Really cool to see some people still chugging along with their older MacBooks. I have a 2016 15" MBP that's being retired later this week once I get my 13" M4 MBA. I tried to use a M4 iPad Pro as a laptop and I even found myself coming back to the slower but still capable Intel MBP as I could not stand the user experience on the iPad as a laptop.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How many people still use old MacBook Pro?
- Thread starter Aoligei
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My advice: You can have the battery replaced and will have partly a new Mac feeling afterwards. There are many things an old Mac is still perfect for. Apple is great with security updates for older hardware.
I remember some -back then already- ancient Classic providing DUATS aviation weather briefings in a flight school some long time ago.
en.wikipedia.org
I remember some -back then already- ancient Classic providing DUATS aviation weather briefings in a flight school some long time ago.
DUATS - Wikipedia
So your Mac Pro 5,1 is running Ventura? How is that working for you?
I've got a 5,1 and I was using Martin Lo's package from this web site. I had it running Big Sur for a long time, but wanted to try something newer.
Recently, I tried (half-heartedly) to use OCLP and go to Sequoia, but it messed up my system. Never did finish installing, so I had to wipe the boot disk and start over.
Fortunately, I was able to get back to Big Sur with all my data files, but haven't tried to go to Ventura or newer since then.
Nice to see the discussion is still ongoing.
After used Apple Silicon Macs, MacOS runs on ARM chip is pretty good. There is no noticeable difference between Intel Mac and ARM Mac.
However, I still believe old Macs is still capable of most light tasks. Hell, it could be great computers for kids or low income families.
After used Apple Silicon Macs, MacOS runs on ARM chip is pretty good. There is no noticeable difference between Intel Mac and ARM Mac.
However, I still believe old Macs is still capable of most light tasks. Hell, it could be great computers for kids or low income families.
I plan to give my 2015 13" to a friend who doesn't have the $ to upgrade.
She'll definitely get more use out of it that I do
I am running Ventura on my Intel desktop and latest OS on Macbook Pro. Ventura feels if anything actually faster and probably is more productive due to not having all of the AI redundancy.
Truth is that if you don't do much video encoding or editing, Intel Macs are perfectly fine for office tasks, writing, email and browsing. They are also good for some games (since some of them have better GPU) and it is mostly battery life, sleep and video encoding in which M macbooks have an advantage.
Ventura is great. I have it on my MBP 2012 and it runs really nicely. My Mac Pro 5,1 is still on Monterey but I plan to upgrade it to Ventura or Sonoma soon. I won't move anything to Sequoia for a while - I usually like to stay one MacOS release behind, so I'll look at Sequoia at some stage in the next few months or year.
Ok, I'm still running Monterey on my Mac Pro 4,1-> 5,1. Tried upgrading it to Sequoia but that was a failure.
Seems like Ventura+ on the 5,1 era Mac Pro isn't worth it.
Sequoia is running fine on my Macbook Pro 15" 2015. A few things are flaky (certain video applications) but it really is solid with what I do with it.
On my older two Macbook Pros (2010 era), I'm sticking with High Sierra and have them dual boot to Linux Mint. Both OSes runs really well, but Linux eats up the batteries.
I have two 2012 MacBook pros,
1. 13" i7 dual core 2.9GHz running Catalina.
2. 15" i7 quad core 2.3GHz running High Sierra. This machine has the 1680x1050 resolution matte display.
I also have two other Macs,
1. 2014 i5 dual core 2.6GHz Mac Mini. I use this as a media server.
2. 2017 27" 5K iMac. I have Ventura on it but I don't like it because I'm not a fan of the glossy screen.
I recently acquired a 30" cinema display which I use with the 15" MBP.
1. 13" i7 dual core 2.9GHz running Catalina.
2. 15" i7 quad core 2.3GHz running High Sierra. This machine has the 1680x1050 resolution matte display.
I also have two other Macs,
1. 2014 i5 dual core 2.6GHz Mac Mini. I use this as a media server.
2. 2017 27" 5K iMac. I have Ventura on it but I don't like it because I'm not a fan of the glossy screen.
I recently acquired a 30" cinema display which I use with the 15" MBP.
It is interesting to see the range of old hardware that people are using. I love hearing about people using their 2012 MBP's and all. I feel like my 2017 MBP is in the prime of its life, and though I guess it's relatively slower than the current crop, well, so am I. I'll be 70 in a couple of months, and slowing down myself. Certainly not in a hurry anyway
i've got my MPB 15" 2017 setup with a Henge Docking port when I am using it as a desktop. The Henge is vertical dock and the laptop stays closed. Two of the laptop USB C ports are passed out of the Henge. One is hooked to a USB C Apple "dongle", that converts to an HDMI port. Thats connected to a nice Dell HD Monitor. The other USB C is connected to a Startech USB3 docking port. I have a full keyboard and mouse connected through it. The Startech dock breaks out to several additional USB 3 ports, an Ethernet port, a Display Link video adapter (I don't use it ), analog audio port, another USB C port, so plenty of I/O. The MPB charges through that dock too. There's a 1TB USB HD that is my Time Machine backup. This whole setup has been very affordable, because I've bought it all used in excellent condition.
I plan to move to windows for upgradable ram, since MBP ram configuration is too painful. I have to spent money (> 1000 USD) on CPU upgrading firstly to upgrade RAM and CPU power is wasted since I don't need that strong CPU.
but when I look at Dell XPS 16, ram is not upgradable. abandon Dell XPS as well.
right now still use XPS 15 i7 12th with 64GB DDR5.
but when I look at Dell XPS 16, ram is not upgradable. abandon Dell XPS as well.
right now still use XPS 15 i7 12th with 64GB DDR5.
Last edited:
I still use my MacBook Pro late 2014. Somehow the battery is still going strong after 11 years.
My 2014 MacBook Pro is hooked up with my TV on the upper stairs. We use it to watch movies as family night. It has all the original parts as well.
2012 MacBook Pros are the best! It is the last generation of MacBook Pro has truly upgradable components and it is still perfectly usable specification.
The keyboard is still great to type on. I have the 2009 MacBook Pro 15 inch with 1680 x 1050 resolution matte display. 2009 MacBook Pro is kind outdated as of 2025, it is kind struggling on lots of staffs. But the display is still great and I occasionally use it to type some documents.
I never had iMac at all. I like Mac mini. My 2011 Mac mini is not doing anything whereas my 2018 Mac mini is connected to a TV downstairs.
This is my first Mac mini - I bought it along with a 30" Cinema Display but was able to put it to good use as a media server. Since that post, I sold my 13" 2012 MBP. I like the Mac mini better as a media server because I can use it without a keyboard or mouse attached. Mac mini are very underrated. Some 2012 MM models have the same i7 quad core processors as the 2012 15" MacBook Pro models. They can also take two SATA SSDs and the RAM is user replaceable. The 2014 can also take two SSDs (SATA + NVMe PCIe) but the RAM is not user replaceable. I would have bought a second MM if I didn't have the iMac!
The 2012 cMBPs are all still very capable for most tasks. I used to use Aperture and Photoshop on it mostly. I had it connected to the Cinema Display but now I have the iMac connected to the Cinema Display and now have two large screens!
I could see your 2009 MBP becoming long in the tooth for some tasks. Since you have a unused 2011 Mac mini consider getting a monitor like a Cinema Display and using that combination. It would be faster than your 2009 MBP. If you need portability, you can get a 2012 MBP for around $100 these days. If you don't need portability, check out the iMac - the 27" 5k display is amazing! The iMac is not easily upgradeable but it has Thunderbolt and USB 3 ports so fast external drives can be attached. RAM is user upgradeable to 64GB. The CPU can be upgraded but it involves removing the screen.
My current setup,
I have a 2013 MacBook pro that I still use. Have Adobe photoshop/illustrator on it before Adobe started requiring paying for annual membership. Unfortunately that laptop isn’t powering on last few days and it’s bumming me out.
The subscriptions are terrible! I avoid them at all costs! I've been using Adobe CS6 Photoshop and illustrator on High Sierra for the longest time. Recently I upgraded to Mojave which can still support CS6.
If you mac is dying, Macs of your vintage and even earlier can support CS6. These Macs are pretty cheap to buy used.
I’ve got the 23” aluminum Cinema Display. Picked it up used for $70 a few years ago, mainly for nostalgia. It’s a great display. If I ever run across one of those 30” for a great price, will grab it in a heartbeat.This is my first Mac mini - I bought it along with a 30" Cinema Display but was able to put it to good use as a media server. Since that post, I sold my 13" 2012 MBP. I like the Mac mini better as a media server because I can use it without a keyboard or mouse attached. Mac mini are very underrated. Some 2012 MM models have the same i7 quad core processors as the 2012 15" MacBook Pro models. They can also take two SATA SSDs and the RAM is user replaceable. The 2014 can also take two SSDs (SATA + NVMe PCIe) but the RAM is not user replaceable. I would have bought a second MM if I didn't have the iMac!
The 2012 cMBPs are all still very capable for most tasks. I used to use Aperture and Photoshop on it mostly. I had it connected to the Cinema Display but now I have the iMac connected to the Cinema Display and now have two large screens!
I could see your 2009 MBP becoming long in the tooth for some tasks. Since you have a unused 2011 Mac mini consider getting a monitor like a Cinema Display and using that combination. It would be faster than your 2009 MBP. If you need portability, you can get a 2012 MBP for around $100 these days. If you don't need portability, check out the iMac - the 27" 5k display is amazing! The iMac is not easily upgradeable but it has Thunderbolt and USB 3 ports so fast external drives can be attached. RAM is user upgradeable to 64GB. The CPU can be upgraded but it involves removing the screen.
My current setup,
I did go ahead and upgrade my 5,1 to Sequoia, using OCLP 2.3.2. Turns out I wasn’t reading ALL the caveats and instructions for that model. It’s not the simple upgrade like my MBP was. (Watching Mr Macintosh on YT helped me get it working.). I still have another disk in the 5,1 with Monterey using Martin Lo’s last OCLP package and that seems solid. Keep both for now.
Very nice find! I had the 23" over twenty years ago. I purchased it new and sold it ten years later. These monitors don't come up very often for sale but when they do, they are super cheap because I think people either want the latest and greatest or don't know what these are. Not as sharp as the 5k but the colors are still very good. I also like the aspect ratio of the Cinema Display.
Based on the experience that I heard from somewhere, I decided to try Ventura on my Mac Pro 3,1. Wow...it's working great!
There are a lot of issues running Sonoma or Sequoia on a cMP 3,1 with dual CPUs, but they don't seem to be there with Ventura.
I know Ventura will probably get turned off for updates later this year, but in the meantime, it's a "sweet spot" for this old hardware.
There are a lot of issues running Sonoma or Sequoia on a cMP 3,1 with dual CPUs, but they don't seem to be there with Ventura.
I know Ventura will probably get turned off for updates later this year, but in the meantime, it's a "sweet spot" for this old hardware.