Old MacPro 5.5. Catalina Upgrade?

[TohMac]

I just turned on an old MacBook pro I hadn't looked at in a couple of years and surprisingly it still works.
I think it was a 2012 model?!

MacBook Pro5.5
Intel Core 2 Duo
2.53 GHz
Memory 4 Gig

Its still on 10.6.8 and is fine for basic email or web browsing but would it be worth doing a fresh install to Catalina?

I did install an SSD drive just before I forgot about it but the battery was dead. Will only work when plugged in.
Worth saving, or not?
If so, could it handle Catalina?

 

[MacManiac76]

It will probably be pretty sluggish with that processor and RAM. Maybe try High Sierra or something a little older. Since it only works when plugged in, it is basically a desktop. I would suggest using an external monitor with it too if you decide to keep using it.

 

[TohMac]

Fortunately I don't need a new laptop. I am hoping to find an OS that will allow iTunes to work so I could use this as just a small TV in an unused room. Short of that, email and basic web browsing is all I imagine possible but iTunes would make it worth keeping.

 

[MacManiac76]

In that case, I would try to update to Mojave so you can run all 32-bit apps if you have any. iTunes is still on Mojave vs the Music app on Catalina.

 

[LuisN]

Macbook Pro 5,5 is the mid 2009 13"MBP. It supports up to 8GB of RAM and runs up to El Capitan unless you want to experiment with unsupported versions of macOS. You can easily replace the HD for SSD for improved performance

 

[StellarVixen]

Macbook Pro 5,5 is the mid 2009 13"MBP. It supports up to 8GB of RAM and runs up to El Capitan unless you want to experiment with unsupported versions of macOS. You can easily replace the HD for SSD for improved performance

I don’t know how much he will benefit from SSD, given that model of Mac has SATA 2 connection.

Edit: I was wrong, speed improvements are still significant:

 

[haralds]

I would consider upgrading the RAM to 8GB, especially with iTunes. That and the SSD should make it fine for most tasks. 40 bucks well spent.

 

[TohMac]

Did install a SSD in or around 2015. Used it 1-2x but decided to buy an iMac and the MBPro was put in a drawer. Forgot about it until this week.

Didn't realize it was quite as old as 2009 but willing to upgrade it to El Capitan and maybe add 4 g ram IF it is acceptable with the new OS on on. I just purchased the new Air last week so the 2009 is just an extra.

Anyone happen to have a direct link to El Capitan? It wont update through the apple store so I would need to direct it elsewhere.