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13" aluminum unibody, 2.0 or 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor.

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What are the best RAM and memory upgrades for the MacBook A1278?

I'm attempting to make a complete upgrade to my Mac rather than buy a new one. I just got TC and have already backed up my system but after hours of research, I'm still very nervous about doing something wrong with this upgrade.

I was wondering if there were any more computer savvy people out there could help me ensure that I'm on the right track.

As far as I can tell - my Mac is MacBook A1278 Unibody 13" Intel Core 2 Duo which I believe was released in late 2008. I don't know which generation it is though... Here's the rest of the info;

Model Name: MacBook

Model Identifier: MacBook5,1

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2 GHz

Number Of Processors: 1

Total Number Of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 3 MB

Memory: 2 GB

Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz

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Your machine uses: PC3-8500 DDR3 Min. RAM Speed: 1066 MHz

Apple shipped it with Standard RAM: 2 GB Maximum RAM: 8 GB*

Details: 2 GB of RAM is installed as two 1 GB modules, no slots free.

*Apple officially supports a maximum of 4 GB of RAM. Originally, this model was only unofficially capable of stably supporting 6 GB of RAM, but as confirmed by OWC, it is capable of supporting 8 GB of RAM if updated to Boot ROM Version MB51.007D.B03 and running MacOS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" or higher.

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You'll have to forgive me as I decipher your generous yet cryptic reply to this tech-unsavy commoner. :)

I am running MacOS X 10.6.8, which I'm assuming is higher. I'm happy to upgrade that to Lion as well...

Going to research what you've written. Thanks.

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So I'll need to buy two, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB modules... I just found the info on Apple support.

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I've reworded my answer a bit so maybe it's not as cryptic. You do not have to install as pairs. There are no 3 GB modules. You can use a 4 and a 2 GB module without having to do the firmware update. Here's a video on doing the update and installing the RAM: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ma...

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Genevieve will be eternally grateful.
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