I have an early 09 macbook. I have the C2D 2.0Ghz version. I bought it a few years ago for cheap. I love this machine so much that I upgraded the memory to 6Gb, SSD, and I replaced the keyboard and screen. There wasn't anything majorly wrong, but I wanted to restore it to near factory condition… Oh and the battery was replaced with a low cycle count Apple brand. With El Capitan, this machine is very usable for browsing the internet, checking mail, even watching YouTube videos. I installed Office so I could do work on it too. I have tried windows and elementary os on this as well, and El Capitan offers the best user experience. Try upping the ram to the max 6gb and purchase a good SSD. I have an older SSD and it still is good despite it being a slower SSD.
I also have an 09 iMac and an older Dell Core 2 Duo machine, these are good processors for light or average use.
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