I have a 5 year old macbook pro can I install lion?

andrewtsmith wrote:

I have a 5 year old Macbook pro running Snow Leopard 10.6.3

Can I upgrade to Lion to get iClould or is my computer too old?

Regards

Andrew

Auckland, New Zealand

Machine details are:

Model Name: MacBook Pro

Model Identifier: MacBookPro2,2

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz

Number Of Processors: 1

Total Number Of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 4 MB

Memory: 1 GB

Bus Speed: 667 MHz

Boot ROM Version: MBP22.00A5.B07

SMC Version (system): 1.12f5

Serial Number (system): W8******W0G

Hardware UUID: ****

Sudden Motion Sensor:

State: Enabled

You will need a minimum of 2GB Memory and update to 10.6.8 to install Lion. The more memory the better, but I have a Macbook pro of around the same age running on 3GB of RAM and flying along. So I can't see why not. Of course it won't be as fast as later Macs, but thats technological evolution for ya!

Cheers mate

Pete

<Edited By Host>

If this is yours:

http://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.16- 15-specs.html

the max your machine can address would be just over 3 GB RAM (you can install 2 x 2 GB, but it will only address 3.2 or so). Depending on your workflow, Lion may work well - or not. If you do a lot of graphics intensive photo or video editing, it is going to crawl or hang; but, if you mostly just do regular tasks, it should be fine.

FWIW, you can access iCloud email with Snow Leopard via a browser, but no other features would be available. Here is some info on that:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4929

Although 3GB on my oldest mac can run the entire Adobe CS4 suite at once as well as running other graphic programs in conjunction with it. And at a speed easily matching Smow Leopard.

Maybe just good regular maintenance, not sure. But 3GB is ample for all this, and not just 'surfing'.

Cheers

Pete

Not my experience, but I don't do Adobe except for an occasional use of PS Elements - I do do Aperture (and several other photo editing apps) Final Cut, iMovie, and several other video editing softwares. My old iMac would recognize just over 3 GB and, although it did the task, it was excruciatingly slow both with video rendering and RAW images (since each one is at least 10 MB) - and that was on both SL and Lion. I now have a new Mac with 12 GB and a much faster quad core processor, so things are much faster.

Based on my experience, I will continue to recommend a minimum of 4 GB for Lion (unless the it's intended for "light" use); on mine, kernel_task regularly requires anywhere from 500 MB up to 1 GB. At the moment, the only thing open is Firefox and I am using more than 2 GB:

It is not a matter of maintenance. The current system is a 2 day old fresh install.

You need to add 2 -2 GB RAM modules to run Lion as there are only two RAM slots on that machine.

Since it's a older model in it's final years, I suggest you stick with 10.6.8 max on that machine, it will perform better.

10.7 will require purchases of new software to replace the PPC ones your likely using carried over from 10.5 and 10.6 installed, also third party hardware drivers, if there are none for 10.7, your looking at buying newer third party hardware to get drivers to work with 10.7

Some of your older software doen't have 10.7 versions or updates, like older games etc. 😟

Of course if you stick with 10.6, you won't have to install the extra RAM.

10.8 is due to be released any day now, you'll be behind once again and likely unable to install 10.8 as it needs heavier graphics.

Perhaps it's better to invest in new software versions on a new 10.8 machine instead, use the 10.6 machine as backup, running older software.

http://roaringapps.com/apps:table

I've made the mistake of investing money in a older machine only to have it die a year later.

Each to their own. I also run Aperture and Final Cut as well as Avid and Coral, Maybe your older one wore out quicker than mine. And it IS a matter of maintenence if you wish to get a longer life out of your Mac and keep your system clean. Reinstalls can also fall under maintenance. This seems to be the old, doesn't work for me, so won't work for anybody spiel.

The OP's computer will handle Lion, as they asked, with a SL and memory upgrade.

Cheers

Pete

Perhaps I should have been clearer - it is not a matter of maintenance on any of my machines.

This seems to be the old, doesn't work for me, so won't work for anybody spiel.

I do not appreciate your acidity; it is inappropriate here. I have defended your opinions/remarks several times in the past and I would prefer to continue to see you as a valued fellow contributor. Please refrain from personal attacks.

The OP's computer will handle Lion, as they asked, with a SL and memory upgrade.

Without knowing the condition of the machine in question, that cannot be answered with certainty; therefore it may or may not. I for one am not prepared to be made responsible for having recommended an upgrade which may fail or simply not work as expected for one reason or another.

babowa wrote:

This seems to be the old, doesn't work for me, so won't work for anybody spiel.

I do not appreciate your acidity; it is inappropriate here. I have defended your opinions/remarks several times in the past and I would prefer to continue to see you as a valued fellow contributor. Please refrain from personal attacks.

The OP's computer will handle Lion, as they asked, with a SL and memory upgrade.

Without knowing the condition of the machine in question, that cannot be answered with certainty; therefore it may or may not. I for one am not prepared to be made responsible for having recommended an upgrade which may fail or simply not work as expected for one reason or another.

This was not a personal attack by any means, I was just commenting on what happens quite frequently here that what may work for one will not necisarilly be the norm, and I will not be responsible either if the OPs computer fails. They asked a simple question, I gave a simple answer based on my experience with the same machine. I have 4 other Macs, but my old MBP is one I have a soft spot for and produce all my magazines on it. I was simply saying that I have had no issues running CPU hungry programs on mine. The OP has not given details on the condition of his mac, so I would presume it is fine or else he should have mentioned this in his thread.

I wish no bad blood over this and do apologise if it came across with an acidity that I did not mean to. I have full respect for high level posters, so I do apologise and will word things more appropriately in the future.

Pete

Thank you.