MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) - Advice Needed- Catalina on Older Macs

[PO2345]

Hi all. I have this MBP. It has 8 GBs Ram, 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 & Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB.
I would like some opinions on how this update is for older macs. Is it working fine on your machine? Will it be fine on mine?

I have held on to this machine for so long, so I just wanted to hear feedback on how the performance of older mac machines are after installing this update.

Also, I learned about 32-bit apps not working anymore with this update as well. For me, that is my 2011 Office for Mac.
I bought that at my graduate school for a severely discounted rate when I was in school, but I will need a newer version now it seems.

Anyone have any advice on where to purchase a version on discount that will work with Catalina?

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond to me.

 

[JusVan.exe]

Upgrade to a ssd if you haven’t done so and office 2011 hasn’t been supported for a long time so activation will not work when trying to reinstall office

 

[chscag]

You can purchase an Office 365 subscription from the Mac App Store. The first 30 days are free. Office 365 includes Word 2019, Powerpoint, Excel, and Outlook. All work with Catalina.

 

[PO2345]

Upgrade to a ssd if you haven’t done so and office 2011 hasn’t been supported for a long time so activation will not work when trying to reinstall office

Well i wasn't trying to upgrade anything. I just wanted to get an opinion to see if my machine could handle the update in its current state. Office 2011 wont work anyway, so i knew that as well. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me.
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You can purchase an Office 365 subscription from the Mac App Store. The first 30 days are free. Office 365 includes Word 2019, Powerpoint, Excel, and Outlook. All work with Catalina.

Thank you for your response. I was just trying to see if there were options available anywhere in which I could purchase it at a discounted rate like I did 2011 when i acquired it, so i could prepare for the update, if I actually did it.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Your specs are similar to my 2012 Mac Mini (late). I do agree with the others that if you decide to upgrade make sure to install an internal SSD. I'm still currently running Mojave on my 2012 Mini only because of all the bugs i've been reading about. I'll eventually install Catalina once things settle down a bit and some of the more notable bugs are addressed.

Just to give you an idea on how fast your laptop can perform HDD vs SSD. My 2012 Mini booted Mojave with the original drive in 1 minute and 18 secs. With an internal SSD that same 2012 Mini will boot Mojave to the password screen in around 19 secs. Big difference.

 

[Fishrrman]

Is the MPB you have one of the NON-retina "unibody" models?

If so, do you still have the original platter-based hard drive inside?

If so, my advice is... DON'T BOTHER with Catalina.
Stick with whatever you have now.
If you have Office 2011, do not, DO NOT upgrade, because it won't run any more.

BUT...something you CAN do...
...swap out the platter based drive for an SSD.
This is close to being "child's play" on a unibody MBP.

2.5" SSDs are cheap.
You'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver.
Go to ifixit.com to see what's involved.
Again, it's easy, anyone can do it.

 

[PO2345]

Is the MPB you have one of the NON-retina "unibody" models?

If so, do you still have the original platter-based hard drive inside?

If so, my advice is... DON'T BOTHER with Catalina.
Stick with whatever you have now.
If you have Office 2011, do not, DO NOT upgrade, because it won't run any more.

BUT...something you CAN do...
...swap out the platter based drive for an SSD.
This is close to being "child's play" on a unibody MBP.

2.5" SSDs are cheap.
You'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver.
Go to ifixit.com to see what's involved.
Again, it's easy, anyone can do it.

Thank you sir. I do have the original drive inside, so I guess I won't be upgrading.

But can you provide me with some sort of link that instructs me on how to replace the drive? Also, how do i get my data from my current drive to the new one?

 

[Heat_Fan89]

But can you provide me with some sort of link that instructs me on how to replace the drive? Also, how do i get my data from my current drive to the new one?

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