Resolved First Time Macbook User

[MacNinj4]

Hello,

I am a first time Macbook user. I recently bought an old Macbook Pro from somebody and so far I am really enjoying it. I am new to the operating system but my OS X version is OS X 10.7.5 Lion. I have been seeing people say that it is possible to upgrade to OS X Mavericks on the older Macbook Pro's. I was wondering, I have a:

Macbook Pro Model#: A1211
Processor: 2.16 GHz Interl Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Is my system capable of running Mavericks? If so is there anybody willing to help me with the process. Like I said I am new to this Operating system so I would need somebody who knows what they're doing to pretty much walk me through the whole process. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Additional question(s):

Is it possible to upgrade key components of a Macbook Pro?

I.E. Processor, RAM, Hard Drives, Graphics Cards etc.?

Respectfully,

Jordan

 

[DeltaMac]

...
Is my system capable of running Mavericks?
...
Additional question(s):

Is it possible to upgrade key components of a Macbook Pro?

I.E. Processor, RAM, Hard Drives, Graphics Cards etc.?

You are already using the maximum which is OS X 10.7.5 - You can't go higher.

No upgrade for the processor, although yours was available with a 2.33 GHz processor. You have to replace the logic board (the system, or mother board for PC folks) to get that, which would cost more than it is worth.
You can upgrade to a 2 x 2GB ram (PC2-5300 SO-DIMM), but the logic board will not address more than 3 GB. There may be a measurable speed advantage with a pair of matched memory sticks, but probably not noticeable in actual use. You can replace the internal hard drive with any 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, and even go to a SSD for the most performance improvement of anything else that you can do.
And, that's pretty much it for upgrades...

 

[GGJstudios]

Macbook Pro Model#: A1211
Processor: 2.16 GHz Interl Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Is my system capable of running Mavericks?

No. 10.7.5 is the max.

Is it possible to upgrade key components of a Macbook Pro?
I.E. Processor, RAM, Hard Drives, Graphics Cards etc.?

No. Yes, to 4GB (with some limitations). Yes. No.

You can find detailed specs and capabilities for your Mac here.

 

[MacNinj4]

Thanks...

You are already using the maximum which is OS X 10.7.5 - You can't go higher.

No upgrade for the processor, although yours was available with a 2.33 GHz processor. You have to replace the logic board (the system, or mother board for PC folks) to get that, which would cost more than it is worth.
You can upgrade to a 2 x 2GB ram (PC2-5300 SO-DIMM), but the logic board will not address more than 3 GB. There may be a measurable speed advantage with a pair of matched memory sticks, but probably not noticeable in actual use. You can replace the internal hard drive with any 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, and even go to a SSD for the most performance improvement of anything else that you can do.
And, that's pretty much it for upgrades...

Thank you for the information DeltaMac, it was very helpful. I did stumble upon THIS post on reedit though maybe you can help make sense of it. It was like reading GREEK to me. LOL

Regards,

JORDAN

 

[DeltaMac]

Thank you for the information DeltaMac, it was very helpful. I did stumble upon THIS post on reedit though maybe you can help make sense of it. It was like reading GREEK to me. LOL
...

I hear you!
That article that you found is about upgrading older Mac Pros, which is the tower, "pro" model Mac. It has other possibilities, and the main thing that allows that is that the graphics card can be upgraded fairly easily, as it's a PCIe slot, much like a PC tower might have, along with the capacity to upgrade the processor(s), and add gobs of memory - some will use up to 128 GB of installed RAM!
Unfortunately, none of that will help your laptop upgrade to Mavericks.

 

[MacNinj4]

I hear you!
That article that you found is about upgrading older Mac Pros, which is the tower, "pro" model Mac. It has other possibilities, and the main thing that allows that is that the graphics card can be upgraded fairly easily, as it's a PCIe slot, much like a PC tower might have, along with the capacity to upgrade the processor(s), and add gobs of memory - some will use up to 128 GB of installed RAM!
Unfortunately, none of that will allow your laptop to get to Mavericks.

Very Nice! thanks for the explanation. I'm not in dire need to be using Mavericks, this Mac is working just fine for what I need it for, which is school. I will definitely probably upgrade to a newer MAC or MACBOOK Pro in the near future, but for now this is working just fine.

Thank's again for your help,

Jordan