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2011 MBP v New Mini

I

irishQ

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
12
0
ugh - my MBP keeps dying. i have cooked the board 5 times now and each time the time between cooks is getting shorter and shorter.

would new fans help?

i cannot spend another 2500 on a new MBP (will i have the same problem in 2 years).

how would a new mini compare to my 11 MBP w/ a ssd?

or should i just move up to an air?

i use photoshop and illustrator with an external 27 nec monitor.

thanks
 
A new rmbo does not cost 2500$.
I'd try to fix the one you have now, first. Changing cooling past or fan might help.

A mini and a macbook are two different things.
If all you do is stationary, a mini would be the perfect choice.
 
I assume that is 2011 15 inch???

irishQ said:
ugh - my MBP keeps dying. i have cooked the board 5 times now and each time the time between cooks is getting shorter and shorter.

would new fans help?

i cannot spend another 2500 on a new MBP (will i have the same problem in 2 years).

how would a new mini compare to my 11 MBP w/ a ssd?

or should i just move up to an air?

i use photoshop and illustrator with an external 27 nec monitor.

thanks
Click to expand...

Cooking the board is just reballing the solder on the radeon graphics card in those MBP's eventually this will not do the job anymore, 5 times??? I'm amazed you haven't fried it totally.

New fans will do the same job as the ones you have so unlikely to give any more longevity.

The minis are all dual core processors so you would be giving up your quad core and missing out on the retina screen.

For your use the 2013 or 2014 macbook pro retina would seem to be the way to go, without the dedicated graphics card you should have no problems (although the current 750M and previous 650M have shown no endemic problems).

Check here in the refurb store

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/15

You can get a great machine for as little as $1500.
 
If you have basic skills for working on computers, you could also install a new board (ebay) Sounds like the thermal paste might be a little fried? - Apple 's thermal paste application sucks btw, doing it yourself = much cooler running mbp, for $300-$400 or less material cost on a 2011 board.
 
Last edited:
wouldn't a "new board" give me the same problems i am having now?

i have cooked the board at 400 for 8 mins in my oven, each time the repair life shortens.

----------

Sam,
my understanding is the 2011 has a discreet graphics card which is the failure i have, so the 2013 refurbs dont have the discreet graphics card, thus no issue?
 
OP:
If you decide on a Mini, my recommendations:

DO NOT buy the "entry level" Mini.

Spend a little more and get the "mid-range" model. You get 8gb of RAM, a considerably faster CPU, better graphics.

I would also suggest spending $200 more for the fusion drive option. MUCH faster.

If you don't have-to-have portability, the Minis are very nice little boxes.

Also -- don't throw out the 2011 MBPro yet. There's a lawsuit about the failed GPU's, and I sense that Apple may agree to some kind of settlement...
 
irishQ said:
wouldn't a "new board" give me the same problems i am having now?

i have cooked the board at 400 for 8 mins in my oven, each time the repair life shortens.

----------

Sam,
my understanding is the 2011 has a discreet graphics card which is the failure i have, so the 2013 refurbs dont have the discreet graphics card, thus no issue?
Click to expand...


New board would not give you same problems especially if guaranteed, some sell them with GPU fix. Early stock 2011 boards had issues reported (not all), and later 2011- march 2012 boards much less if any. Got to take issue reports with a grain of salt these days, all Macbooks had more or less issues in their history, small % does not translate to a whole line being borked as panic reports would have you believe. Late 2011 model quads command a hefty re-sale due to their still expandable self serviceable design and very viable performance to this day.

I think discreet graphics cards are still offered in the 2013 and newer MBP? as well as without..
 
any reputable "new board" sellers out there, "buy off ebay" seems sketchy.
 
irishQ said:
any reputable "new board" sellers out there, "buy off ebay" seems sketchy.
Click to expand...

It is always good to check out feedback and return policies of vendors on ebay. There are some very reputable vendors with good parts and others..well its a crap shoot. New old stock boards can also be found (OEM) with outfits on the internet, but more expensive.
 
Yeah the new ones offer both options

The higher end 2013 and 2014 models offer NVIDIA 750M, so far this discrete card is fine with no recurring faults showing.

The IRIS pro integrated graphics on the lower end model is still a great card for an iGPU, and is as good as a dGPU in many use cases.

If you don't need the quad core or better graphics the mid level mini with a fusion drive should serve you well, be aware however that the RAM is soldered on now so buy what you need when ordering.

I still think that a refurb 15 inch pro would be better for your use case though and you can't beat that screen....
 
I prefer to buy parts from eBay - you can see people's feedback. Anyone selling dodgy parts will soon have a plummeting feedback rating.
 
any thoughts on performance between $1350 macbook pro 13 2.5 i5 8gb ram 128 ssd and $1199 mini 2.8 i5 16gb ram 256gb flash drive.
 
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