I did this upgrade for my daughter in 2021 - the midst of the pandemic and she used it for about a year or so. She has since gotten a new M1 so this has been collecting dust - it is quite limiting even with those upgrades as it bottlenecks at the CPU. However, this has now become my experiment device to test and learn Linux and it works GREAT! Everything works out of the box. I’ve tested with Linux Mint, Zorin and Ubuntu, which is kind of clunky but doable.
@@MR-wn6ln Mint and Zorin work wonderfully on this device. Mint is the lightest from the ones I’ve tested which makes the machine feels snappy. The only setback is the dual core CPU - you will have to limit the amount of multitasking because it can slow down quite a bit. You can watch videos on CZcams, no problem. Run an app, just fine. The problem is when having multiple apps/tasks running together.
I have a whole bunch of Core 2 Duo systems, including an Early 2009 MacBook, and I've standardized on Lubuntu, a lightweight version of Ubuntu, for all of them. That runs without hitches on those machines.
I managed to find the exact model like the one you have right now the other day. I bought it for 40 bucks. I didn't expect it to work just fine even in these days and age.
By surprise I got one of these in a lot of MacBooks 3 years ago. Eventually I changed the battery and swapped the HD for a SSD. Recently I put in 16 GB RAM which was a huge difference in performance. Still running High Sierra at the moment. Threw Monterey via OCLP onto another machine successfully, so I might give one a similar treatment, maybe Sonoma. This machine is a fantastic Chromebook substitute that happens to run Mac apps as a bonus.
I bought the same model, 15-inch in November of 2010. Great investment, only replaced the power cable twice, once in 2014, the other in late 2023, but the real problem I've had is the battery which got swollen some time around 2021/22 and which I got replaced in April of that year because the physical pressure on the plastic shell was such that it cracked it around the trackpad, which was partially dislodged. And these last months, the new battery has swollen even more to the point of totally dislodging the pad from retaining screws and the circuit connector. I bought myself a new computer from a second hand and I won't invest in yet another battery but I'd like to remove it, unfortunately I don't have the right screwdriver or the professional who did the initial repairs went too hard with putting the screws back…
You could look up the kind of screws it uses and buy the right screwdriver, im sure it wouldnt run u too bad. iFixit usually has both the right drivers and replacement parts
Next month i will get my first MacBook Pro (made in 2010) I think i will need the same upgrade jobs. So thank you for your Video. Greetings from sw Germany .😅
@@FamilyGeekery ok, thanks for your answer and infos. Mine is a Macbook Pro = i think with an alloy unibody. So it is different inside. But I work at PCs inside since over 30 years. So I hope, with Macs are not soo different. btw.: I have two Sunflower-Macs, who need some work. Too old for to work. But the most beautiful computer ever.
I'm using one of these right now with upgraded RAM, SSD, Battery and High Sierra. its almost in mint condition. I also have the previous model 2.1mgs core 2 duo with the chipping edges, and mine has NO chips at all.
Handy dandy! I love my polyCMacbook i bought from used shop. Sold my 2 macbook pros in the span of 10 years and i’m super happy because this laptop is legendary, we all live in that era. 😅
Am I correct that only the 2010 version of the A1342 can take 16gb ram? I was led to believe the maximum it supported was 8gb. I have three of them just sitting around. Two of them will need batteries. The keyboard on them is great and I love the design. I don’t like High Sierra so plan to patch one with Opencore and install Catalina or Big Sur. They are definitely very much still useable.
Yes, they can use 16gb. It just wasn’t originally offered by Apple, which is why most Apple documentation only shows support for 8. Thanks for watching!
@@FamilyGeekery The originally amount supported by Apple was 4GB not 8GB. They still have that on the Technical Specifications in the Apple website or perhaps they have never updated such.
It has to do with chipset limitations. The 2009 version uses the older Nvidia 9400M chipset, which caps out at 8 GB. The 2010 version uses the Nvidia 320M chipset, which caps out at 16 GB.
@@FamilyGeekery That would be an interesting video.👍👍 I use Linux Mint Mate edition for 64 bit systems and Sparky Linux LXQT for 32 bit systems, Linux gives older computers a new lease of life and it's modern software so the security certificates are up to date, which helps when browsing the web. Installing the maximum amount of ram., and an SSD., really helps too, I also give the computers a good clean and renew the thermal paste. I reside in the UK., and so far I have not obtained any Macs other than a 2010 Mac Mini which does not work. There are videos on YT., which show Linux distros being installed on various Apple Mac computers.
just got one for 5euros, had a bloated up battery and i removed it. thinking of upgrading to 4-8gb ram and an ssd so it can be used as a "macos" machine
HELP--hello. I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and I would like to expand to 8+8, but I have tried a lot of memory and nothing doesn't work for me -- which one do you recommend works, please send me a link and thank you very much
Can confirm… just bought a 16gb ram kit and I get three beeps non stop at boot. Been emailing a Timetec rep past few days and he says it only supports 8gb of ram. So I just reordered an 8gb ram kit!
@@FamilyGeekeryGreat video btw! just curious. I’m not the most knowledgeable about ram but would you happened to know why 16gb of ram is not supported for our macbook late 2009? Is it a mother board issue that the ram is too much for the system to handle? I mean the ram fits in the slots it just won’t boot up the laptop. I even just put one ram in one slot with 8gb and it still wouldn’t boot up. I thought It could be faulty ram. Little disappointed I can’t get 16gb but I got the original 2gb of ram in my unit so anything will be better than that! I updated my hard drive to an SSD and it is significantly drops the load times and movement is more crisp. Does ram help this even further to speed it up? I mean I’m running Mac OS Big Sur with 2GB so I can’t imagine the speed that 8gb would do for me!
I’m getting an error that says the server could not be contacted when I try to do Internet recovery and download high sierra. Any idea how I can do it?
Ram,SSD and batteries for these units are economical so it is well worth upgrading them. Not everyone has 350$ just laying around. Now if you are doing 8k video editing of course you’ll need something newer but day to day use they are lovely machines to use.
My wife still uses the one I upgraded for her and it’s still great for todays time.
I did this upgrade for my daughter in 2021 - the midst of the pandemic and she used it for about a year or so. She has since gotten a new M1 so this has been collecting dust - it is quite limiting even with those upgrades as it bottlenecks at the CPU.
However, this has now become my experiment device to test and learn Linux and it works GREAT! Everything works out of the box. I’ve tested with Linux Mint, Zorin and Ubuntu, which is kind of clunky but doable.
Is Linux mint good on this laptop?
@@MR-wn6ln Mint and Zorin work wonderfully on this device. Mint is the lightest from the ones I’ve tested which makes the machine feels snappy. The only setback is the dual core CPU - you will have to limit the amount of multitasking because it can slow down quite a bit. You can watch videos on CZcams, no problem. Run an app, just fine. The problem is when having multiple apps/tasks running together.
I have a whole bunch of Core 2 Duo systems, including an Early 2009 MacBook, and I've standardized on Lubuntu, a lightweight version of Ubuntu, for all of them. That runs without hitches on those machines.
I managed to find the exact model like the one you have right now the other day. I bought it for 40 bucks. I didn't expect it to work just fine even in these days and age.
By surprise I got one of these in a lot of MacBooks 3 years ago. Eventually I changed the battery and swapped the HD for a SSD. Recently I put in 16 GB RAM which was a huge difference in performance. Still running High Sierra at the moment. Threw Monterey via OCLP onto another machine successfully, so I might give one a similar treatment, maybe Sonoma. This machine is a fantastic Chromebook substitute that happens to run Mac apps as a bonus.
I still use mine, Its currently running Big Sur. It works fine for almost everything I do.
Do you surf the web often? Does the modern Internet heavily load the processor?
@@AP-ek2mt I use Chrome, I just make sure I limit it to 5-6 tabs at any one time and it seems to behave pretty well.
what about other programs?@@jackryan152
mine now is so laggy after 2 simple tabs what upgrades did you do I currently have an ssd and 4gb of ram im going to put 8 in soon @@jackryan152
I bought the same model, 15-inch in November of 2010. Great investment, only replaced the power cable twice, once in 2014, the other in late 2023, but the real problem I've had is the battery which got swollen some time around 2021/22 and which I got replaced in April of that year because the physical pressure on the plastic shell was such that it cracked it around the trackpad, which was partially dislodged. And these last months, the new battery has swollen even more to the point of totally dislodging the pad from retaining screws and the circuit connector.
I bought myself a new computer from a second hand and I won't invest in yet another battery but I'd like to remove it, unfortunately I don't have the right screwdriver or the professional who did the initial repairs went too hard with putting the screws back…
You could look up the kind of screws it uses and buy the right screwdriver, im sure it wouldnt run u too bad. iFixit usually has both the right drivers and replacement parts
Next month i will get my first MacBook Pro (made in 2010)
I think i will need the same upgrade jobs. So thank you for your Video.
Greetings from sw Germany .😅
I should have some other upgrade videos on my channel for 2010 models. But let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for watching!
@@FamilyGeekery ok, thanks for your answer and infos.
Mine is a Macbook Pro = i think with an alloy unibody.
So it is different inside.
But I work at PCs inside since over 30 years. So I hope, with Macs are not soo different.
btw.: I have two Sunflower-Macs, who need some work.
Too old for to work.
But the most beautiful computer ever.
I love mine, and I need a significant upgrade because it runs so slowly now.
I'm using one of these right now with upgraded RAM, SSD, Battery and High Sierra. its almost in mint condition. I also have the previous model 2.1mgs core 2 duo with the chipping edges, and mine has NO chips at all.
Is ir good for media and navigate? Ive purchased the same mac and will arrive this week
I used to call the tri wing screws “Nintendo screws”
Handy dandy! I love my polyCMacbook i bought from used shop. Sold my 2 macbook pros in the span of 10 years and i’m super happy because this laptop is legendary, we all live in that era. 😅
Even stock, give it a sporting chance with linux, great netbook/laptop for kids
Спасибо! Очень полезный гайд! 👍
Am I correct that only the 2010 version of the A1342 can take 16gb ram? I was led to believe the maximum it supported was 8gb.
I have three of them just sitting around. Two of them will need batteries. The keyboard on them is great and I love the design.
I don’t like High Sierra so plan to patch one with Opencore and install Catalina or Big Sur. They are definitely very much still useable.
Yes, they can use 16gb. It just wasn’t originally offered by Apple, which is why most Apple documentation only shows support for 8. Thanks for watching!
You need to check out the Htz. Under a 1000 it runs.
@@FamilyGeekery The originally amount supported by Apple was 4GB not 8GB. They still have that on the Technical Specifications in the Apple website or perhaps they have never updated such.
It has to do with chipset limitations. The 2009 version uses the older Nvidia 9400M chipset, which caps out at 8 GB. The 2010 version uses the Nvidia 320M chipset, which caps out at 16 GB.
@@gparyani ok
If you have the 2.26Ghz intel core 2 duo version it’s max ram is 8gb
Boa noite, chegou a instalar o Catalina pra ver como vai ficar? estou pretendendo comprar os pentes para upar ele par a16GB
Nice video, mate. Will it play CZcams full screen 1080p?
i use same macbook and yes
@@gergelyf.3757 is the browser still working no Facebook, Instagram and CZcams?
would this work on a macbook 2009 a1342? 13"
Yes, but with a 8gb max ram, 1066 mhz, like this: amzn.to/46CaknK
Just curious, how long does your new battery last?
Can you run a CPU test and see how fast it is? where it stacks before and after maybe?
That laptop would probably work well with a Linux OS., installed, such as Linux Mint Mate edition.
I’ll be sure to try that out!
@@FamilyGeekery That would be an interesting video.👍👍 I use Linux Mint Mate edition for 64 bit systems and Sparky Linux LXQT for 32 bit systems, Linux gives older computers a new lease of life and it's modern software so the security certificates are up to date, which helps when browsing the web. Installing the maximum amount of ram., and an SSD., really helps too, I also give the computers a good clean and renew the thermal paste. I reside in the UK., and so far I have not obtained any Macs other than a 2010 Mac Mini which does not work. There are videos on YT., which show Linux distros being installed on various Apple Mac computers.
I still have mine.
Great little machine, isn’t it?
i have one of these but it has a Japanese keyboard on it
just got one for 5euros, had a bloated up battery and i removed it. thinking of upgrading to 4-8gb ram and an ssd so it can be used as a "macos" machine
can i instal Big Sur or Catalina on this MacBook?
Yes you can! I just got Big Sur on mine!!
i ve got catalina! (upgraded to ssd+8gb ram) itbecame more faster yhan on High Sierra@@Latinblood
How did you do this mate? I'm still using High Sierra on mine.@@Latinblood
@@Latinblood is it slow or runs well? I want mine for navigate and office
This is without open core so you’re only as high as high sierra? Since you’re limited on browser compatibility etc?
How could I obtain the high sierra os into my usb drive?
HELP--hello. I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and I would like to expand to 8+8, but I have tried a lot of memory and nothing doesn't work for me -- which one do you recommend works, please send me a link and thank you very much
This is what I used: amzn.to/4co0uJm
Will the late 2009 Macbook take 16gb of RAM?
No, according to my info, 8gb is the max.
Can confirm… just bought a 16gb ram kit and I get three beeps non stop at boot. Been emailing a Timetec rep past few days and he says it only supports 8gb of ram. So I just reordered an 8gb ram kit!
@@FamilyGeekeryGreat video btw! just curious. I’m not the most knowledgeable about ram but would you happened to know why 16gb of ram is not supported for our macbook late 2009? Is it a mother board issue that the ram is too much for the system to handle? I mean the ram fits in the slots it just won’t boot up the laptop. I even just put one ram in one slot with 8gb and it still wouldn’t boot up. I thought It could be faulty ram.
Little disappointed I can’t get 16gb but I got the original 2gb of ram in my unit so anything will be better than that!
I updated my hard drive to an SSD and it is significantly drops the load times and movement is more crisp. Does ram help this even further to speed it up? I mean I’m running Mac OS Big Sur with 2GB so I can’t imagine the speed that 8gb would do for me!
@@Latinblood It's due to that earlier model using the older Nvidia 9400M chipset, which only supports a maximum of 8 GB RAM.
I have problem every 5 second beep beep no display
the ram is no compatible with your system
What kind of studs did you use for the SSD? I want to do this but want to make sure it'll fit.
They come with the original HDD. I recently upgraded a 2011 with a SSD and had to put adhesive on it because I did not have spare studs
I have a Macbook Pro 15" mid 2010 but I failed to install High Sierra
Did you try the usb boot drive method?
@@FamilyGeekery Nope. I shall try tomorrow. Any help will be appreciated.
@EmillierJackson OK Let me try again
question. do I have to remove the ssd to remove the ram?
No, you can get to the ram without messing with the ssd.
I’m getting an error that says the server could not be contacted when I try to do Internet recovery and download high sierra. Any idea how I can do it?
I had the same issue with a 2011 I upgraded a couple of months ago. I had to download the ISO and make a bootable USB with it.
i mean, i bought a1990 just for 350. There is no point to upgrade such an old tech and with this amount of money.
Ram,SSD and batteries for these units are economical so it is well worth upgrading them. Not everyone has 350$ just laying around. Now if you are doing 8k video editing of course you’ll need something newer but day to day use they are lovely machines to use.