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Broke my MBP - advice for transferring data/replacing?

D

Drosera

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 9, 2020
138
129
Background

After breathing new life into my mid-2010 13" MBP with a DIY HD & RAM upgrade, last week I made a clumsy mistake. I spilled water on the top whilst it was closed. Thinking it wasn't an issue (may or may not have been a little tipsy at the time...), I wiped it down only to find the next morning it didn't turn on and there was some water underneath it. I can only assume some got in through the back vent(?) which is exposed when it's shut.

Luckily, most of my data is backed up but there's a few updated spreadsheets etc that I'd like to rescue. Also not to mention many saved passwords via firefox...

I've looked at various repair companies and the cost is more than it's worth. So I'm planning on buying an old 17" mid-2010 MBP from gumtree for £90 as a replacement. I'm not in a huge rush to upgrade - I want to see what Apple do with the 2021 MBP/2022 MBA before buying a new model. I figure the 17" screen will be an enjoyable upgrade in the interim, and comes with 8GB ram.

Questions

  1. Can I just transfer the Crucial BX500 CT240BX500SSD1 240 GB Internal SSD from my old 13" MBP to the 17" one?
  2. If not, is it a case of buying a ORICO 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool-free External Hard Drive Enclosure (for example) for the old SSD and plugging this into the new mac to transfer the files?
  3. Am I missing any other obvious ideas? Anything else I should be considering?
Thanks as ever!
 
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Drosera said:
Without having to do any install? It'll just load up straight away as if it was my old laptop? This is exciting if it's the case!
Click to expand...
Yes. MacOS installs are compatible and can simply be moved across different Macs as long as the models are supported.
 
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Just to be sure - are you aware of this possible problem with the 15" and 17" 2010 MBPs?

forums.macrumors.com

GPU Kernel Panic in mid-2010; what's the best fix?

Over the past several months I've been getting kernel panics due to the graphics card, resulting in my mid-2010 MBP crashing. It's been getting progressively worse, something several times a day. (I missed the recall/repair program by a week because the d*cks at Apple never notified me that...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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Amethyst1 said:
Just to be sure - are you aware of this possible problem with the 15" and 17" 2010 MBPs?

forums.macrumors.com

GPU Kernel Panic in mid-2010; what's the best fix?

Over the past several months I've been getting kernel panics due to the graphics card, resulting in my mid-2010 MBP crashing. It's been getting progressively worse, something several times a day. (I missed the recall/repair program by a week because the d*cks at Apple never notified me that...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
That's a bit concerning! Thanks for the heads up, though I don't have the technical knowledge to understand a lot of the discussions on the thread. The owner says it's in "in working order"... should I be worried?
 
Drosera said:
The owner says it's in "in working order"... should I be worried?
Click to expand...
The kernel panic occurs when the system switches from the integrated Intel graphics to the discrete Nvidia GPU. This happens when a graphically demanding application is running or (I believe) as soon as an external monitor is connected. Now... The machine you bought may not have this problem, it may have been fixed, or the seller may never have run into it.
 
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Drosera said:
That's a bit concerning! Thanks for the heads up, though I don't have the technical knowledge to understand a lot of the discussions on the thread. The owner says it's in "in working order"... should I be worried?
Click to expand...

It's just something which can happen and probably will eventually. A lot of different discrete GPU's fail over time. Usually it's some solder joint cracking which takes out the GPU. That's why so many people use heat to reflow a faulty GPU. But that patch doesn't last long as it doesn't repair the problem. Plus most people don't have the equipment or skill for a proper repair. Sometimes the VRAM goes bad or a capacitor goes out.

It could happen tomorrow or take twenty years. That's a risk you take with old hardware. Long out of warranty.

It's cheap. If you get a year out of it. You've got your moneys worth. At least there's a workaround where you may disable the discrete graphics. So, you'll have something to tide you over until the new models come out.

At £90 and the seller saying it works. I think it's worth the risk. It's a nice model. Once you get your new Air. You could fool around with it and make it a media server, try out Linux or whatever you feel like.
 
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Alas the 17" MBP has gone to another buyer. Well that solves that dilemma! Thanks for the guidance though.

Would you recommend any other cheap, less problematic models to look out for? I was thinking any of the later unibody models (mid 2010-mid 2012) would probably be ideal? Mid-2012 would mean being able to upgrade to Catalina which would be kinda cool.
 
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Drosera said:
I was thinking any of the later unibody models (mid 2010-mid 2012) would probably be ideal?
Click to expand...
If a 13" screen is enough for you, both the 2011 and mid-2012 are fine machines and very similar in terms of performance (the 2012 has more powerful Intel graphics and USB 3.0 though).
If you want the larger 15" screen, definitely get a mid-2012. Both the 2010 and 2011 15" (and 17") have GPU-related issues.
Catalina can be patched onto 2011 MBPs. But the 2012 will run it ootb.
 
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Drosera said:
Alas the 17" MBP has gone to another buyer. Well that solves that dilemma! Thanks for the guidance though.

Would you recommend any other cheap, less problematic models to look out for? I was thinking any of the later unibody models (mid 2010-mid 2012) would probably be ideal? Mid-2012 would mean being able to upgrade to Catalina which would be kinda cool.
Click to expand...
Probably out of the year range you're looking at, but I've been using a work issued 2015 MBP for the last 2.5 years and other than a swelling battery have had no issues with it (currently waiting on the battery repair).

That said, in my limited research it would seem that unlike the 2012 models, Apple has somehow limited it's ability to drive more than three displays (the primary, and two additional). I have adapters to drive four displays but have never been able to get it to work. However, I can't experiment with OS because it's work issued.
 
eyoungren said:
That said, in my limited research it would seem that unlike the 2012 models, Apple has somehow limited it's ability to drive more than three displays (the primary, and two additional). I have adapters to drive four displays but have never been able to get it to work. However, I can't experiment with OS because it's work issued.
Click to expand...
Does your 2015 MBP have the integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics only? If so, it's limited to three displays in total, and in macOS, that means the internal plus two externals (in Windows, three externals without the internal should be possible). If you have the AMD dGPU, the internal plus three externals should work fine as AMD GPUs can drive up to six displays (compared to four on Nvidia GPUs, which is what the 2012 MBP has).
 
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Amethyst1 said:
Does your 2015 MBP have the integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics only? If so, it's limited to three displays in total, and in macOS, that means the internal plus two externals (in Windows, three externals without the internal should be possible). If you have the AMD dGPU, the internal plus three externals should work fine as AMD GPUs can drive up to six displays (compared to four on Nvidia GPUs, which is what the 2012 MBP has).
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's the Iris one.
 
Drosera said:
That's a bit concerning! Thanks for the heads up, though I don't have the technical knowledge to understand a lot of the discussions on the thread. The owner says it's in "in working order"... should I be worried?
Click to expand...

It could die without notice, as could any other laptop of that age. It's presumably an eleven year old machine either way, even without the known issues.
 
Drosera said:
Alas the 17" MBP has gone to another buyer. Well that solves that dilemma! Thanks for the guidance though.

Would you recommend any other cheap, less problematic models to look out for? I was thinking any of the later unibody models (mid 2010-mid 2012) would probably be ideal? Mid-2012 would mean being able to upgrade to Catalina which would be kinda cool.
Click to expand...
A mid-2012 MBP9,1 would be the best choice for a pre-retina 15" model, because they are less prone to habe GPU issues. And a 2,3GHz quad-i7 (the most common on aftermarket) are pretty fast compared to your previous 13"MBP.
The latest 15"/17" core2duo MBP are also a good choice ...
And an iLapStand to keep the MBP cool and above the water!
 
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Thanks all!

My budget is ~£150 and I'll aim for a mid-2012 15", otherwise a pre-retina 13" model will have to suffice!
 
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Drosera said:
My budget is ~£150 and I'll aim for a mid-2012 15", otherwise a pre-retina 13" model will have to suffice!
Click to expand...
Just had a look at sold listings on eBay UK - a 13" 2012 is well within that budget; a 15" 2012 usually sits somewhat above that (but maybe a great deal can be found). Good luck! :)
 
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bobesch said:
A mid-2012 MBP9,1 would be the best choice for a pre-retina 15" model, because they are less prone to habe GPU issues. And a 2,3GHz quad-i7 (the most common on aftermarket) are pretty fast compared to your previous 13"MBP.
The latest 15"/17" core2duo MBP are also a good choice ...
And an iLapStand to keep the MBP cool and above the water!
Click to expand...

They still had enough gpu issues to warrant a repair program.
Drosera said:
Thanks all!

My budget is ~£150 and I'll aim for a mid-2012 15", otherwise a pre-retina 13" model will have to suffice!
Click to expand...

13" models are probably a better buy, given that they have fewer parts that are prone to failure. Check for signs of battery swelling. It's hard to spot early on. If the battery is more than 2 years old, it's a much higher risk.
 
bobesch said:
Which ones? The mid-2012 or the latest core2duos?
Click to expand...

The 2012 15" models had a repair program, albeit with seemingly far fewer complaints on here than the 2011 ones received. 2012 introduced the retina display models with NVidia gpus. Macrumors had an article on this. I'm linking it, because I can't find a corresponding page by Apple any longer. They may have removed it, since the repair program expired for all of these. These generations are marked obsolete and therefore Apple won't repair them. You're stuck with diy or third parties for all repairs, including battery replacement.

When it comes to stuff of this age, I wouldn't touch any model with any history of repair problems, and I would check your options for battery replacement prior to purchase, regardless of battery health when you buy it (if they swell, you'll need it).

www.macrumors.com

Apple Initiates Repair Program for 2011-2013 MacBook Pros With Video Issues

Apple has launched a repair program to fix MacBook Pro machines sold between February 2011 and February 2013 that have problems with distorted video,...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com

Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support

Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
Drosera said:
I've gone with a 13" i5 Mid-2012 MBP for £135 inc delivery. This is the longest I've ever gone without a personal computer - can't wait for it to arrive! 😅
Click to expand...
Congrats on the purchase of a very solid machine! :) Hopefully it has at least 8 GB of RAM - just drop in your SSD and you should be up and running.
 
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