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I just bought a 2014 MBP 15" i7 16GB 512GB, am I crazy?

E

erpetao

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 19, 2011
223
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Trying to get back into photography, loading the raw files from a 5D mark II into my base MacBook air mid-2011 13" was taking forever. (And with Apple photos even more).

So I just pulled the trigger on the MBP in the title for £990, is it a waste of money or will it perform well enough to handle the photo editing?

Also, I don't have a proper desk in the house so I'll be portable within the house, I won't need it outside the house (I never took my MBA out). That's why this time I went for the larger 15" screen (closest thing to a desktop).

I looked at the newest MBPs, I can't stand the keyboard and touchbar. I considered a 2015 MBP but the main difference was force trackpad and a small upgrade, but the price went up to £1350.

So my question is, is this still a powerhouse? Good enough to handle raw files from a 10 year old full frame camera?
 
No, not crazy at all. 2014-2015 are best Mac laptops in terms of reliability. I have a base 15" 2015 and it's great for photo editing. I have even edited raw files from 5DS and it was ok, so no worries. Newer MBPs are of course faster, but I don't think they are worth the price. So enjoy your laptop!
 
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You did the right thing. You may have a look at the battery's cycle count at some time though. The batteries for these models (2014 and 2015) sometimes have issues but if yours does not, then you are set for a number of good years ahead of you, with no worries about overheating, keyboard issues (unintended repeats) and a Touch Bar that does not seem to be that much of an advantage.

Proudly typed error-free on a Mid-2014 15" 2.5 i7 16GB 512GB... with my sanity intact. :)
 
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Thanks guys, I think I made the right decision then. It's arriving on Monday, I'll let you know how it goes.
 
goslowjoe said:
You did the right thing. You may have a look at the battery's cycle count at some time though. The batteries for these models (2014 and 2015) sometimes have issues but if yours does not, then you are set for a number of good years ahead of you, with no worries about overheating, keyboard issues (unintended repeats) and a Touch Bar that does not seem to be that much of an advantage.

Proudly typed error-free on a Mid-2014 15" 2.5 i7 16GB 512GB... with my sanity in tact. :)
Click to expand...

Good point. It's about 5 years old so the battery has to be the number one thing you check. erpetaeo, did you buy it from a used shop...or from an individual person? Sometimes used shops will upgrade things like the battery before they sell it. Do you know how to check the battery cycle count erpetao?

If the cycle count is over 1000 you may need to change it. As the battery is used over the years it becomes less efficient and at 1000 cycles (charges) you only get about 80% according to apple. In other words, a battery that once lasted for, say, 9-10 hours will only last 6-7 hours. It's only about a couple hundred dollars, but it's worth it.

I think you made a good decision since you are just getting back into photography. The only other option I think in your case would have been to wait to see if Apple ever releases a Non-touchbar 15" or updates the non-touchbar 13". Because then you will get a better computer that will have longer support.

The way apple is going erpetao, is that they only seam to support for so long, so you may only receive MacOS support for this 2014 model for another couple years. BUT if the price was right, and you're just getting back into things and want something now. I think you made a good decision.
 
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erpetao said:
Hi macnewbie86, I bought the laptop from an ebay used shop, with good rating. There's no cycle count screenshot. I guess I can check the cycle count from system info?

Here's the link, they have sold already 87 of these, and they seem to have good reviews.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-MacBook-Pro-Retina-15-Core-i7-2-5Ghz-16GB-512GB-Mid-2014-A-Grade-DG-GPU/182496662695?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
Click to expand...

hmm just has graphics card highlighted in system info screenshot, but yes you're right..just go to "system info" which is found by pressing on the apple icon at the top left of the screen. Then click power in the list...then you will see a bunch of info but you want to look for "cycle count".

You made a good choice in this ebay seller also as they have almost 5000 sales and a 99.9% positive feedback. This is a very good sign that you will have a great machine. Also, they have a 30-day money back guarantee, so that's also great if you find out it has like 1500 cycle count.
 
What's a realistic good cycle count for a 4.5 year old laptop?
 
it really depends on who used it before you...with the Macbook pro that I have (a late 2013 model), I am almost at 600. So I don't really have to worry about changing it for a while. When that time comes, I'll probably just buy a new macbook, because by that time, macOS support will probably have ended for my machine.

Mine is only at 600 because I have mine docked a lot. I took it out for school and travelling occasionally, and also on the couch or the kitchen table sometimes, but that's about it. So, if my math's correct I think that's about 2-3 charges a week since I purchased it. (100-150 each year, for about 5 years)

The 15" models like you bought are more of a pro machine because of the ram and quad core processor but that doesn't necessarily mean they were charged more and it may have only a few hundred cycles. The last owner could have had it docked most of the time like me. You never really know buying a used computer but it's always important to check.
 
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erpetao said:
So I just pulled the trigger on the MBP in the title for £990, is it a waste of money or will it perform well enough to handle the photo editing?
Click to expand...

It will perform fine, but I have to say that I'm not rich enough to pay that kind of money for an almost 5 year computer...
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erpetao said:
What's a realistic good cycle count for a 4.5 year old laptop?
Click to expand...

Cycle count doesn't really matter at this point, since your battery will be approaching the end of its lifetime anyway. I'd recommend you to have it replaced fairly soon, or there are good chances it will swell and damage your laptop.
 
I bought the same model new back in 2014 and I've been using it daily since then, both in the office and at home. It's plugged in most of the time but I also use it around the house. It's a great machine. I just bought a used 2015, though, because I wanted more video horsepower and also a backup system. My 2008 died last summer and it was my backup system. Both the 2014 and 2015 MBPs are great and reliable. I will look into new Apple hardware when they put something out there that's reliable enough so that I don't have to second-guess my hardware.
 
I have both 15" MacBook Pro 2014 and 15" MacBook Pro 2016, and I use the 2014 model all the time, while 2016 model is collecting dust (its keyboard has already been replaced).
These pre-2016 retina MacBook Pros are the best in terms of reliability (and performance wise, they're not far behind 2016/17 models)
 
I had the 15 inch 2014 16Gb 1TB model from new (replaced a 2012 rMBP) for 4 years. It was easily the best Mac laptop I had, and now I passed it to a colleague to replace his battered 13". It is still running like a champ, and not a single thing has ever gone wrong with it. I'd say you got a good machine.
 
This is a wonderful purchase! As already mentioned, the battery might be worth changing (not too difficult), and if you were feeling really super adventurous, I suppose you could get an adapter and swap in an even bigger SSD.
 
Congratulations! I think that you will be very happy with it. Check with seller, ofttimes they will upgrade and replace things such as HD, ram, and batteries. It may already have a new battery. The seller I bought from on eBay had upgraded all the aft mentioned parts.
 
gusto5 said:
This is a wonderful purchase! As already mentioned, the battery might be worth changing (not too difficult), and if you were feeling really super adventurous, I suppose you could get an adapter and swap in an even bigger SSD.
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Oh excellent, if it's easy to change the battery that will make things great. (I changed my MBA's battery).
 
erpetao said:
Oh excellent, if it's easy to change the battery that will make things great. (I changed my MBA's battery).
Click to expand...
you paid too much, £990 it's a lot for over 4 years old machine, you can find cheaper for about £800, on auction between £600-£700, battery is heavily glued and difficult to replace, so it's not the same like MBA

erpetao said:
Hi macnewbie86, I bought the laptop from an ebay used shop, with good rating. There's no cycle count screenshot. I guess I can check the cycle count from system info?

Here's the link, they have sold already 87 of these, and they seem to have good reviews.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-MacBook-Pro-Retina-15-Core-i7-2-5Ghz-16GB-512GB-Mid-2014-A-Grade-DG-GPU/182496662695?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
Click to expand...

you don't know what you get, you wouldn't get same laptop like on the pictures, you don't know battery cycles, protection is the same doesn't matter if you buying for small or big seller, there are errors in description and some misleading information, looks like grey US import ex-business machines, free MS Office is very suspicious, I wouldn't touch even by barge pole
 
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_Kiki_ said:
you paid too much, £990 it's a lot for over 4 years old machine, you can find cheaper for about £800, on auction between £600-£700, battery is heavily glued and difficult to replace, so it's not the same like MBA
Click to expand...

Could you post a link?

_Kiki_ said:
you don't know what you get, you wouldn't get same laptop like on the pictures, you don't know battery cycles, protection is the same doesn't matter if you buying for small or big seller, there are errors in description and some misleading information, looks like grey US import ex-business machines, free MS Office is very suspicious, I wouldn't touch even by barge pole
Click to expand...

I could be that as being ex-business then Office was also licensed to each laptop?
 
erpetao said:
Could you post a link?



I could be that as being ex-business then Office was also licensed to each laptop?
Click to expand...

I checked that sellers feedback and it does seem like they sell second hand products from the US (or maybe other countries).

You'll know if it's UK or not by the keyboard.

You'll want to make sure you are happy with the condition of the device. Some feedback has been around dents and/or poor condition (scratched screen, etc).

They have a money back policy, which they also appear to stand behind so I don't think you've made a mistake.

Yes you could have potentially picked one up cheaper, but it wouldn't come with a money back or failure guarantee. That is going to come with a slightly higher premium.

I hope you enjoy the machine. Keen to see some photos and a report when it arrives.
 
Not crazy at all. I've gone back and forth on this and as much as I like the footprint of the new MacBook Pro's, I just can't get past some of the decisions that Apple made that continue to baffle me. I ended up getting rid of my 2018 model and going back to my maxed out 2015. Do I get the same power? Absolutely not. But for me the 2015 is a joy to use and the 2018 model just isn't.
 
Just some more info: I considered the new MBP or refurbished 2016-18 from Apple as those prices include VAT which I can claim back (effectively a 18% discount), bringing the price closer to the second hand ebay ones (can't claim VAT on those). The reason I didn't go for the new MBPs is that I can't stand those keyboards, tried them at Apple Stores, several times, tried to like them, but they are just not for me. So, in my head, a 2014-15 is a superior product in the areas I value more (keyboard and ports instead of speed bump and thinness).

But I just realised now (and thus getting cold feet about the MBP) that there was another option to get a top of the line laptop with a good keyboard: 15" Surface Book 2, some reviews call it what the MBP should have been. Yes, of course, it's windows, but the keyboard is one of the best keyboards out there. It also has the plus of tablet mode, which is probably nice for editing in Lightroom in the sofa...
 
erpetao said:
Trying to get back into photography, loading the raw files from a 5D mark II into my base MacBook air mid-2011 13" was taking forever. (And with Apple photos even more).

So I just pulled the trigger on the MBP in the title for £990, is it a waste of money or will it perform well enough to handle the photo editing?

Also, I don't have a proper desk in the house so I'll be portable within the house, I won't need it outside the house (I never took my MBA out). That's why this time I went for the larger 15" screen (closest thing to a desktop).

I looked at the newest MBPs, I can't stand the keyboard and touchbar. I considered a 2015 MBP but the main difference was force trackpad and a small upgrade, but the price went up to £1350.

So my question is, is this still a powerhouse? Good enough to handle raw files from a 10 year old full frame camera?
Click to expand...
You made the right choice.
 
Considering all the problems with 2016 and later design MBP's, I'd say your decision was "crazy like a fox"... ;)
 
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