2010 MBpro: Am I living in the dark ages?

[MikeELI5]

I think it's about time I get a new computer and the BF sale is making me think I should do it now. Would prefer community advice rather than a sales pitch at a store.

I have a 13" mid-2010 MBpro (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory) which I've always loved and hasn't had any issues. I don't do any video or picture editing however I'm finding now that with 250GB I'm constantly running out of space, it gets supper sluggish when I run Parallels/Windows, and it's a bit heavy.

I'm confused by the new pro models. Pretty sure that mine was a base model back in 2010 (or close to it) but when I compare it to the base models now it appears they come with a (slower?) 1.4 GHz quad core and 128GB storage.
Am I wrong to even compare them...should I assume that a new 1.4ghz with 8GB memory will perform better than the old 2.4ghz with 4GB memory?

Also wondering if I'd be sacrificing a lot by going with an air instead of another pro?

TIA for your help.

Mike ELI5

 

[theluggage]

but when I compare it to the base models now it appears they come with a (slower?) 1.4 GHz quad core and 128GB storage.

On your MBP, the 2.4GHz processor is 2.4GHz - end of.

On the new models the "1.4GHz" processor offers turbo boost up to 3.9GHz, power and temperature permitting. That, plus the two extra cores and the super-fast SSD should leave your old MBPin the dust as far as 'snappiness' goes. However, neither the Air or entry MBPs are really suitable for sustained heavy loads - which might cause them to throttle down to 1.4 GHz - but that doesn't sound like a problem for you.

Also wondering if I'd be sacrificing a lot by going with an air instead of another pro?

If you use Parallels much, I'd go for the MBP. Otherwise, the Air might do. You're also going to have to shell out for a SSD upgrade at Apple's eye-watering prices - so if you go Air you might as well get the next model up.

Just a thought: you could add a (cheap) 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD and 8GB of RAM for your 2010 MBP and still have change from $200 - and its very easy to upgrade those old machines (look on iFixit and make sure you have the right screwdrivers, is all). It won't make it as fast as a 2019 model or improve the screen resolution, but an SSD can make a huge difference to performance, and the 4GB RAM might be what is crippling Parallels.

I'd be a bit hesitant to spend money upgrading such an old machine, but if it buys you 6-12 months or more, the rumour is that the 16" changes are going to "ripple down" the MBP range, so you might then have a choice of a new MBP with the new "old" scissor keyboard and possibly larger/cheaper SSD upgrades.

 

[Jack Neill]

Depends on your budget, I would look at a 16" first. I would also take your 2010 and setup a raid 0 with 2 512 SSD's and you would be surprised how fast that machine can actually be and you might not need a new MacBook after all.

 

[Fishrrman]

If you want a "larger screen", then it's time to buy -- the new 16" finally has a decent keyboard.

If you like the 13" form factor, my advice is to wait until next spring if you can hold out that long.
I expect to see a new 13" (or possibly 14") MacBook Pro released with the new scissors keyboard as well.

If you buy a 2019 13" MBP (current model), you'll be buying into the "butterfly" keyboard, which can be fraught with problems.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

If you've been able to live with the performance of the 2010 for this long, the speed of the CPU won't really matter when compared to the speed of the storage. SSD (Flash) storage vs. a spinning HDD is a game-changer, raising the overall performance of the system dramatically.

The issue, though, is how much you want to spend to have something more than a 256 GB internal drive. While I see the entry-level 128 GB Flash configurations as a bit too small, 256 GB is quite manageable as long as you couple it with cloud storage. Cloud storage tends to be cheaper (sometimes much cheaper) than Flash.

 

[4sallypat]

I think it's about time I get a new computer and the BF sale is making me think I should do it now. Would prefer community advice rather than a sales pitch at a store.

I have a 13" mid-2010 MBpro (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory) which I've always loved and hasn't had any issues. I don't do any video or picture editing however I'm finding now that with 250GB I'm constantly running out of space, it gets supper sluggish when I run Parallels/Windows, and it's a bit heavy.

I'm confused by the new pro models. Pretty sure that mine was a base model back in 2010 (or close to it) but when I compare it to the base models now it appears they come with a (slower?) 1.4 GHz quad core and 128GB storage.
Am I wrong to even compare them...should I assume that a new 1.4ghz with 8GB memory will perform better than the old 2.4ghz with 4GB memory?

Also wondering if I'd be sacrificing a lot by going with an air instead of another pro?

TIA for your help.

Mike ELI5

Funny you asked, I am selling off the same laptop (2010), MBA (2015), and MBA (2017) to fund the 16" MBP. See my eBay auction listing...

Currently, I am using a 2012 MBP 13" that is in clamshell mode with my 27" Thunderbolt display in my home office and thinking of selling that one too - but it has been so reliable, upgradeable (SSD, max RAM, new battery), I really hate getting Macs that can no longer be upgraded.....

 

[badawat]

I think it's about time I get a new computer and the BF sale is making me think I should do it now. Would prefer community advice rather than a sales pitch at a store.

I have a 13" mid-2010 MBpro (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory) which I've always loved and hasn't had any issues. I don't do any video or picture editing however I'm finding now that with 250GB I'm constantly running out of space, it gets supper sluggish when I run Parallels/Windows, and it's a bit heavy.

I'm confused by the new pro models. Pretty sure that mine was a base model back in 2010 (or close to it) but when I compare it to the base models now it appears they come with a (slower?) 1.4 GHz quad core and 128GB storage.
Am I wrong to even compare them...should I assume that a new 1.4ghz with 8GB memory will perform better than the old 2.4ghz with 4GB memory?

Also wondering if I'd be sacrificing a lot by going with an air instead of another pro?

TIA for your help.

Mike ELI5

I have a 2010 MBP, I'm typing from it now. Replacing the HD with a 2TB SSD and maxing out the RAM has ensured it's still a valid notebook in 2019. I've even added USB 3 via the ExpressPort 34 slot which is flush and is plug and play but not sure if the 13" has that expansion. I love this computer, I only wish it had Thunderbolt like the 2011 but they have glitchy graphics... I still can't believe I'm using it now. I do have newer Macs but I only upgraded after purchasing them. I sometimes wish I hadn't bought the newer MacBook Pro and just upgraded this one. Anyway, it's good to have a spare. I'm even considering installing an internal bluray drive... or installing an additional SSD... let's see. I also have Snow Leopard on another partition. This era of Apple is just so good and expandable.

 

[Jack Neill]

I have a 2010 MBP, I'm typing from it now. Replacing the HD with a 2TB SSD and maxing out the RAM has ensured it's still a valid notebook in 2019. I've even added USB 3 via the ExpressPort 34 slot which is flush and is plug and play but not sure if the 13" has that expansion. I love this computer, I only wish it had Thunderbolt like the 2011 but they have glitchy graphics... I still can't believe I'm using it now. I do have newer Macs but I only upgraded after purchasing them. I sometimes wish I hadn't bought the newer MacBook Pro and just upgraded this one. Anyway, it's good to have a spare. I'm even considering installing an internal bluray drive... or installing an additional SSD... let's see. I also have Snow Leopard on another partition. This era of Apple is just so good and expandable.

Have you looked at a SSD raid 0 in that machine? If your superdrive is 3.0Gbs you can almost double you read writes, I did the same in a MB 7,1 Mid 2010 and its amazing. Only downside is running HS or Mojave on HFS instead of APFS.

 

[philgxxd]

I have a 2010 MBP, I'm typing from it now. Replacing the HD with a 2TB SSD and maxing out the RAM has ensured it's still a valid notebook in 2019. I've even added USB 3 via the ExpressPort 34 slot which is flush and is plug and play but not sure if the 13" has that expansion.

The 2010 13" and 15" MBP doesn't have ExpressCard slot but an SD card reader. Maybe 17" only?

I can say that with my early 2008 non-unibody running El Capitan(last officially supported macOS) and 6GB of RAM I'm impressed how Parallels Desktop is running Windows 10. The 256GB Samsung 840EVO SSD I installed way back in 2014 is full so I recommend at least get a 500GB or more as minimum.

 

[badawat]

Have you looked at a SSD raid 0 in that machine? If your superdrive is 3.0Gbs you can almost double you read writes, I did the same in a MB 7,1 Mid 2010 and its amazing. Only downside is running HS or Mojave on HFS instead of APFS.

I haven't, mainly because I like having the disk drive and I don't do that much writing to the internal disk, even when editing video, I'd store the media on an external drive and I now use it as a backup for Dropbox in case that service goes down. I have been considering installing a BluRay drive but another HD might be more useful and I could always get a portable external BluRay drive. I've kept it on Sierra too as some apps no longer work beyond this OS... also I have considered installing Mojave using DosDude...
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The 2010 13" and 15" MBP doesn't have ExpressCard slot but an SD card reader. Maybe 17" only?

I can say that with my early 2008 non-unibody running El Capitan(last officially supported macOS) and 6GB of RAM I'm impressed how Parallels Desktop is running Windows 10. The 256GB Samsung 840EVO SSD I installed way back in 2014 is full so I recommend at least get a 500GB or more as minimum.

Yeah, I'd love a 4TB version to be honest. I've considered buying the Mid-2012, install x2 4TB drives (one in the disk slot) and also seeing if I could cut out the keyboard and install a non-unibody keyboard via a usb connection - I much prefer those keyboards... not entirely sure if it's possible though... It would be an expensive experiment.

 

[philgxxd]

The 2010 13" and 15" MBP doesn't have ExpressCard slot but an SD card reader. Maybe 17" only?

I can say that with my early 2008 non-unibody running El Capitan(last officially supported macOS) and 6GB of RAM I'm impressed how Parallels Desktop is running Windows 10. The 256GB Samsung 840EVO SSD I installed way back in 2014 is full so I recommend at least get a 500GB or more as minimum.

I have to correct myself. It's a 120gb drive. Way too less !