My 2008 Mac pro 2.8 8 core 16g ram has been upgraded with PCI-e bus ssd's (2x500gb) and a 2 gb gtx 680 video card. 4 bays have 1tb or 2tb sata drives. Driving 3 23 inch apple monitors. With El capitan its stable and fast. Maxing out black magic disk speed tests across the board. The Bottom Line A solid, if predictable, upgrade to the MacBook Pro line, but noteworthy for stealing the MacBook Air's best feature-expanded gesture controls for the touch pad. Visit for details. Unless of course you can download Mavericks or Yosemite. FYImost folks feel that El Capitan is a refinement of Yosemite. So installing El Capitan might be like installing a 'better' Yosemite. With 2gig of ramthis MacBook Pro should be upgraded to at least 4gig of ram (max. So we cannot tell you if Leopard 10.5 is as far as you can go (PowerPC hardware limit), or if it is Lion 10.7 (hardware/firmware that will not run 64-bit OS), or if it is El Capitan 10.11, or if you can upgrade to Sierra 10.12. Upgrading an old MacBook Pro may seem like a monumental task, but it can be split up into two categories: software optimizations and hardware upgrades. This article will focus on software optimizations and we will cover hardware upgrades in another article.
A long time coming
![Upgrade Upgrade](https://forums.macrumors.com/data/attachments/588/588926-68721257b9ca5bf1c57c0034e5747ae9.jpg)
A redesign of the MacBook Pro—Apple's professional level notebook—has been a long time coming. The machine's physical design has not changed at all since the MacBook Pro was originally introduced in early 2006 (which, in itself, was barely different than the PowerBook G4 before it), and its internals have only evolved over time. But as of last week's special launch event, Apple has finally answered the call for an updated MacBook Pro, giving its flagship mobile an overhaul on both the outside and the inside.
And boy, are there a lot of changes. A single unibody enclosure. An expanded, button-free trackpad. Multiple GPU units. Oh my! Does mac have paint software. In this two-part review, we'll take a look at the new MacBook Pro in usage scenarios that range from professional to casual to entertainment. Part I of the review focuses on the new features of Apple's latest and greatest, while Part II will focus entirely on benchmarks and performance. (Look for Part II.)
Out of the box
Consistent with Apple's latest efforts to reduce the amount of waste it blasts into the environment, Apple has shrunken the MacBook Pro's packaging to be more compact and similar to that of the MacBook. That's fine, because the unboxing experience is just as streamlined as it has ever been.
Advertisement Contained within the retail box is the MacBook Pro, a power brick, a power brick extension cord, and a packet of restore discs. Pretty sparse, but also pretty standard. Do you really need much else anyway?
Macbook Pro 2008 Memory Upgrade
Tech specs
With the new MacBook Pro, you get the option of choosing between a 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz model (the two standard offerings) if you're going for the 15' model. As of this writing, the 17' MacBook Pro has only been 'refreshed' and has not received the same updates as the 15' MacBook Pro.
Can A 2008 Macbook Pro Be Upgraded Replaced
$1999 | $2499 | |
Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo | Intel Core 2 Duo |
Clock speed | 2.4Ghz | 2.53Ghz |
Memory | 2GB DDR3 RAM | 4GB DDR3 RAM |
Hard drive | 250GB SATA @ 5400rpm | 320GB SATA @ 5400rpm |
GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 512MB |
Dimensions | Height: 0.95 inches, Width: 14.35 inches, Depth: 9.82 inches | |
Weight | 5.5 pounds (2.49kg) |
4GB is the max amount of RAM that either machine can support. The hard drives in both can be upgraded to faster and higher-capacity drives, or to a 128GB solid-state drive. Apple has completely eliminated 4200RPM drives across the MacBook Pro line, and all drive sizes are available in up to 7200RPM. The higher-end model's processor can also be upgraded to a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for an extra $300.
2008 Macbook Pro Battery
The MacBook Pro that we're reviewing is the stock $2,499 model. Now, on to what makes this new MacBook Pro so special.