your Mac will notify you when updates are ready to install. If you're using, get OS X updates by choosing Software Update from the Apple menu.