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Does other Apple programs like Preview and photo run smoothly?
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Mid 2010 MacBook - One of the best designed Intel MacBook's
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Does other Apple programs like Preview and photo run smoothly?
The only Apple programs it really struggles with are AppleTV and Find My, oddly enough, both take awhile to launch. I never use ATV and most of the time I'm using Find My from my iPhone though, so no big loss. Photos has been great, once it loaded in my iCloud Library. It took about twelve hours to process the whole library and during that time the CPU was running hard, but since then it's settled right down. I have about 11,000 pictures in my iCloud library. It navigates the images and edits them with no issues. Preview is no issue.
These machines can get uncomfortably hot during CPU intensive work, I find, largely due to Apple's fan curves prioritizing silent running over thermals, so I use an app called Macs Fan Control and run a custom setting, makes the machine a little louder running but the CPU temp never climbs above 70 degrees C (where stock 85-90 is possible with the stock settings). I figure keeping it running cooler will prolong its life some.
Macs Fan Controller is excellent and what I use to keep heat levels down on my C2D MBP. The fans hit peak more often, but I’d rather they did that in lieu of wearing out internals (or burning my lap!).
Exactly this. I haven't torn down the MacBook yet, but I probably should, clean out the case, and remove the original thermal paste and replace it with new stuff, that could also cut down on the heat considerably. Both of our machines have separate GPUs (even if the Nvidia 320M shares system memory, it's still its own silicon) so you have to be proactive to keep the heat down. I figure the less intense the thermal cycles, the longer this old thing will last.
I've just posted mine (in an earlier link in this thread) across in the 'Marketplace'.
I trust this comment is acceptable to the site Moderators.
I trust this comment is acceptable to the site Moderators.
Ah yes, the last Polycarbonate Apple laptops. Not a huge fan of the bottom cover since many reports have stated that it warps after prolonged usage, but that seems to have been fixed? They're good systems at the price point they went for, too. They're also a good way to get into OS X on a very tight budget, along with old 13-inch MacBook Pros and Mac Minis.
Earlier airs we don't talk about.
Earlier airs we don't talk about.
2008/2009 MBAs are an utter waste of money. Overheating/throttling, pseudo-upgradeable 2 GB RAM, slow 1.8" hard drives, GMA X3100 in the original model. Heck NO!!!
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Yeah I’m not sure if the rubber was ever fixed completely. Mine is pulling away from the bottom plate a bit along the ports side but otherwise it seems okay. It’s also clean enough that I figure it’s been replaced at some point.
The original Air was really just a prototype that never should have seen mass production. Building it allowed them time to figure out how to do the second generation Air, which was in production over 7 years, but I don’t think they should have sold it to anyone. We had one on display when I worked for a computer shop back in 2008, but we never sold one, just didn’t make any sense compared to the unibody polycarbonate MacBook or the aluminum MacBook Pro. If I recall it’s starting price was higher than either of those models too, for a very limited set of features.
Even though the bus speed is slower, It is soo much easier to replace the HDD/RAM/Battery in a non-unibody 5,2. Design wise the non-unibody is better to me, the Battery is replaceable with a quarter!View attachment 1922833
So recently I picked up a Mid 2010 MacBook! The company I got it from said it was a Late 2009 so free upgrade
View attachment 1922834 View attachment 1922835
It has the standard config of the P8600, 2GB DDR3 (2x1GB), 320M 256MB, 250GB 5400rpm and Snow Leopard. However I upgraded it to El Capitan (will do Catalina once my 8GB 1066MHz sticks arrive soon) and added a 128GB SanDisk SSD. Even with 2GB of RAM, it sure does run fast, maybe not as fast as my 2006 MBP but still very speedy while doing day-to-day tasks. The casing is slightly chipped in 1 or 2 places and a hairline crack on the front-right corner but you can hardly see it when you aren't looking directly at it.
I think one of the reasons why these white MacBook's were so popular was because of their eye-catching design, compared to a standard 2009 Windows laptop they looked unique in their glossy white final, which shockingly in my experience does not get fingerprints on it!
Next I need to get an older White MacBook and iBook G3 Snow to complete the collection!
AFAIK, I don't think they ever were fixed (like how the cracking top cases on the A1181 MacBooks were "fixed"). I know Apple ran a replacement program, but I don't recall ever hearing if the replacements had an improved adhesive, or if they were redesigned in any way to deal with heat dissipation. Usually, people either addressed the peeling rubber issue by removing it entirely, or trying to re-glue it back on to the metal plate underneath. I think I also saw someone once replace it with the bottom cover from a 13" Aluminum MacBook (or was it a MacBook Pro?).
Yes, the longevity of the first gen MBAs was extremely disappointing. It's one thing dealing with a 2008-era A1181 that can't run anything more than 10.7; it's another thing entirely when it's something as constrained as a MacBook Air. The hard drive/SSD isn't designed to be user-replaceable, and that aside, I can't imagine trying to source a 1.8" PATA SSD for a reasonable price these days.
I still have mine. It replaced an MBA 1,1 in mid 2016 when the replacement battery in the Air shorted and I determined it wasn't worth investing in a new one when these polycarbs could be had so cheaply.
Stuck an SSD and 8GB of RAM into it, and finally joined the modern era with a then-current OS.
Of course, my financial situation changed not long after and I bought a new MBA the next year, but for the time I used this Mac it was nice. 1280x800 on the LCD was starting to feel cramped, though.
I kept it around to manage my iTunes library until 2020, when I finally moved all my music onto my primary Mac, which finally had enough storage space for it.
Now it's in a box, no battery since the last one started to swell, but one day I'll probably pull it back out and spend some time on it for kicks.
Stuck an SSD and 8GB of RAM into it, and finally joined the modern era with a then-current OS.
Of course, my financial situation changed not long after and I bought a new MBA the next year, but for the time I used this Mac it was nice. 1280x800 on the LCD was starting to feel cramped, though.
I kept it around to manage my iTunes library until 2020, when I finally moved all my music onto my primary Mac, which finally had enough storage space for it.
Now it's in a box, no battery since the last one started to swell, but one day I'll probably pull it back out and spend some time on it for kicks.
After reading though this thread and getting inspired, I’ve managed to snatch up a great example of one of these 2010 MacBooks on eBay just now - it’ll be with me in a few days.
Are there any nuances worth knowing about them? And any thoughts about whether 16gb ram would make a meaningful difference with day to day tasks (web browsing, iTunes, writing documents) over 8 or even 4gb?
Thanks!
Are there any nuances worth knowing about them? And any thoughts about whether 16gb ram would make a meaningful difference with day to day tasks (web browsing, iTunes, writing documents) over 8 or even 4gb?
Thanks!
I find 8 GB to be comfortable for these tasks. If you can cheaply upgrade to 16 GB why not though. 4 GB might get a bit tight, considering how resource-intensive some websites have gotten.
One thing to keep in mind: It must have a working battery, otherwise the CPU will underclock to 1 GHz.
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Apart from stuffing it with as much RAM and storage space as you can find/afford, as Amethyst1 said, be sure you have a working battery (it doesn't even have to be a new battery), as the system will underclock the CPU. Note that this is in the firmware, so it won't matter if you have Linux or macOS installed.
The most well-known issue with the A1342 MacBooks is the peeling of the rubber backing attached to the metal plate that forms the bottom case. Also, expanding batteries often cause damage to the upper surface of the topcase, leading to a common "toothed" appearance under the trackpad.
Assuming you don't have one of those problems, a great upgrade for these MacBooks is to replace the optical drive with an optical drive bay caddy with an SSD. You also might want to replace the thermal grease too, but getting to the CPU and heat sink is a really intense process, involving dealing with cable connectors that are very fragile.
It’s arrived! £50. I got an incredible bargain.
It’s in far too good condition for the previous owner to not have been an enthusiast (a new battery and SSD were already installed), so if the seller does happen to read this - thank you very much! It’s purring along beautifully.
Great deal for one, these are amazing computers especially with an SSD. Is yours a Late 2009 or Mid 2010?
Mid 2010! The ram has been slightly upgraded too, to 4gb - they came stock with 2gb, I think?
Yes, 2GB was stock on these. I upgraded mine to 4GB a while back and it certainly helps on Catalina though I'd really like 8GB or 16GB
Now that was an absolutely amazing deal for one in that condition, practically a museum piece. What a bargain!
Especially as it has a new battery and an SSD. Easily worth 4x the price imho. These MacBook7,1 if immaculate condition are becoming more and more scarce, and very collectable. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
I’ve maxed out the ram to 16GB now, and ran a little unscientific test, opening all 42 installed applications simultaneously. It happily ticked along, as though it’s perfectly reasonable to want to watch a movie, play civ V, browse the web and work on a PowerPoint presentation simultaneously.
I’m now wondering about the OS - I’m not sure whether I’ll run into problem trying to install Catalina, or other more recent, unsupported operating systems.
Any thoughts?
I’m now wondering about the OS - I’m not sure whether I’ll run into problem trying to install Catalina, or other more recent, unsupported operating systems.
Any thoughts?
Sorry to have to be walked through this, I’m not very experienced with early intel machines. What’s a reliable way to get Big Sur onto an unsupported system like this?
That would be OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
I don't have any experience with OCLP as I've used the dosdude1 Catalina Patcher but I'm guessing it would be a similar process. I'm sure someone could chip in on the process.
Opencore Legacy Patcher.
I’ve used OCLP on a number of ancient Macs to get Big Sur and now Monterey on them with varying success. The 2010 MacBook, however, has always been a solid little machine on Big Sur. I have not tried Monterey on it yet.
Take some time and read through the website, see if it’s something you’d be comfortable with. You’ll need a 16+GB flash drive, some time to download and create the installer, and plenty of patience. I’d also suggest having an SSD and at least 8GB of RAM in there for solid performance.
After you read through the site, hit me up here if you have questions! I’d be happy to help you mate. Don’t feel bad about asking to be walked through something, that’s what this forum is here for - helping people drag ancient computers kicking and screaming into the modern world
That is a line worthy of being promoted to a signature.[…] helping people drag ancient computers kicking and screaming into the modern world
Thank you! I’ve had a read through different forum posts today, and managed to get Catalina working on it after a few hours of tinkering and rationalising my worries about ‘disabling SIP’. I'm more used to working on powerbooks with Leopard, which has never had SIP in the first place, so I went ahead and utilised @dosdude1 ‘s patcher.
I am, frankly, astonished. I’m watching the apple tv app on a £50, 12 year old machine right now. To borrow a phrase: ‘it just works’.
I’ll park my Big Sur aspirations for the moment, though I’m sure there‘ll come a time in the future when my curiosity starts to niggle again. Thanks though for the encouragement
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