Click to expand.Core 2 Duo will definitely work. The onboard network/sound on your board? That is going to be trial and error.

1. Intel Core Duo Graphics Driver

You need to find out what they are, and you will most likely have to play with kext's. I have a old e8400 at 3.8 ghz that has been on since it came out as a Hackintosh SL. Works fantastic with voodoosound.

It is a Gigabyte board though and the kexts were easily available. It just doesn't seem to want to go past 10.6.6 SL though and that is fine. It is basically just a internet machine for everyone to use. It might be that you can run snow leopard, but maybe not past that. You might get stuck on a patch of snow leopard. You will have to redo kext etc after each one. You can download each individual patch under Snow Leopard at the apple store.

You may have to stop at a certain one. 10.6.6 should be the goal for a duo core I would say.

You get app store and the stability is fine. Everything past that has been fluff anyways, and on a slower duo core, you don't want that slowing ya down. Get bettertouchtools (free for snapping to a large window ala windows 7) and use chrome and you have everything except the silly launchpad that I never use on ML anyways. I am sure some people like Safari but I don't. That is about the only thing you are missing out on (the new one). That and the horrible fullscreen that you can already do in chrome/SL entering presentation mode. Also the HD needs to be AHCI in the bios.

You CAN get Snow Leopard to work sometimes without it, but it isn't always easy. If you can't change to AHCI in the bios, you are often screwed. Enabling sleep? That might never work. It being a nice Snow Leopard internet, imovie machine. El Capitan 10.11.5 installation on Core 2 Duo cpu.

I was able to install El Capitan 10.11.5 to my Core 2 Duo build. I used the Unibeast 6.2.0 to create my USB installer with Legacy support. I booted several times using the installer, failing more than 6 times, with a lot of patience and waiting; sometimes staring on a blank screen, before finally 'forcing through' the installation GUI. I used the VGA port of my GPU though I have the DVI and HDMI. I can only boot into my SSD through the USB installer. I used the procedure How to Copy USB EFI contents to System Drive EFI to make my SSD directly bootable without having to use the USB installer. It takes quite a lot of waiting for the USB installer to boot.

I tried using Multibeast 8.2.0 to configure my build but it doesn't seem to work, at least for the SSD direct booting. I have problem with my network since I'm only using the onboard network function of a Marvell 88E8056 which is not supported by Multibeast. Can someone help me on this? Network on Systems Preferences only shows Firewire connection.

El Capitan 10.11.5 installation on Core 2 Duo cpu. I was able to install El Capitan 10.11.5 to my Core 2 Duo build.

I used the Unibeast 6.2.0 to create my USB installer with Legacy support. I booted several times using the installer, failing more than 6 times, with a lot of patience and waiting; sometimes staring on a blank screen, before finally 'forcing through' the installation GUI. I used the VGA port of my GPU though I have the DVI and HDMI. I can only boot into my SSD through the USB installer.

I used the procedure How to Copy USB EFI contents to System Drive EFI to make my SSD directly bootable without having to use the USB installer. It takes quite a lot of waiting for the USB installer to boot. I tried using Multibeast 8.2.0 to configure my build but it doesn't seem to work, at least for the SSD direct booting. I have problem with my network since I'm only using the onboard network function of a Marvell 88E8056 which is not supported by Multibeast. Can someone help me on this?

Network on Systems Preferences only shows Firewire connection. El Capitan 10.11.5 installation on Core 2 Duo cpu. I was able to install El Capitan 10.11.5 to my Core 2 Duo build. I used the Unibeast 6.2.0 to create my USB installer with Legacy support. I booted several times using the installer, failing more than 6 times, with a lot of patience and waiting; sometimes staring on a blank screen, before finally 'forcing through' the installation GUI. I used the VGA port of my GPU though I have the DVI and HDMI. I can only boot into my SSD through the USB installer.

I used the procedure How to Copy USB EFI contents to System Drive EFI to make my SSD directly bootable without having to use the USB installer. It takes quite a lot of waiting for the USB installer to boot. I tried using Multibeast 8.2.0 to configure my build but it doesn't seem to work, at least for the SSD direct booting.

I have problem with my network since I'm only using the onboard network function of a Marvell 88E8056 which is not supported by Multibeast. Can someone help me on this? Network on Systems Preferences only shows Firewire connection.

I can't answer that. But I can tell you this. I have 2 machines running 'maschine' my Desktop (quadcore Q9550) with 4gb ram and Mac OSX and a MSI Wind U120 with 1 gig ram and Intel atom processor 1.6ghz - also running Mac os X. And my maschine cannot play on the MSI Wind. The mobile intel atom processor can't handle it without crackling and popping, although its very close. So i would assume a dual core is fine.

As far as my quadcore, i can run a FX on every sound and then some and i have yet to see it go above 50% CPU usage on 1 of my 4 cores. I can run a full logic score with full Ozone Mastering on the Main track, multiple reverbs, delays, FX, bus, automation, audio tracks, and then a full maschine with 8 groups loaded with FX on everything, and it never moves above 50% cpu for 1 core. I am using a 2.16 core 2 duo macbook with 2 gigs of RAM and it runs great, however when i try to run Kore 2 and route Maschine into Kore I can barely hit a key without popping. Additionally I cannot seem to get those two and Traktor Scratch Pro to run together without serious issues. I'm currently the owner of an iMac core duo 2.0GHZ with 2 Gigs RAM AND this macbook 2.16.

I'm debating on trading both in for the 2.66 MBP with 4 gigs ram. ANy thoughts?

Intel Core Duo Graphics Driver

I've used the laptop for TS in the past (when i had my core duo macbook) and run softsynths on the imac, routing them all together into a line mixer. I've since upgraded to the 2.16 core 2 and simultaneously added Kore 2 and Maschine to the rig.

Where before I thought I could run ALL of it in the macbook, now I think that's not going to happen. I used the Audio 8 card last night to get the 2 decks, maschine, and kore to each output into my mixer (which was cool) therefore bypassing the need for the iMac soundcard/output all together. I thought this solved my 2 computer mystery and condensed everything, until the crunches and hiccups. Can you run Traktor Scratch Pro AND Kore 2 AND Maschine (and Logic?) on one macbook pro without the issues I'm having, and/or can anyone elaborate on the benefits/loss of having 2 machines splitting the work versus just investing heavily in a new MBP? Ideally I intend to use this setup live, and having the 20' LCD iMac on stage just doesn't seem right (or safe). Besides that, I'd love to hear anyone else's input before I sell two to get just one.

Sorry it's a scrambled thought process guys, and thanks in advance for any help/thoughts.