Shelf life of macbooks?

nervouspilchard

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Hi. Just after some advice.

I purchased a white MacBook 13inch screen about 3-4 years ago.

I upgraded the purchase to the most ram and biggest harddrive. It's dual core processor.

It now seems to be getting slower and the screen is faulty (bottom half goes grey)

I wonder if it's fair to assume that 4 years is a reasonable amount of time to replace it or whether it's worth repairing the screen and trying to speed it up somehow?

I was looking at an i7 MacBook pro but is it worth the money?

Any thoughts???
 
I've got a 2008 MacBook Pro (first unibody one) and i pepped it up recently with an SSD (256GB Crucial M4)

Made it feel like a brand new machine! The difference is staggering

Not sure what it would cost to fix your screen, but an SSD upgrade (about £170 at mo for the one i got) is definitely gonna be a lot less than shelling out on a new machine
 
It depends on your use. A predictable answer I know, but modern software doesn't need masses more processing power compared to 4 years ago. If your use is focused around media consumption, internet browsing, email, home office tasks, light photo editing, that sort of thing, modern hardware won't radically change your experience.

If your use is much heavier, such as gaming, anything near professional photo or video editing, that sort of thing, you'll certainly see a benefit.

I would certainly back crackers advice of an SSD though. Your Macbook doesn't support the latest 6Gbps SATA connection so you can look for a slightly older model of SSD that's available cheaper. It'll still transform the performance!
 
I like the idea of the SSD but my current HD is 320gb and I'm at my limit. I would probably need a 512gb one if it's possible.

Any recommendations for a older MacBook circa 2008
 
Do you use your CD/DVD drive much? If not, you could look at an OptiBay kit. These replace the optical drive with a second HDD bay, so you can keep your current HDD for storage and then fit an SSD as your main OS drive. That means you can have a smaller SSD for the OS and applications, plus key documents you want quick access to, with the HDD being used for bulk storage where performance isn't as important.
 
It depends on your use. A predictable answer I know, but modern software doesn't need masses more processing power compared to 4 years ago. If your use is focused around media consumption, internet browsing, email, home office tasks, light photo editing, that sort of thing, modern hardware won't radically change your experience.

If your use is much heavier, such as gaming, anything near professional photo or video editing, that sort of thing, you'll certainly see a benefit.

I would certainly back crackers advice of an SSD though. Your Macbook doesn't support the latest 6Gbps SATA connection so you can look for a slightly older model of SSD that's available cheaper. It'll still transform the performance!

just having a look round and this website states compatibility with my macbook (2009) 2.13ghz core 2 dual

512GB, 2.5-inch Solid State Drive, upgrades for Apple MacBook 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch) MC240LL/A Laptop/Notebook, CT1762547 from Crucial.com

Guaranteed-compatible with the Apple MacBook 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch) MC240LL/A

so just want to check - i assumed i had an older macbook, which means perhaps your comment is true, or in fact it is compatible?
 
Its compatible but it'll run at lower speeds - on SATA II.

Also, Aria and Overclockers have that same drive for £310'ish at the moment too. So a decent £30 saving.
 
I think it's time to retire the old girl. By the time you've bought an SSD and replaced the LCD you're more than half way to a brand new laptop with warranty and current hardware. IMHO of course.
 
I know. It's frustrating that after only 3 years, I'd have to spend out another £1000 odd for a new one or £500 to get the old one up to spec!

Might just sod apple and go for a high spec windows laptop!!
 
I know. It's frustrating that after only 3 years, I'd have to spend out another £1000 odd for a new one or £500 to get the old one up to spec!

Might just sod apple and go for a high spec windows laptop!!

Good look with getting 3 years from any windows laptop (unless your going premium which will cost as much/more than a mac :rotfl:
 
just having a look round and this website states compatibility with my macbook (2009) 2.13ghz core 2 dual

512GB, 2.5-inch Solid State Drive, upgrades for Apple MacBook 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch) MC240LL/A Laptop/Notebook, CT1762547 from Crucial.com

Guaranteed-compatible with the Apple MacBook 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch) MC240LL/A

so just want to check - i assumed i had an older macbook, which means perhaps your comment is true, or in fact it is compatible?

Spudhead has answered above and is spot-on. SATA is backwards-compatible, so the latest standards still work with older standards. Thus, a SATA 3 SSD will work just fine with a SATA or SATA 2 connection, it will just work at the lowest speed.

So it will be absolutely fine, you just won't see the full potential of its performance. That's why I mentioned buying a slightly older model if you can save a few quid.
 
Gotcha. Cheers for the tips guys. I'm booked in at apple tomorrow to see how much a screen repair will cost.

Probably could do it myself but would muck it up!
 

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