What can I do with my 2006 Core2Duo MBP?

[psanchez04]

Clarification:
17" 2006 MacBook Pro
Intel Core2Duo
2.33gHz (I think)

Tldr; my 2006 Core2Duo MBP is useless because MacOS patchers only work with 2007 and later macs. Could I replace the cpu with a newer one to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP? Alternatively, are there any web browsers that allow me to access Google Drive?(Chrome don't allow that any more with MacOS 10.6)

I want to be able to use this computer so it doesn't just sit around in the back of my closet, but every MacOS patcher I come across is only designed for 2007 and newer MacBooks. I've tried Linux and ChromeOS Flex, but I can never get any of those work. I've swapped the HDD for an SSD, which have made using the computer tolerance for light Chrome usage and Apple Music, but I was wondering if I could replace the CPU (or even the entire logic board) to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP, allowing it to utilize MacOS patchers. I'm not an expert on the functions of the main chips, and I have never reballed/soldered a laptop cpu before(I can teach myself), but that's why I'm posting this. If replacing the chips doesn't achieve my goal of magically converting my Mac into a '2008 model', do any of you know about any web browsers that work on my specific model? Safari just doesn't work, Firefox won't even install, and Chrome works for the most part, but I can't get access to Google Drive anymore. I know PowerPC macs have TenFourFox, and I was wondering if there is an equivalent for my model.

 

[GMShadow]

Could I replace the cpu with a newer one to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP?

It would require a full board swap, and it's not really worth the cost, especially when 2007-2008 models had notoriously defective GPUs.

 

[Amethyst1]

Tldr; my 2006 Core2Duo MBP is useless because MacOS patchers only work with 2007 and later macs.

A 2006 MBP will run Mac OS X v10.7 Lion; you can get OS X v10.8 Mountain Lion and v10.9 Mavericks to run with graphics acceleration using NexPostFacto.

Could I replace the cpu with a newer one to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP?

Penryn CPUs use a higher FSB (800 or 1066 MHz) than the Merom CPUs (667 MHz) used in the 2006 MBP, so they'd run at a lower than advertised speed. They use the same package so it should™ theoretically be possible to replace a Merom with a Penryn.

In any case, a Merom will allow you to go up to OS X v10.11 El Capitan. However, you'd basically still be limited to v10.8 or v10.9 because the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 GPU isn't supported at all in any newer version. OS X's UI performs pretty abysmally and is glitchy without a supported GPU.

So, you'd need both a newer CPU and a newer GPU; in other words, a new logicboard. 2007/2008 MBPs are notorious for defective NVIDIA GPUs so you'd need to look for a board which has a revised GPU. Those are regarded as reliable.

do any of you know about any web browsers that work on my specific model?

Help yourself.

 

[Raging Dufus]

Clarification:
17" 2006 MacBook Pro
Intel Core2Duo
2.33gHz (I think)

Tldr; my 2006 Core2Duo MBP is useless because MacOS patchers only work with 2007 and later macs. Could I replace the cpu with a newer one to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP? Alternatively, are there any web browsers that allow me to access Google Drive?(Chrome don't allow that any more with MacOS 10.6)

I want to be able to use this computer so it doesn't just sit around in the back of my closet, but every MacOS patcher I come across is only designed for 2007 and newer MacBooks. I've tried Linux and ChromeOS Flex, but I can never get any of those work. I've swapped the HDD for an SSD, which have made using the computer tolerance for light Chrome usage and Apple Music, but I was wondering if I could replace the CPU (or even the entire logic board) to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP, allowing it to utilize MacOS patchers. I'm not an expert on the functions of the main chips, and I have never reballed/soldered a laptop cpu before(I can teach myself), but that's why I'm posting this. If replacing the chips doesn't achieve my goal of magically converting my Mac into a '2008 model', do any of you know about any web browsers that work on my specific model? Safari just doesn't work, Firefox won't even install, and Chrome works for the most part, but I can't get access to Google Drive anymore. I know PowerPC macs have TenFourFox, and I was wondering if there is an equivalent for my model.

I had your exact model of MBP up until last year. Loved it and miss it. As @Amethyst1 suggested, NexPostFacto gets you past Apple's limitations and opens up more browser options for you. I used it to put 10.9 Mavericks on my 17" 2006 MBP and with Chromium Legacy and Firefox 78 ESR my browsing needs were covered. I even used it for Zoom, although it was a bit stuttery. There's plenty of life left in that machine if your needs are simple.

 

[glenthompson]

Used to have that exact model. Sold it when I upgraded to a 2011. I found the 3gb memory limit a bottleneck. There comes a time when it’s just not worth the effort to upgrade or repair older computers. I just bought a 2017 MBA for $200. Needed a SSD but I had one I could use. That Air is faster than the 2006 MBP.

 

[rampancy]

Clarification:
17" 2006 MacBook Pro
Intel Core2Duo
2.33gHz (I think)

Tldr; my 2006 Core2Duo MBP is useless because MacOS patchers only work with 2007 and later macs. Could I replace the cpu with a newer one to 'convert' it into a 2008 MBP? Alternatively, are there any web browsers that allow me to access Google Drive?(Chrome don't allow that any more with MacOS 10.6)

You have an incredible machine that is absolutely anything but useless. The good news is that you've already done one of the key steps -- replacing the HDD with an SSD. The other two things you need to do (if you haven't done them already) is to max out the RAM to 4 GB, and to get a working or new battery (if your battery has already failed) to prevent the system firmware downclocking the CPU to 1 Ghz.

For web browsing, the other step is to upgrade your Mac to OS X 10.7 Lion. As incomparably awesome as 10.6 is, moving to 10.7 grants you access to Chromium Legacy, the backported up-to-date version of Chromium for OS X 10.7-10.10. Waterfox Classic, is a similar legacy-focused (and most importantly, still updated) version of one of the more performance-directed forks of Firefox. There's also White Star, the Mac-specific fork of the popular Pale Moon browser (like Waterfox, another fork of Firefox). YMMV, but I had no issue using Chromium Legacy to access Google Drive. Between those three browsers, most of my needs are met (when I'm running OS X on hardware like yours), but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the unofficial 32-bit x86 version of TenFourFox, or the many different browsers from wicknix, like ArcticFox and InterWeb. (Both of which are also excellent browsers for 10.6.)

As for Linux, the main problem with the 2006-early 2007 MacBook Pro is that they have a 32-bit EFI, which causes issues for booting Linux; in my own testing the Xubuntu and Lubuntu 18.04 LTS 32-bit (i386) ISO worked out of the box, but many others need tweaking to boot successfully. The other awesome thing about Linux is that you can get access to up-to-date versions of Chrome and Firefox out of the box, and even other apps like Discord and Zoom.

 

[Raging Dufus]

As for Linux, the main problem with the 2006-early 2007 MacBook Pro is that they have a 32-bit EFI, which causes issues for booting Linux; in my own testing the Xubuntu and Lubuntu 18.04 LTS 32-bit (i386) ISO worked out of the box, but many others need tweaking to boot successfully. The other awesome thing about Linux is that you can get access to up-to-date versions of Chrome and Firefox out of the box, and even other apps like Discord and Zoom.

There's a way around the 32-bit EFI problem, as this guy explains (and offers modified versions of Linux installers for download):

Linux DVD images (and how-to) for 32-bit EFI Macs (late 2006 models) | mattgadient.com

Apple's 32-bit EFI implementation on late 2006 Macs makes it tricky to get 64-bit Linux distros installed. Tricky, but not impossible...

mattgadient.com

I've used several of his installers on a 32-bit Mini and my 32-bit 2006 MBP. Worked like a charm.

 

[Snowlover]

My favorite browser for 10.6 Snow Leopard is InterWeb.
It supports add-ons such as ublock origin , no-script etc.

InterWeb Browser for OS X 10.6 & 10.7

Mx linux 21 has a 32 bit version with xfce or fluxbox de.
Should work on your 2006 Mac.
It is one of the top rated linux distros and has very good compatability with old Mac hardware.

Download Links – MX Linux