How much longer do I have?

[jafca09]

I've seen a few questions like this on here, but wanted to get some specific advice. I have a mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro and am contemplating whether to replace it with the new 2014 Retina MacBook Pros.

• 
  It's been good to me -- partially because I've been good to it in replacing or upgrading parts -- but I'm curious how much longer people think it can last as a viable machine. Full specs below:
  
  • Mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro
  • 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (UPGRADED from Crucial)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
  • 1 TB SATA SSHD (recently UPGRADED from Seagate)
  • Brand new hard drive connection cable installed recently

• If you think it's possible it could last another 9 months or so until Apple's next rMBPs come out, how significant is that upgrade expected to be? New form factor or just speed bumps?

• If you think I should upgrade now, thoughts on what I could get for my current computer on eBay? It's in pretty good physical shape except for some screws missing on the bottom.

Let me know thoughts on upgrading now (with back-to-school special savings!) or whether I should wait. Any other information that would be helpful to have? Thanks!

 

[jafca09]

*BUMP* -- thanks!

I've seen a few questions like this on here, but wanted to get some specific advice. I have a mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro and am contemplating whether to replace it with the new 2014 Retina MacBook Pros.

• 
  It's been good to me -- partially because I've been good to it in replacing or upgrading parts -- but I'm curious how much longer people think it can last as a viable machine. Full specs below:
  
  • Mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro
  • 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (UPGRADED from Crucial)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
  • 1 TB SATA SSHD (recently UPGRADED from Seagate)
  • Brand new hard drive connection cable installed recently

• If you think it's possible it could last another 9 months or so until Apple's next rMBPs come out, how significant is that upgrade expected to be? New form factor or just speed bumps?

• If you think I should upgrade now, thoughts on what I could get for my current computer on eBay? It's in pretty good physical shape except for some screws missing on the bottom.

Let me know thoughts on upgrading now (with back-to-school special savings!) or whether I should wait. Any other information that would be helpful to have? Thanks!

 

[Cougarcat]

Only Apple knows whether or not there will be a case redesign. The next chip, Broadwell, is going to be focusing on battery life. It won't be much faster. The update after that (in 2016 most likely) will be much more significant.

As for eBay, maybe around $500? That's just a guess based upon what I've seen a 2010 13" (what I have)going for.

The appeal for buying now is that you can get a good deal for the 2013 model, as there's hardly a difference with the new ones. That would easily last you a few years until there is a significant upgrade.

 

[capathy21]

I would agree with Cougar in saying if you buy now, get a 2013 refurb and save some serious money.

If your current machine is meeting your needs. You mine as well just use it a while longer. Since you recently performed some upgrades, it should be good for some time to come.

 

[snaky69]

I've seen a few questions like this on here, but wanted to get some specific advice. I have a mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro and am contemplating whether to replace it with the new 2014 Retina MacBook Pros.

• 
  It's been good to me -- partially because I've been good to it in replacing or upgrading parts -- but I'm curious how much longer people think it can last as a viable machine. Full specs below:
  
  • Mid-2009 15" MacBook Pro
  • 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (UPGRADED from Crucial)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
  • 1 TB SATA SSHD (recently UPGRADED from Seagate)
  • Brand new hard drive connection cable installed recently

• If you think it's possible it could last another 9 months or so until Apple's next rMBPs come out, how significant is that upgrade expected to be? New form factor or just speed bumps?

• If you think I should upgrade now, thoughts on what I could get for my current computer on eBay? It's in pretty good physical shape except for some screws missing on the bottom.

Let me know thoughts on upgrading now (with back-to-school special savings!) or whether I should wait. Any other information that would be helpful to have? Thanks!

What do you do with your computer?

Without that very important information, anyone recommending you whether to upgrade or not is simply taking a stab in the dark.

 

[jafca09]

I want to do the basics + virtualization & photoshop. I can do all that now, but figure I'll need to upgrade at some point over the next year, maybe sooner.

 

[jafca09]

I would agree with Cougar in saying if you buy now, get a 2013 refurb and save some serious money.

Is this only through third parties? Does Apple sell the older inventory at a discount until it runs out? I also have to weigh the savings against student discount + summer promo.

 

[capathy21]

Is this only through third parties? Does Apple sell the older inventory at a discount until it runs out? I also have to weigh the savings against student discount + summer promo.

They sell the older models as refurbs. All of the late 2013 models which were the newest offerings until 2 days ago are now in the refurb store. Others have had success picking them up at Best Buy and stacking student discount and movers coupons to come out ahead.

 

[jafca09]

They sell the older models as refurbs. All of the late 2013 models which were the newest offerings until 2 days ago are now in the refurb store. Others have had success picking them up at Best Buy and stacking student discount and movers coupons to come out ahead.

Thanks! I'm actually moving, so that movers coupon tip is great. Re: the older models. I'm seeing Best Buy discount the 15" at $200, but it only comes with 8GB. If I factor in that an upgrade from 8-->16GB is worth about $200, seem I should just go for the 2014 model, right?

 

[GoCubsGo]

I'd keep your 2009. It is still quite capable and it will last 9 months.

However, since you bumped your own thread 2.5 hours after posting then my guess is your patience is limited so…

 

[barkmonster]

Thanks! I'm actually moving, so that movers coupon tip is great. Re: the older models. I'm seeing Best Buy discount the 15" at $200, but it only comes with 8GB. If I factor in that an upgrade from 8-->16GB is worth about $200, seem I should just go for the 2014 model, right?

I'd wait for the 2014 to show up at third party retailers. 9 months is a long time for plenty of them to show up. The previously £1699 lower end 15" Macbook Pro was around £1,300 with discounts. The new one is £1,499 retail with 16Gb and a faster CPU so you could expect it to hit the £1,200 - £1,300 mark with third party discounts.

I wouldn't go for a refurb because any saving could mean you're stuck with 8Gb or paying almost 2014 prices to have a refurb version of a BTO 2013 model. If you make the leap to a quad i7 from a C2D, you might as well double your RAM too if you intend using the new model for as long as you've had you're current one.

 

[capathy21]

Thanks! I'm actually moving, so that movers coupon tip is great. Re: the older models. I'm seeing Best Buy discount the 15" at $200, but it only comes with 8GB. If I factor in that an upgrade from 8-->16GB is worth about $200, seem I should just go for the 2014 model, right?

With Mavericks memory management, and Yosemite being the same, there are very few people who actually need 16GB of ram. However, if you have the money and want more ram, then go for it.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I have a 17" that is otherwise nearly identical. I use it as a development machine at work, and it runs fine. I'm in no hurry to upgrade it aside from wanting an ssd...

If you can wait, there's no reason to upgrade yet. Of course having to and wanting to are completely different

 

[jafca09]

With Mavericks memory management, and Yosemite being the same, there are very few people who actually need 16GB of ram. However, if you have the money and want more ram, then go for it.

Well, I figure it would be about $250 less for the 2013 model from Best Buy, which is inciting -- but again, I'd be stuck with 8GB. What kind of user would benefit from 16GB over 8GB? As someone noted earlier, I'm somewhat impatient so love it when things are blazing quick!

 

[capathy21]

What kind of user would benefit from 16GB over 8GB?

Someone who does heavy video or photo editing, or runs VM's. What is your usage like?

 

[2984839]

I don't see any reason to upgrade now, unless you just want to. You could probably keep it much longer than that. Computers don't get noticeably slower over time, unless you have a hard drive start to fail or install something that hogs resources. Unless the software you use gets updated with very bloated versions between now and then, there won't be a difference in performance.

 

[nostresshere]

*BUMP* -- thanks!

Can you imagine if everyone decided they had to BUMP posts? Not good.

You might have gotten more responses if your title was more descriptive though.

 

[Weaselboy]

Well, I figure it would be about $250 less for the 2013 model from Best Buy, which is inciting -- but again, I'd be stuck with 8GB. What kind of user would benefit from 16GB over 8GB? As someone noted earlier, I'm somewhat impatient so love it when things are blazing quick!

Unless you are doing something like editing HUGE Photoshop files or running a VM like capathy21 mentioned, going from 8 to 16GB will make no difference. Read this test.

 

[jafca09]

Can you imagine if everyone decided they had to BUMP posts? Not good.

You might have gotten more responses if your title was more descriptive though.

Thanks for the feedback. I probably was a little too impatient since I was thinking of heading out right then and there to buy one!

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Someone who does heavy video or photo editing, or runs VM's. What is your usage like?

I'm a casual photo editor and casual VM user (only for things like Excel). I'm a heavy user of more standard applications (mail/internet/word processing). Usually have 5 apps open (5-10 or so tabs in Safari). According to Activity Monitor, I have:

Physical memory: 8.00 GB
Memory used: 6.74 GB
Virtual memory: 10.97 GB
Swap used: 6.5 MB


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Unless you are doing something like editing HUGE Photoshop files or running a VM like capathy21 mentioned, going from 8 to 16GB will make no difference. Read this test.

Thanks for the article. Very helpful!

 

[nexus4life]

You could spend every day or your life waiting for the next "big thing" or "major upgrade" - but the bottom line is that Apple products hold their value so easy to resell and pay just a bit more to upgrade to the latest. Also, you have a 2009 model - the RAM is now 1600mhz, SSDs are PCI express, the retina display, much better battery life... List goes on. The next model could have better battery, better this, better that, but current hardware is more than capable of doing anything you want. Unless Apple intends to reinvent the laptop, it's safe to say any upgrades aren't going to be a deal breaker. Unless the screen goes 4K. Or 3D.