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ostrich002

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2019
3
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I can find the mid-2012 13” MacBook Pro with upgraded RAM and SSD for about $300-400. I can find both the 13” MacBook Pro late-2013 and MacBook Air 13” 2015 for about $100 more. Which is the best option?
 
I can find the mid-2012 13” MacBook Pro with upgraded RAM and SSD for about $300-400. I can find both the 13” MacBook Pro late-2013 and MacBook Air 13” 2015 for about $100 more. Which is the best option?
It all depends on what you would use it for. What exactly are the specs on the different models your considering?
 
It all depends on what you would use it for. What exactly are the specs on the different models your considering?
Thanks for your reply. I would be using it for school, some coding, and some light CAD.
Specs:
Mid-2012 13” MacBook Pro: 2.5 GHz Intel i5, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD
Late-2013 13” Retina MacBook Pro: 2.4 GHz Intel i5, Intel Iris 5100 Graphics, 4 or 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD
Early-2015 13” MacBook Air: 1.6 GHz Intel i5, Intel HD Graphics 6000, 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD
 
Thanks for your reply. I would be using it for school, some coding, and some light CAD.
Specs:
Mid-2012 13” MacBook Pro: 2.5 GHz Intel i5, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD
Late-2013 13” Retina MacBook Pro: 2.4 GHz Intel i5, Intel Iris 5100 Graphics, 4 or 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD
Early-2015 13” MacBook Air: 1.6 GHz Intel i5, Intel HD Graphics 6000, 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD
If it were up to me, I’d go with the late 2013 MBP since it is somewhat newer and will probably last longer. My only hesitation is the amount of storage and the amount of ram your considering. Are your certain 128GB of storage is all you need? Once you get that amount, it isn’t especially easy to upgrade. Also, I would strongly recommend at least 8GB of ram if not 16GB. It never hurts to future proof your Mac if you plan to keep it for a number of years. Just some things to think on.

Good luck with your decision!
 
I'd grab that Mid-2012 if I were you; it's supported for this year's release of MacOS Catalina, and probably will be supported for next year's MacOS, and at least 2-3 further years for security updates.

And that Mid-2012 is the last user-upgradeable model that Apple sold.; you can still open it up and pop much more RAM & SSD into it for cheap.
 
I went from the 2015 MBA to a late 2013 15" MBP. The MBA had 8gigs, 256SSD, the MBP 16gigs, 512SSD... I edit quite a few pictures and I'd gotten to the point where the #spinningballofdeath was coming too often... The MBP? I don't think I've seen that damn ball in over a year of heavier use. The RAM obviously helps, but better graphics too... Go with the MBP...

Coachingguy
 
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