Macbook Pro 2015

[beansbaxter]

I have a 2015 MacBook Pro maxed out with the 2.8 i7, Radeon M370X 2GB, 16GB Mem, 512GB SSD, and it runs great!

I have been looking for a reason to upgrade to the latest and greatest MBP, and I have yet to come up with one. The most recent version, having the better Vega graphics and the 3rd gen keyboard, and it's still not enough for me.

The 2015 has better thermals, and I don't have to carry any dongles because I can plug anything into the attached USB and SD Card reader. And I love the 2015 keyboard and MagSafe.

The 512GB SSD has been more than adequate, however it's easy to upgrade it to a 1TB SSD if needed in the future.

I keep my laptop in a cool environment, so the fans don't spin up that much even when the chassis area above the function keys feels hot to the touch. At some point, I've considered replacing the thermal paste... I watched some YouTube videos on this, and the results look promising.

 

[trifid]

I can exactly answer your question...

An (AMD only) EGPU connected to my 2015 MBP is amazing, even through just TB2. I have a Vega 56 in an Asus XG Station Pro. My Unigine Valley score comparison...

M370X (2015 internal dgpu): 12.4fps
VEGA 56 (egpu): 75.5fps

I was scared initially, but setup took less than 5 minutes. Buy the TB2>TB3 cable ($50, boo) Then follow these simple instructions...

https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/script-enable-egpu-on-tb1-2-macs-on-macos-10-13-4/


It's just... disable SIP, restart, run PurgeWrangler, restart, done. Works perfectly. Can hot plug/unplug without restarting or anything.

And ZERO FAN NOISE. Only time I've heard the fan is when I ran Unigine Valley.

MBP 2015 and a dGPU are AWESOME.

That's awesome to hear, I was expecting the worst since Apple wasn't officially supporting it, I'm gonna have to give this a try.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Can anyone confirm that getting a new battery from Apple for these (Which sounds like it's $200 even out of warranty) replaces the entire top case/keys/trackpad?

 

[trifid]

I can exactly answer your question...

An (AMD only) EGPU connected to my 2015 MBP is amazing, even through just TB2. I have a Vega 56 in an Asus XG Station Pro. My Unigine Valley score comparison...

M370X (2015 internal dgpu): 12.4fps
VEGA 56 (egpu): 75.5fps

I was scared initially, but setup took less than 5 minutes. Buy the TB2>TB3 cable ($50, boo) Then follow these simple instructions...

https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/script-enable-egpu-on-tb1-2-macs-on-macos-10-13-4/


It's just... disable SIP, restart, run PurgeWrangler, restart, done. Works perfectly. Can hot plug/unplug without restarting or anything.

And ZERO FAN NOISE. Only time I've heard the fan is when I ran Unigine Valley.

MBP 2015 and a dGPU are AWESOME.

Hey which TB2 >TB3 cable did you get? Would Apple's adapter be fine too?

 

[Flabasha]

Hey which TB2 >TB3 cable did you get? Would Apple's adapter be fine too?

Yeah, just get the Apple one. It's the only one confirmed to work.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Say - could others with a 2015 15" help me with testing something..

If you tap on the top case on the speakers and next to the trackpad and sort of just "all around the keyboard", do you get a bit of a vibration sound?

It seems like it's vibrating the whole keyboard when I do this and I don't recall it always doing this or not. Sometimes I even get it when I get really furiously typing and I'm trying to determine if this is just a "thing" on these models or if something has come lose inside somewhere that I should look at addressing.

Thx!

 

[GGJstudios]

Say - could others with a 2015 15" help me with testing something..

If you tap on the top case on the speakers and next to the trackpad and sort of just "all around the keyboard", do you get a bit of a vibration sound?

It seems like it's vibrating the whole keyboard when I do this and I don't recall it always doing this or not. Sometimes I even get it when I get really furiously typing and I'm trying to determine if this is just a "thing" on these models or if something has come lose inside somewhere that I should look at addressing.

I don't experience that at all, on multiple 2015 MBPs.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don't experience that at all, on multiple 2015 MBPs.

Not good news for me apparently…

I’d like to get a new battery also and it’s my understanding they replace the entire top case when they do that.

That said I’m not sure how to get them to let me pay for new battery…
As I’m sure they will tell me it’s not due for service yet or something

 

[Appledoesnotlisten]

Not good news for me apparently…

I’d like to get a new battery also and it’s my understanding they replace the entire top case when they do that.

That said I’m not sure how to get them to let me pay for new battery…
As I’m sure they will tell me it’s not due for service yet or something

You mean that for just $200 they will replace the entire top case?

I have a 2015 15" that kinda needs a battery replacement. So I am thinking whether to replace the battery for $200 or sell it for say $1000 and buy a 2017" 15" refurb for $1900. 2015 is a great machine that has sentimental value attached to it, but I would benefit from all my MacBooks having the same chargers, keyboards, etc...

 

[turbineseaplane]

You mean that for just $200 they will replace the entire top case?

I have a 2015 15" that kinda needs a battery replacement. So I am thinking whether to replace the battery for $200 or sell it for say $1000 and buy a 2017" 15" refurb for $1900. 2015 is a great machine that has sentimental value attached to it, but I would benefit from all my MacBooks having the same chargers, keyboards, etc...

That’s my understanding, yes, because the battery is glued to the top case.
That’s probably why they’re super hesitant to do the replacement unless it’s absolutely necessary.

I wish I could get some more insight on this as I would like to pay for a new battery and get a new top case at the same time to refresh my unit which has a battery that’s now in the upper 80s of design capacity.

 

[puma1552]

I thought only 2016+ models resulted in topcase replacements for battery swaps, if it applies to 2015s it would apply to all machines back to 2012 and I don't ever remember hearing about this prior to the last couple of years.

 

[robvas]

I thought only 2016+ models resulted in topcase replacements for battery swaps, if it applies to 2015s it would apply to all machines back to 2012 and I don't ever remember hearing about this prior to the last couple of years.

Nope, the 2012+ were glued in.

Remember a year or so ago when people were trying to get the batteries replaced and Apple would instead give them a whole new (or refurbished) 2015 MacBook Pro for the $199 battery replacement cost?

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/07/24/mid-2012-macbook-pro-top-case-battery-constraint/

 

[Polymorphic]

I ordered a maxed-out 2015 15" MacBook Pro from Apple's Refurbished Store today. I still believe this is the best MacBook Pro Apple ever made.

Is it overpriced in 2018? Absolutely.

But I need to get work done, without typing on eggshells, dealing with T2/BridgeOS errors, inadvertently hitting the useless Touch Bar, working around substandard battery life, or hoping I remembered to bring all the dongles.

My 2017 MacBook Pro was the worst Mac I've ever owned. My 2013 MacBook Pro was the best. Hopefully this refurbished 2015 will be more like the older machine than the newer one.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Just wanted to add that I'm as happy as can be with my brand new 2.2ghz iGPU only 15" 2015 with an aftermarket Samsung 970 EVO 2TB NVMe drive in here.

I'm shocked with how much cooler and dead silent this runs vs my 2.8ghz model

 

[puma1552]

Just wanted to add that I'm as happy as can be with my brand new 2.2ghz iGPU only 15" 2015 with an aftermarket Samsung 970 EVO 2TB NVMe drive in here.

I'm shocked with how much cooler and dead silent this runs vs my 2.8ghz model

Same model here, also brand new as of a few weeks ago...mine is also dead silent and cool, running a few safari tabs and it's sitting at 31C according to SMC Fan Control.

 

[trifid]

Just wanted to add that I'm as happy as can be with my brand new 2.2ghz iGPU only 15" 2015 with an aftermarket Samsung 970 EVO 2TB NVMe drive in here.

I'm shocked with how much cooler and dead silent this runs vs my 2.8ghz model

Nice to hear!

I’m using an eGPU (Blackmagic) with my 2.8 MBP 2015 with apple’s tb3 -> tb2 adapter and now it’s quieter than before, though not silent, fans still show up. It has some issues with sleep, I have to unplug/replug monitor cables for signal to show back.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Nice to hear!

I’m using an eGPU (Blackmagic) with my 2.8 MBP 2015 with apple’s tb3 -> tb2 adapter and now it’s quieter than before, though not silent, fans still show up. It has some issues with sleep, I have to unplug/replug monitor cables for signal to show back.

Oh yeah? Nice!

I've got a Node sitting here + that adapter and am just waiting on a Thunderbolt cable to come on Monday to try it out. I have a 7970 in there, which admittedly isn't amazing, but still a reasonably good card for some occasional FCPX but more importantly just to run my external LG 31" 4k monitor when I want to use it and not tax the MBP at all for the screen.

If the 7970 doesn't end up working with Legacy support from that script at eGPU.io, I may pick up an RX580 locally or perhaps return the Node and get an all in one like those Aorus Gaming boxes or something.

Anyone tried those?

 

[Rizvi1]

Actually logged in to post a similar question about my 2014 before I saw this thread. About to purchase a 2018 to replace it as my main work machine (I work in music technology, and do a fair bit of both studio work and live/real-time audio processing), and torn between keeping the 2014 as a docked desktop machine, or selling it, docking the 2018, and buying an ipad for anything not work related.

2014 is still going strong, besides a battery that could use replacing. I haven't run into anything I need to do, that it can't handle, but I'm concerned about having a nearly 5 year old machine that's no longer under warranty.

Anyone wanna weigh in? Convince me, haha.

Still running my mid-2014 MacBook Pro and don't have any plans to upgrade. This is the longest I've ever owned a macbook actually. Since I first started buying them in '02 (Then called Powerbooks), I always did the same thing of getting the Applecare and selling the computer right before the 3 years were up so the new owner would have some warranty to make sure everything was good.

But this time around had an issue with the applecare so returned it. With no motivation to sell within a time period to (I assume) get more money, I've just been holding onto this. It still seems to be working totally fine.

It does have a new screen after I cracked mine in 2016 and I just upgraded the battery earlier this year. The 512gb drive is getting tight for me so just added a 256gb Transcend JetDrive Lite which will hopefully buy me some more time. At the rate my hard drive content is growing, I'm going to need a 1TB or larger w/ my next computer and with no add-on storage options, I'm dreading the cost.

Well, as the owner of a maxed-out 2015...

The new one, aside from looking cool, basically gives me very little I didn't already have, and actually has WORSE storage, because I keep a 256gb JetDrive in the SD port of the 2015, and the new one doesn't HAVE an SD port.

...

How's that 256 JetDrive working for you? I just got a refurbished one from Amazon Warehouse. I first tried a 256 Samsung EVO Plus drive but the JetDrive has the MLC NAND. When I was moving 200+ onto the Samsung, it was a 12+ hour process. But with the JetDrive, that same amount is 4+ hours.

I have a 2015 MacBook Pro maxed out with the 2.8 i7, Radeon M370X 2GB, 16GB Mem, 512GB SSD, and it runs great!

....
The 512GB SSD has been more than adequate, however it's easy to upgrade it to a 1TB SSD if needed in the future.
...

Is it easy? From what I was looking at, finding the correct proprietary SSD drive is pricey, but you can get alternatives like OWC which are a bit slower. That's why I'm going with the JetDrive Lite for secondary storage.