Want to upgrade to OS X Mavericks? Here’s the list of compatible Macs

By Gloria Sin June 11, 2013

OS_X_mavericks_hero_wave — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Can’t wait to upgrade to the California-themed OS X Mavericks this fall? Before you start hunting down a copy of the developer’s preview, released yesterday, you should find out whether your Mac computer can support the new operating system.

Apple made no mention of the upgrade requirements of Mavericks during its keynote at WWDC yesterday. The company was much more focused on showing off the OS’ new shiny features, like the ability to send directions from Maps on your desktop to your mobile devices.

Fortunately, AppleInsider found out from sources who are familiar with the Mavericks Developer Preview about its system requirements.

Generally speaking, if your Mac is running OS X Mountain Lion, it should be capable of handling the new platform. If you have a computer that is more than a couple of years old, you may need to dig a little deeper into your computer to find out if your machine has the computing power to handle all the new features.

If you remember when you bought your Mac, you can figure out if your computer will be compatible with Mavericks. Here are the Macs that support the developer’s version of the operating system:

iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
Xserve (Early 2009)

In fact, if you know your Mac is powered by a 64-bit, Intel processor, your computer is probably clear for Mavericks as well. To upgrade to Mavericks, you just need to be running at least Mac OS X 10.6.7 Snow Leopard and have 8GB of free disk space to install the new operating system.

We hope the technical requirements for Mavericks are the same for both the developer and consumer release. As we get closer to the public release of OS X Mavericks this fall, we’re bound to find out more details about the upgrade. Stay tuned!

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