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Overall, how reliable is the MBP?

G

Gallium Spoon

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 28, 2011
15
0
I know a lot of people come here because they have problems, but generally speaking, is the MacBook Pro, especially the 13", a reliable computer?

I'm in the market for a new notebook. My last one was an iBook G4 which lasted me a solid five years (only died because I dropped it on a linoleum floor), and I want my next one to survive as long.
 
Gallium Spoon said:
I know a lot of people come here because they have problems, but generally speaking, is the MacBook Pro, especially the 13", a reliable computer?

I'm in the market for a new notebook. My last one was an iBook G4 which lasted me a solid five years (only died because I dropped it on a linoleum floor), and I want my next one to survive as long.
Click to expand...

You answered your own question with you previous laptop experience. Expect any MBP, not just the 13", to last just as long, maybe longer (if updates permit) than your iBook. Just don't drop it on the floor this time :)
 
I am a PC Gamer who builds PC's... I work on an Enterprise network daily consisting of all PCs and windows devices. From Dell, HP, Lenovo etc.

I have seen and used alot of computers, and not 1 computer out there compares to my MacBook Pro.

MBP is built so solidly, and never has any issues. I own 3 MBPs currently. 2006, 2009, and 2010. All still work and have been the best machines I have ever used.

I say the MBP is "Super Reliable"
 
I have a 2010 15" MBP, mid-level model, 8 gigs of ram, Intel 320 SSD. Owned it for about 8 months now (SSD, about 2 months). I've not had one single problem with it in all that time. Had it in a Speck shell since it was unboxed, and it looks brand new. Can't conceive of owning anything else now, since every other laptop I see or mess around with just feels like junk.

I also had an '09 13" MBP, and it was just as nice, except the screen just seemed too small for my liking.
 
iBunny said:
I am a PC Gamer who builds PC's... I work on an Enterprise network daily consisting of all PCs and windows devices. From Dell, HP, Lenovo etc.

I have seen and used alot of computers, and not 1 computer out there compares to my MacBook Pro.

MBP is built so solidly, and never has any issues. I own 3 MBPs currently. 2006, 2009, and 2010. All still work and have been the best machines I have ever used.

I say the MBP is "Super Reliable"
Click to expand...

THe broken MacBook pile in my stock room would disagree with you. In my office MacBook Pros average the same life as Lenovo Thinkpads and HP Elitebooks.
 
It'll last you a while.

I was on the verge of upgrading my 09 C2D for the sake of upgrading but I realized there's nothing wrong with it and it does everything I need it do perfectly fine.

I upgraded it to an SSD+HDD combo just last week and now it should last me a lot longer.

The build quality is awesome. I've seen a few of them get dropped with lids open and they came out fine.

I'll be at 2 years in October, hopefully I can go another 2 or 3.. though knowing myself I'm probably going to get suckered into either one of the next two revisions that come out :p
 
Overall, really reliable. To break it down, software whys. Awesome. It's nice having a computer that "just works." You don't have to deal with updated/malfunctioning drivers, etc.

Hardware whys. Awesome. I have a few scratches from something unknown on the bottom of mine. I wish they weren't there, and I keep 'em covered up by this Speck case. I've had a few (minor) minor spills around my laptop and one to the right of the trackpad.

I haven't had any problems with my logic board, display, hard drive, ram or anything else. Those were just the few things that popped up.

Definitely the best computer I've ever owned or worked with. And I plan on upgrading in the next week or two to a Intel 320 SSD and 8GB of ram. I'm stoked. :)
 
I have a 15" late 2008 MacBook Pro and I love it. I haven't had any problems with it so far. The only thing I had to replace was the charging cable, and that's only because my cat decided to chew on it :D

It still works great, and I use it for both work and just general internet/email stuff. I plan on getting a Mac Pro when they do a refresh, but I'll still hang on to my handy MacBook Pro, too.
 
Gallium Spoon said:
I know a lot of people come here because they have problems, but generally speaking, is the MacBook Pro, especially the 13", a reliable computer?

I'm in the market for a new notebook. My last one was an iBook G4 which lasted me a solid five years (only died because I dropped it on a linoleum floor), and I want my next one to survive as long.
Click to expand...

couldn't recommend it more..

have mine a year+ and love it..you can do a few upgrades to future proof it a bit - RAM/HDD/SSD/etc...

also, resale value is typically good - could even sell it a few years down the road and upgrade for a couple of hundred bucks difference..
 
In my opinion, the MacBook Pro is an excellent choice and I would highly recommend one to anyone who is looking at purchasing a new computer.

The MacBook Pro is a very well-built and well-designed computer, and it will last you for years to come as long as you take good care of it (like anything else). It offers a nice blend of aesthetics, features, and performance.

In addition, Apple's Customer Service is pretty amazing.
 
altecXP said:
THe broken MacBook pile in my stock room would disagree with you. In my office MacBook Pros average the same life as Lenovo Thinkpads and HP Elitebooks.
Click to expand...
Yes I'm quoting myself.

I just want to amend that the lifespan I'm referring to is 3-4 years typically and 5-6 if they get in the hands of a really good user.
 
Gallium Spoon said:
I know a lot of people come here because they have problems, but generally speaking, is the MacBook Pro, especially the 13", a reliable computer?

I'm in the market for a new notebook. My last one was an iBook G4 which lasted me a solid five years (only died because I dropped it on a linoleum floor), and I want my next one to survive as long.
Click to expand...

The key seems to be, that you keep the temperatures in the MBP-unibody-case as low as possible. You can do two things:
1. Disable the more powerful GPU, if you do not need it (on older NVIDIA-based dual-GPU Macs you can do it in the Energy Saver preferences). The Safari HTML5 Video decoder and the Flash Player plugin can use the 9400M or other integrated NVIDIA GPUs to decode the H.264 streams in hardware. The same is valid for Intels HD 3000 IGP.
2. Use a third party utility to adjust the fan speed of your MBP as necessary.

My Mid-2009 MBP "died" in June 2011 due to heat problems, but it booted today (!) after several SMC and PRAM-resets. It has probably a faulty 9600M GT GPU. This means i can only use the 9400M GPU. I'm glad, that i've my Intel/AMD based Early-2011 MBP as a better backup. One more reason to use the IGP as much as possible.

I think besides the aforementioned heat problems, most MBPs seem to be very reliable if you protect them against fluids, dust, physical damage et cetera.
 
altecXP said:
THe broken MacBook pile in my stock room would disagree with you. In my office MacBook Pros average the same life as Lenovo Thinkpads and HP Elitebooks.
Click to expand...

Anecdotally, they are great.

Statistically, they are average. If you factor in cost, they are below average.
 
been rocking mine (see sig) for 2 years! Never had a single problem...

my wife has had her black macbook since 2007! still runs great - fans like to kick up, but it's a solid little machine
 
I guess the question I'm really wanting to ask is, is the MBP 13" the right computer for me?

What I want in a computer first and foremost is reliability, and since my last computer was a reliable Mac, my first instinct is to get another Mac. I like the OS, I'm comfortable with it, and I get the impression that Macs are pretty fast in general (internet, various media and accessing files etc). But the thing is, the low-end MBP 13" is about as much as I can afford. Now, it does everything pretty much everything I'm going to want it to, but it does restrict my options a bit in terms of gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamer (especially after using an iBook), and almost every game I want is either a few years old or indie and should run sufficiently on the 13", but I'm wondering whether I'd regret not taking this opportunity to get something that is less restrictive in that area.

Basically it boils down to whether I should get:

- The MBP 13", for reliability, speed, and an OS I'm familiar with or;

- A cheaper PC laptop of some kind that has higher specs and is about as reliable.

I don't know anything about PCs. What would be a PC notebook that a forum of Mac users would approve of?
 
Gallium Spoon said:
I guess the question I'm really wanting to ask is, is the MBP 13" the right computer for me?

What I want in a computer first and foremost is reliability, and since my last computer was a reliable Mac, my first instinct is to get another Mac. I like the OS, I'm comfortable with it, and I get the impression that Macs are pretty fast in general (internet, various media and accessing files etc). But the thing is, the low-end MBP 13" is about as much as I can afford. Now, it does everything pretty much everything I'm going to want it to, but it does restrict my options a bit in terms of gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamer (especially after using an iBook), and almost every game I want is either a few years old or indie and should run sufficiently on the 13", but I'm wondering whether I'd regret not taking this opportunity to get something that is less restrictive in that area.

Basically it boils down to whether I should get:

- The MBP 13", for reliability, speed, and an OS I'm familiar with or;

- A cheaper PC laptop of some kind that has higher specs and is about as reliable.

I don't know anything about PCs. What would be a PC notebook that a forum of Mac users would approve of?
Click to expand...

I love the Sony Z series or the ASUS UX21.
 
If you go to the depths of Hell, you will die but your MacBook Pro will survive.
Well...you get what I'm saying.
 
Gallium Spoon said:
I guess the question I'm really wanting to ask is, is the MBP 13" the right computer for me?

What I want in a computer first and foremost is reliability, and since my last computer was a reliable Mac, my first instinct is to get another Mac. I like the OS, I'm comfortable with it, and I get the impression that Macs are pretty fast in general (internet, various media and accessing files etc). But the thing is, the low-end MBP 13" is about as much as I can afford. Now, it does everything pretty much everything I'm going to want it to, but it does restrict my options a bit in terms of gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamer (especially after using an iBook), and almost every game I want is either a few years old or indie and should run sufficiently on the 13", but I'm wondering whether I'd regret not taking this opportunity to get something that is less restrictive in that area.

Basically it boils down to whether I should get:

- The MBP 13", for reliability, speed, and an OS I'm familiar with or;

- A cheaper PC laptop of some kind that has higher specs and is about as reliable.

I don't know anything about PCs. What would be a PC notebook that a forum of Mac users would approve of?
Click to expand...

The best PC laptop I can think of is a MacBook pro with VMFusion installed running Win7 on a virtual machine. :)
 
I purchase my first MBP in 2008. Since then, the computer has completely failed four times and been replaced with the latest model by Apple on each occurrence. I would estimate my MBP's have spent a total of at least a month in the Genius Bar. The only saving grace from my point-of-view is that Apple has replaced the system each time it failed since I purchased Apple Care.
 
powerbook titanium - circa 2001: still going, running tiger
powerbook al - sold
macbook pro c2d - circa 2006: still going, running lion
macbook pro unibody - late 2008: still going.
macbook pro quad i7 - feb 2011: current.

not one single problem with any machine. (hope i don't jinx myself with this!)
 
As long as you take care of it, they'll run.

BUT

There can be malfunctions so I would suggest getting AppleCare if you are keeping it for a long time. It'll pay off in the long run.

Had my 15" MBP since 2006. Replaced a fan and upgraded its WiFi card. It runs HOT, the case is beat up and littered with stickers but the thing is still working.

My newer 13" MBP since March of this year. No complaints... Yet :)
 
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