I own a late-2009 unibody MC207LL/A Macbook that I want to upgrade in the following ways:
It's worth noting, I already own two 500GB HDDs (closest I could find to what I have) and the Macbook's battery was replaced with a new one like 5 years ago followed by several years of limited use, so with a new bottom cover, RAM, and Windows 10, upgrading the Macbook would be closer to a $250 upgrade versus the $1,000 I'd be spending on the new Surface Laptop 3 (it's a very long story but suffice to say the one I'm getting is $300 marked down from the MSRP).
Beyond the wide gap in price, the Macbook would bring other benefits like ...
It's not like this would be my ONLY computer, I already have a very powerful desktop PC at home ... the need for a laptop comes from a need for a portable computer for lesser tasks when I'm away from my apartment for a week at a time or more.
I'm also worried about whether trackpad scrolling would work in Windows 10 like this thread suggests wouldn't happen or any other unforseen problems with upgrading such old hardware to such a new operating system (and yes, I'm pretty firm about going to Windows 10 and not Mac OS ... it's just what I'm more used to these days).
Any thoughts or advice about which path to chose appreciated! Thanks!
- Boost the RAM from 4GB to 8GB
- Swap out the 256GB HDD it came with for a 500GB HDD (or possibly an SSD later on)
- Upgrade the operating system from Mac OS 10.6 to Windows 10
- Replace the bottom cover with a new one (mine is currently falling apart on all four sides, held in place by just barely any adhesive or whatever is holding it there and missing a screw!)
It's worth noting, I already own two 500GB HDDs (closest I could find to what I have) and the Macbook's battery was replaced with a new one like 5 years ago followed by several years of limited use, so with a new bottom cover, RAM, and Windows 10, upgrading the Macbook would be closer to a $250 upgrade versus the $1,000 I'd be spending on the new Surface Laptop 3 (it's a very long story but suffice to say the one I'm getting is $300 marked down from the MSRP).
Beyond the wide gap in price, the Macbook would bring other benefits like ...
- more than one USB port (I don't mind that it's 2.0 instead of 3.0 )
- a built-in Ethernet port
- a mini-displayport that I already have several adapters for (I don't own a single USB-C port or plug of any sort right now and only one USB 3.0 external HDD I almost never use)
- that trusty old Superdrive that I can use to watch DVDs with VLC in Windows 10!
- I just love love LOVE the body of this thing! From the all-rubber bottom to the beveled edges to the GREAT keyboard and trackpad, I'd love to stick with this body if I could (and if it all stays working on Windows 10 like it does now)
- I also just love the idea of fixing up something old rather than buying something new.
(I'm the sorry owner of a 2014 Mac Mini with 4GB of RAM that beachballs when opening System Preferences, so I know the pain of hamstrung hardware. Thought I was saving it from being trashed, LOL!)
I'm also worried about whether trackpad scrolling would work in Windows 10 like this thread suggests wouldn't happen or any other unforseen problems with upgrading such old hardware to such a new operating system (and yes, I'm pretty firm about going to Windows 10 and not Mac OS ... it's just what I'm more used to these days).
Any thoughts or advice about which path to chose appreciated! Thanks!
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