I bought the very same computer when it came out in 2008, and it's still going today (March 2023). I had to change the HDD to an SSD a few years ago, and the battery is shot now, but it still works, and for basic web usage, it's absolutely fine!
You mean March 2024? I got the same too, with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, but it needs some TLC... Runs really hot so probably needs a deep clean and a change of thermal paste on the CPU/GPU. The hinge is a bit loose and have lost a couple screws here and there due to the countless times I've opened it up. And of course, a new battery, which isn't available where I live rn. What's wonderful in this video is that the RUclips playback seems so much better on the unsupported upgraded OS than El Capitan! How's that even possible? Maybe the new OS better utilizes the old GPU to offload from the CPU?
I still have my 2008 MacBook, and it still runs. Nowadays it's more of a decorative item in my BookCase but still. Anyway, You can check the Mainboard if there's a connector for a backlit keyboard (after all the backlit keyboard was an optional upgrade back in the day), and buy a replacement keyboard, did it with mine, after spilling iced tea over it and the keyboard got all sticky. Only hassle is the gazillion screws with which the keyboard is attached to the Aluminum Body, but it is definitely possible and oh so worth it to upgrade as long as you have the Backlight connector on your mainboard.
Very good video! You’re very natural with your voice in front of camera while not being awkward. Especially for a channel that only has 200+ subs! Keep up the good work man
It just amazes me how good Apple products just work no matter how old they are. My current laptop is HP notebook 255 with AMD Ryzen 5-3500U 8GB 256GB SSD. in windows I have sound driver problems. The speaker sound crackles when watching videos. I've already tried to update and reinstall the drivers manually, reinstall windows 11, but nothing worked. Finally I gave up and now using Ubuntu. MacOS is definitely amazing. I wish I had a mac even if it's an old one 😓
Mac’s are known for their solid reliability for the most part! It’s only recently because of how hard it is to open a new MacBook and apples mission to stop self repair that has changed that stigma
We still have one of these, and it's still working great. I use it occasionally to run old software when work requires. Partitioned the replacement SSD to run OS 10.11 and 10.6.8. And I believe replacement batteries are still available for it. For awhile after its primary use, we were using it as a tv server. Replaced that with a 2012 Mac mini, which is still in place today. Also, I believe the unibody aluminum models replaced the plastic ones, not the other way around as you said.
Actually planning on setting up my living room, leaning towards a trash can Mac Pro just so I can say I have a Mac Pro for Netflix 😆 they’re very cheap now
@@cynonexus So I've seen! I'm intrigued, despite myself. Been getting into vintage Macs for the past couple of years, but I generally go back to pre-Intel stuff, which is where I started out. Great channel, by the way. On my "subscribed" list.
Ha! I am watching this on a 2008 UniBody MacBook upgraded with 8 gigs of ram a 1 tb ssd and running a perfectly fine linux. everything works perfectly. my daily driver. my keyboard has a back light though. great video!
Thank you! It is indeed still a very fine machine! Especially the ability to easily replace the battery with ease! I hope to get back into one again someday
Is it good for watching movies? I don’t plan to use it for anything else lol. Would want to get a tablet but with a macbook, I could sync my iphone too.
2:14 I don't know if this would come back useful, but you could actually put 8 gigs of RAM: IIRC this specific model was initially locked via software to work with up to 4GB, but some version later of MacOS they changed the firmware and allowed to "unofficially" run 8GB. On my model it worked when I upgraded to El Capitan and with catalina (via patcher) as well. It might be picky with the type of sticks tho, but i'm not too sure about that...
Great video, loved it... you should have more subscribers! Also, do let us know what you'd use this October 2008 Aluminum Unibody MacBook for! On a side note, could you shed some light here? What seems wonderful in your video is that the RUclips playback seems so much better on the unsupported upgraded OS than the final official OS upgrade El Capitan! How's that even possible? Maybe the new OS better utilizes the old GPU to offload from the CPU? I got the same machine, maxed out with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, but it needs some TLC... Runs really hot so probably needs a deep clean and a change of thermal paste on the CPU/GPU, and I live in a hotter climate, so that doesnt help The hinge is a bit wobbly at some angles and have lost a couple screws here and there due to the countless times I've opened it up. The speakers are distorted (probably because of the high volume/volume boostng app I used back in the days. And some keys are a little mushy. Replacing it is the biggest hassle, but it is said that its possible to put in a backlit keyboard in some, from its more expensive "trim", the 2.4 Ghz C2D version, or what came branded as 13.3" Macbook Pros for a couple years after it (without much to show for the name, other than a less-swappable battery and FireWire probably). Also the trackpad doesnt click well near the bottom (probably due to the almost dead swollen replacement battery). And of course, a new battery, which isn't available where I live rn. Perhaps I'd rather get another machine as simply a parts donor. I have too much sentiment attached with this quirky old machine, the only Aluminum Intel "Macbook". It has an as of yet underrecognized place in history! Right now my daily driver is a not so bad Thinkpad X270, but I miss the MacBook and its finesse.
El Capitan doesn’t has an outdated script for safari hence why a snow leopard is for the most part useless now. Any newer operating systems will breath a fresh new set of scripts for web browsers hence why it’s smoother and usable!
I love using chrome and haven't really changed that since I downloaded it for the first time despite not being efficient on these older machines, I just love how simple and straight forward it is use. Safari is good but somewhat unusable with El Capitan
With Bluetooth you’re pretty limited with 2.3, you need to have a 2012 to get modern features like airdrop. Animations for the most part are smooth with drops here and there.
@@cynonexus thanks for replying. I recently took a 2011 to Sonoma and it was working mostly fine, but animations were laggy, it got relatively warm when playing YT videos and Bluetooth was unsupported.
Yep, too much water can become toxic to the human body. So when you sweat a lot, don't just drink a lot of water... be sure to replenish electrolytes. Otherwise, if we have to give you a potassium infusion... well that won't feel very good (it burns inside your veins) lol! You should try Mojave on it with some old games (or even Windows XP/7), and try Linux too. :)
I recommend you buy and external ssd that why you can use other operating systems while preserving the macbook inside, don't let the ghost of steve jobs control you you got this!
This was my first Macbook that I paid with my own money to do some project for work in early 2009. It was beautiful. First time I booted it up and the animation was running I was blown away. First thing I did was upgraded the 2GB ram to 4GB and the 120GB HDD to 360GB. This allowed me to add Parallel and install Win XP. Had Snow Leopard and then upgraded to Lion. Eventually upgraded it to a 1TB HDD so can put Win 7 there as a VM. Still have that 2008 Macbook. I read somewhere that the ram can be upgraded to 8GB if it have a certain firmware so will try that. Going to upgrade to a SSD which should help to speed it up. Going to stay with Lion since not planning to use for Internet and just for old apps and games. Great video. Keep up the good work.
you'll be perfectly fine using it 720p even 1080p! anything over that it will be choppy land but honestly the screen is only 1280x800 so you don't need anything more than what I just said.
It’s running Big Sur on this video! It’s not too shabby, 8GB of ram would definitely help in the long run as it tends to swap to the harddrive at 4GB. Framedrops here and there but usable for sure.
I bought the very same computer when it came out in 2008, and it's still going today (March 2023). I had to change the HDD to an SSD a few years ago, and the battery is shot now, but it still works, and for basic web usage, it's absolutely fine!
OWC still sells replacement batteries for this model.
You mean March 2024?
I got the same too, with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, but it needs some TLC...
Runs really hot so probably needs a deep clean and a change of thermal paste on the CPU/GPU. The hinge is a bit loose and have lost a couple screws here and there due to the countless times I've opened it up.
And of course, a new battery, which isn't available where I live rn.
What's wonderful in this video is that the RUclips playback seems so much better on the unsupported upgraded OS than El Capitan! How's that even possible? Maybe the new OS better utilizes the old GPU to offload from the CPU?
@@paulpaudelSorry March 2024! :)
@@moeskidoThanks!!
March 2024 I use the same one but converted it to LM. It is fine.
I have a 2012 MacBook Pro updated it even got windows on it works great found it at a thrift store
i bet this channel gonna blow up
Hahaha hopefully 🤞 more tinkering opportunities if that happens
I still have my 2008 MacBook, and it still runs. Nowadays it's more of a decorative item in my BookCase but still. Anyway, You can check the Mainboard if there's a connector for a backlit keyboard (after all the backlit keyboard was an optional upgrade back in the day), and buy a replacement keyboard, did it with mine, after spilling iced tea over it and the keyboard got all sticky. Only hassle is the gazillion screws with which the keyboard is attached to the Aluminum Body, but it is definitely possible and oh so worth it to upgrade as long as you have the Backlight connector on your mainboard.
Didn’t know that! That’s pretty cool, I later found out after making this video that backlit keyboard was an option. Pretty cool!
Nice. Keep up these vintage retro macbooks review... It's gonna be 😎
Great video man
Glad you enjoyed
Very good video! You’re very natural with your voice in front of camera while not being awkward. Especially for a channel that only has 200+ subs! Keep up the good work man
Thank you! Will do!
It just amazes me how good Apple products just work no matter how old they are. My current laptop is HP notebook 255 with AMD Ryzen 5-3500U 8GB 256GB SSD. in windows I have sound driver problems. The speaker sound crackles when watching videos. I've already tried to update and reinstall the drivers manually, reinstall windows 11, but nothing worked. Finally I gave up and now using Ubuntu. MacOS is definitely amazing. I wish I had a mac even if it's an old one 😓
Mac’s are known for their solid reliability for the most part! It’s only recently because of how hard it is to open a new MacBook and apples mission to stop self repair that has changed that stigma
We still have one of these, and it's still working great. I use it occasionally to run old software when work requires. Partitioned the replacement SSD to run OS 10.11 and 10.6.8. And I believe replacement batteries are still available for it.
For awhile after its primary use, we were using it as a tv server. Replaced that with a 2012 Mac mini, which is still in place today.
Also, I believe the unibody aluminum models replaced the plastic ones, not the other way around as you said.
Actually planning on setting up my living room, leaning towards a trash can Mac Pro just so I can say I have a Mac Pro for Netflix 😆 they’re very cheap now
@@cynonexus So I've seen! I'm intrigued, despite myself.
Been getting into vintage Macs for the past couple of years, but I generally go back to pre-Intel stuff, which is where I started out.
Great channel, by the way. On my "subscribed" list.
Ha! I am watching this on a 2008 UniBody MacBook upgraded with 8 gigs of ram a 1 tb ssd and running a perfectly fine linux. everything works perfectly. my daily driver. my keyboard has a back light though. great video!
Thank you! It is indeed still a very fine machine! Especially the ability to easily replace the battery with ease! I hope to get back into one again someday
You should compair old think pad vs mac
That would be a cool video! I definitely think spec wise a thinkpad is better since anything other than a mac has a terrible resale value
This can work well if you upgrade the internals. I have one as a knock-around device
I have the higher end model with a backlit keyboard.
Is it good for watching movies? I don’t plan to use it for anything else lol. Would want to get a tablet but with a macbook, I could sync my iphone too.
nice i have 2011 mac book pro i have installed Mac OS Monterey with OpenCore Legacy Patcher
2011 are still very usable today
2:14 I don't know if this would come back useful, but you could actually put 8 gigs of RAM: IIRC this specific model was initially locked via software to work with up to 4GB, but some version later of MacOS they changed the firmware and allowed to "unofficially" run 8GB. On my model it worked when I upgraded to El Capitan and with catalina (via patcher) as well.
It might be picky with the type of sticks tho, but i'm not too sure about that...
Indeed it was firmware related
@@cynonexus Do you know how to fix the firmware??? I have 8gb coming in tomorrow
@@NotZachh upgrading to el capitan through update will upgrade the firmware as well
Great video, loved it... you should have more subscribers! Also, do let us know what you'd use this October 2008 Aluminum Unibody MacBook for!
On a side note, could you shed some light here? What seems wonderful in your video is that the RUclips playback seems so much better on the unsupported upgraded OS than the final official OS upgrade El Capitan! How's that even possible? Maybe the new OS better utilizes the old GPU to offload from the CPU?
I got the same machine, maxed out with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, but it needs some TLC...
Runs really hot so probably needs a deep clean and a change of thermal paste on the CPU/GPU, and I live in a hotter climate, so that doesnt help
The hinge is a bit wobbly at some angles and have lost a couple screws here and there due to the countless times I've opened it up.
The speakers are distorted (probably because of the high volume/volume boostng app I used back in the days.
And some keys are a little mushy. Replacing it is the biggest hassle, but it is said that its possible to put in a backlit keyboard in some, from its more expensive "trim", the 2.4 Ghz C2D version, or what came branded as 13.3" Macbook Pros for a couple years after it (without much to show for the name, other than a less-swappable battery and FireWire probably).
Also the trackpad doesnt click well near the bottom (probably due to the almost dead swollen replacement battery).
And of course, a new battery, which isn't available where I live rn.
Perhaps I'd rather get another machine as simply a parts donor. I have too much sentiment attached with this quirky old machine, the only Aluminum Intel "Macbook". It has an as of yet underrecognized place in history!
Right now my daily driver is a not so bad Thinkpad X270, but I miss the MacBook and its finesse.
El Capitan doesn’t has an outdated script for safari hence why a snow leopard is for the most part useless now. Any newer operating systems will breath a fresh new set of scripts for web browsers hence why it’s smoother and usable!
@@cynonexus yeah but what about Chrome? You seem to be testing and upgrading computers from this era. etc... What would you choose, Safari or Chrome?
I love using chrome and haven't really changed that since I downloaded it for the first time despite not being efficient on these older machines, I just love how simple and straight forward it is use. Safari is good but somewhat unusable with El Capitan
Questions: what’s your veredict on the fluidity of the animations? I can see most drivers are available, but what about Bluetooth?
With Bluetooth you’re pretty limited with 2.3, you need to have a 2012 to get modern features like airdrop. Animations for the most part are smooth with drops here and there.
@@cynonexus thanks for replying. I recently took a 2011 to Sonoma and it was working mostly fine, but animations were laggy, it got relatively warm when playing YT videos and Bluetooth was unsupported.
Yep, too much water can become toxic to the human body. So when you sweat a lot, don't just drink a lot of water... be sure to replenish electrolytes. Otherwise, if we have to give you a potassium infusion... well that won't feel very good (it burns inside your veins) lol!
You should try Mojave on it with some old games (or even Windows XP/7), and try Linux too.
:)
Next MacBook for sure :)
I recommend you buy and external ssd that why you can use other operating systems while preserving the macbook inside, don't let the ghost of steve jobs control you you got this!
Yup it came with an ssd!
This was my first Macbook that I paid with my own money to do some project for work in early 2009. It was beautiful. First time I booted it up and the animation was running I was blown away.
First thing I did was upgraded the 2GB ram to 4GB and the 120GB HDD to 360GB. This allowed me to add Parallel and install Win XP. Had Snow Leopard and then upgraded to Lion. Eventually upgraded it to a 1TB HDD so can put Win 7 there as a VM.
Still have that 2008 Macbook. I read somewhere that the ram can be upgraded to 8GB if it have a certain firmware so will try that. Going to upgrade to a SSD which should help to speed it up. Going to stay with Lion since not planning to use for Internet and just for old apps and games.
Great video. Keep up the good work.
My first MacBook was a 2011 15inch, my first new MacBook was a 2019 15inch which was pretty badass but I had the base config so I had to sell it!
I have a 2006 black version Mac Book. Can you send me that patcher so I can install Big Sur on mine?
Opencore patcher only works 2008 aluminum macbook onwards!
It can runs on Catalina patcher which supports it..
There's a firmware update that'll let your 2008 Macbook see 8GB of RAM. I know cause I am typing on my Late 2008 Macbook with Monterey and 8GB of RAM.
Indeed it’s a firmware issue! I already sold it a few weeks ago but it’s a cool MacBook to revisit at some point
Just for the record, I was here as a subscriber before you became a super famous tech channel. Keep up the great work bro!
Thank you hahaha hopefully! I love doing these old retro mac videos
How is Ubuntu performing on it?
The best option. Working very well
You can put on it 8gb ram it work
It didn’t work because you are on 10.6 or 10.7 or 10.8 or 10.9 don’t support 8 gb ran
Yup it’s a firmware issue, after updating to Big Sur, I should’ve tried it again
Thanks for replying ❤️❤️
How does it run
Short question. How is the youtube playback, at what settings, and how many frame drops are there?
you'll be perfectly fine using it 720p even 1080p! anything over that it will be choppy land but honestly the screen is only 1280x800 so you don't need anything more than what I just said.
I have a 2010 Macbook 16 GB ram and ssd make it not to bad
Still plenty usable today
I have the same macBook running macOS Monterey. Needs a SSD but still works fine
see if value same or better for the same price example how much can 50$ buy you for a mac vs think pad benchmark and stuff
Can you make a video about how macOS Big Sur performs on this machine?
It’s running Big Sur on this video! It’s not too shabby, 8GB of ram would definitely help in the long run as it tends to swap to the harddrive at 4GB. Framedrops here and there but usable for sure.
@@cynonexus thank you for your reply but I’ve meant in details using chrome Microsoft 365 iWork…