pay to repair or buy new? mid-2012 macbook pro retina 15"

[iblast0ff]

i have a mid-2012 macbook pro retina 15" (the 2.3ghz core i7 with 16gb ram version)

software-wise, everything runs perfectly and pretty smooth as the day i bought it.

but hardware-wise, things are breaking down. i dunno whats happening but the following are broken:

• keyboard backlight does nothing. theres no indication that it works at all anymore. i can hit f6-f7 and i see the backlight level popup on my screen show up, but the actual keyboard does nothing.
• headphone jack is busted. it ONLY works if i reboot the computer. but if the computer ever goes to sleep, the jack stops working no matter what i do, until i reset the computer again.
• left speaker is blown. i have a feeling this is from having installed the BOOM 2 software which 'boosts' volume but i've read other people with 2012 macbook pros that have had their left speaker fail as well.

i've already tried resetting pram and nvram multiple times and it has had no effect.

other than that, the machine works fine.

i'm imagining that i have to probably replace the motherboard to fix these issues.

looking for opinions...is it worth repairing or should i just get a new macbook? i'm perfectly fine with the performance of this machine (i do photoshop/after effects/website building with react/webpack etc work on here with satisfactory results). i'm not sure how much motherboard repair at an official apple store costs.

 

[VertPin]

The keyboards are just awful on the 2016 lineup and above. I'd honestly just repair your device. I didn't think the keyboards would be this bad, but regrettably, it is, and I miss my old 2015 model.

 

[judeluo]

I'd buy a new one since 2012 is really a old model.

 

[Vjosullivan]

i have a mid-2012 macbook pro ... everything runs perfectly

My 2011 MacBook Pro and iMac also still run fine, however neither can run the current macOS (due to its Metal requirements). Therefore, I am limited to software versions and updates that are not tied to the latest OS. So far, only Xcode and macOS Server updates are affected but I expect that to increase.

Will Apple still repair 2012 hardware? My 2011 items fell off their list over a year ago.

 

[H2SO4]

I'd buy a new one since 2012 is really a old model.

Never really understood this thinking.
If the cost is palatable and the unit does what you need at a speed you need, why replace?

 

[LogicalApex]

Never really understood this thinking.
If the cost is palatable and the unit does what you need at a speed you need, why replace?

The decision to service or not should be made pragmatically by comparing the cost of repair against the value of the machine. If it exceeds a reasonable threshold then replacing it makes more sense. For me, a reasonable threshold is 30% of the market value.

 

[H2SO4]

The decision to service or not should be made pragmatically by comparing the cost of repair against the value of the machine. If it exceeds a reasonable threshold then replacing it makes more sense. For me, a reasonable threshold is 30% of the market value.

Yeah, I get that. We'll have a different threshold. But to just say it's old, is a bit rubbish.

 

[campleh]

Depends on how much a repair will cost but the 2012 rMBP is considered vintage by Apple now so I doubt they'll even service it.

 

[cobracnvt]

I doubt it would make sense financially to get it repaired at this point. You'd likely have to find a used motherboard from a donor laptop at this point and roll the dice that it works.

You could look for USB dongles or a USB DAC that has a headphone jack. Wireless audio is always an option as well with Bluetooth and Airplay.

Since you said it works fine otherwise, I personally would just continue to use it until you're forced to replace it because it stops working altogether. That's what I am going to do with my 2012 MBP.

 

[MBAir2010]

Repair, 1975 corvettes, movies, cincinatti reds and Hershey bars are much better than the new ones!
I also decided to use my beat up 2010 MacBook air until i cant anymore.

And
Cant that 6 fingered shop owner who fixes computers and drycleans small pets that is next to that Persian video store in every small city located in USA fixes macbooks as well?