Optimal OS version for Mid-2010 MB

It should run Yosemite fairly well with 8GB of RAM. What version of OS X are you running now?

I just upgraded a 2010 MB, to 16 rather than 8GB, it runs Yosemite extremely well.

A key that most users seem to forget: what do you want to do with the MacBook? What functionality is important to you?

If you want access to the apps in the App Store, then you need Snow Leopard 10.6.8 - with a 2010 machine you need to know if it came with Snow Leopard or not. If you do not have the install disks that came with the machine you can call Apple, 1-800-MY-APPLE with the serial number and they can send you a set of original install disks for a fee of around $20. If the machine came with Leopard, 10.5, you can purchase the Snow Leopard installation set from the on-line store for $20.

NOTE: there is a difference in that info since a machine that came with Snow Leopard in 2010 will have come with 10.6.6 installed and the on-line store version is 10.6.3, which will not install. Thus the reason for calling Apple to see what your machine came with.

Moving along, if all you want is iCloud access then you will need to install Snow Leopard, and then buy the Lion (10.7.5) install code from the on-line store ($20) and install Lion on top of Snow Leopard. That gives native access to the iCloud.

Beyond that, if you want all of the functionality of Yosemite you still need to install Snow Leopard, but you can then go directly to the Yosemite installer (free) from the Appl Store.

So the bottom-line is still there - what functionality do you want? As far as Mac OS X versions go, Snow Leopard is rock solid and lower system overhead than the later versions. But, you do not get native iCloud access.

Snow Leopard.

Is the Mac 2010 able to recognize beyond 8GB? or do you need to have at least Mavericks in it before you upgrade to 16GB?

You can put 16GB in it, OS doesn't matter.

But using good Ram does. Buy it only from OWC

you can run Yosemite on this macbook u can also run Yosemite on the macbook Unibody white 2009 with 8GB with no issues it will handle it perfect also the same goes with the Macbook Unibody White mid 2010 macbook 7,1 also the 2010 model will support 16GB providing you update the EFI firmware from the app store if it isn't showing in there then its already been done you can run Snow Leopard 10.6.3 up to 10.10.2 with no issues hope this helps

I'm an owner of a now-six-year-old mid-2010 Macbook Pro 15" with 2.4ghz processor. I'm running Mavericks, which allows me to run the up to date version of Chrome (Snow Leopard does not).

But re amounts of memory these machines allows, I wanted to correct (or be corrected if I am wrong, though I don't think I am) the amount for this machine. While it *may* be true that the 13" Macbooks allowed for memory upgrades to 16 gigs, this is not true for these machines. Though it gets even odder... some folks report that using bootcamp they do run 16g with Windows. Others report Linux does run all 16 as well. But any version (correct me if wrong... but this specific machine, please!) of OS X will *not* run over 8 gig without resulting in kernel panic on startup.