Replacing 2013 MBP

[WardH]

I’m planning on replacing my 6.5 yr old 15” MBP due to battery and keyboard issues.

I was thinking about going smaller with the 13” MBP but may regret it as I do a lot of side by side web site/spreadsheet/document work with music or a movie/TV show in a small window. I also occasionally use VMware Fusion to run some Windows S/W.

My current 15” MBP is an early 2013 with the following specs:
2.4 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
SSD 512 Gb with 110 Gb free
Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB
macOS Mojave

During my heaviest usage Activity Monitor reports 7.3 GB of the 8 Gb physical memory used. CPU usage doesn’t appear to go above 50%.

If I go with the 13” version I was looking at the 4 Thunderbolt port model upgraded to 16 GB memory and 512 GB SSD storage @$2199.

If I went with the 15” version I was looking at the base 15” MBP which includes the 16 GB memory and upgrade it to the 512 GB SSD storage for $2599.

I think the CPU and graphics in either one will be better than what I currently have in my 2013 version.

I have considered replacing the battery and keyboard but not sure it is worth the money and effort to do so on a soon to be 7 yr MBP.

Any suggestions, comments, etc to my plan/thinking?

 

[tamu78uh86]

I’m planning on replacing my 6.5 yr old 15” MBP due to battery and keyboard issues.

I was thinking about going smaller with the 13” MBP but may regret it as I do a lot of side by side web site/spreadsheet/document work with music or a movie/TV show in a small window. I also occasionally use VMware Fusion to run some Windows S/W.

My current 15” MBP is an early 2013 with the following specs:
2.4 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
SSD 512 Gb with 110 Gb free
Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB
macOS Mojave

During my heaviest usage Activity Monitor reports 7.3 GB of the 8 Gb physical memory used. CPU usage doesn’t appear to go above 50%.

If I go with the 13” version I was looking at the 4 Thunderbolt port model upgraded to 16 GB memory and 512 GB SSD storage @$2199.

If I went with the 15” version I was looking at the base 15” MBP which includes the 16 GB memory and upgrade it to the 512 GB SSD storage for $2599.

I think the CPU and graphics in either one will be better than what I currently have in my 2013 version.

I have considered replacing the battery and keyboard but not sure it is worth the money and effort to do so on a soon to be 7 yr MBP.

Any suggestions, comments, etc to my plan/thinking?

[doublepost=1568418252][/doublepost]I too have an early MBP 15" Retina model, but with 16GB RAM and 750GB SSD with the 2.8GHz i7 Core. I had to replace the screen last year for about a $1000, but I have no issues with the keyboard. I've had to have the trackpad repaired and have replaced the battery. So far, the machine functions like a champ and am hoping it will go another couple of years until Apple does something significant in upgrading their notebook computers. I would offer you a suggestion to save some money. Spend the money to make the necessary repairs and simply hook up your laptop to an external monitor for side by side comparisons.

 

[mmark77]

I was in your shoes last week, and replaced my 2014 15" MBP (2.5GHz quad-core, 16GB RAM and 512GB) with a 2018 MBP 13" (8GB, 256GB, 2.3GHz). Best Buy has a good deal on the silver machine ($1299).

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-...mory-256gb-ssd-silver/5998602.p?skuId=5998602

The price was too good to pass up. I mostly do development (Xcode, VSCode, terminals, Forklift, etc) along with have a few Safari windows open. My memory pressure has been less than 50%. In a week of usage, I have had one instance where my memory usage spiked past 8GB (Xcode indexing issue).

My new machine feels faster than the 2014, and I do like the portability. The screen size is an issue when I'm out, but I've adjusted by using Spaces more. At home, I have the machine paired with a 25" 2560x1440 monitor.

Personally, I would save go for the cheaper machine and see how it works. You could use the $800 savings to get a Samsung T5 512 SSD HD, and a nice monitor.

Good luck!

I’m planning on replacing my 6.5 yr old 15” MBP due to battery and keyboard issues.

I was thinking about going smaller with the 13” MBP but may regret it as I do a lot of side by side web site/spreadsheet/document work with music or a movie/TV show in a small window. I also occasionally use VMware Fusion to run some Windows S/W.

My current 15” MBP is an early 2013 with the following specs:
2.4 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
SSD 512 Gb with 110 Gb free
Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB
macOS Mojave

During my heaviest usage Activity Monitor reports 7.3 GB of the 8 Gb physical memory used. CPU usage doesn’t appear to go above 50%.

If I go with the 13” version I was looking at the 4 Thunderbolt port model upgraded to 16 GB memory and 512 GB SSD storage @$2199.

If I went with the 15” version I was looking at the base 15” MBP which includes the 16 GB memory and upgrade it to the 512 GB SSD storage for $2599.

I think the CPU and graphics in either one will be better than what I currently have in my 2013 version.

I have considered replacing the battery and keyboard but not sure it is worth the money and effort to do so on a soon to be 7 yr MBP.

Any suggestions, comments, etc to my plan/thinking?

 

[WardH]

[doublepost=1568418252][/doublepost]I too have an early MBP 15" Retina model, but with 16GB RAM and 750GB SSD with the 2.8GHz i7 Core. I had to replace the screen last year for about a $1000, but I have no issues with the keyboard. I've had to have the trackpad repaired and have replaced the battery. So far, the machine functions like a champ and am hoping it will go another couple of years until Apple does something significant in upgrading their notebook computers. I would offer you a suggestion to save some money. Spend the money to make the necessary repairs and simply hook up your laptop to an external monitor for side by side comparisons.

Your comments about repair do make sense and now I'm considering that.
Did you do the repairs yourself or have a service center do them? I've read thru Ifixit's site and battery replacement procedure. I've built several computers in the past. I installed a OWC SSD drive and repaired very loose hinges on my rMBP but tearing down to the battery looks a little intimidating.

And I do hate setting up a new computer.

 

[Fishrrman]

Battery replacement should cost $200 at a brick-n-mortar Apple Store genius bar.

What's wrong with the keyboard?

If you think the keys are bad on a 2013 MBP, just wait until you try the butterfly keys on a current model !

I'd put a battery into it and try to hold out until the 2020's arrive.

 

[Nbd1790]

I upgraded from the same exact position you're in. I had an early 2013 MBP 15 inch that had max specs. I picked up a 2018 13 inch from Best Buy with i7 - 16gb and 1tb SSD. It took some time to adjust to the smaller screen for sure, but ultimately I like it because of the portability. It seems a bit snappier than the 2013 model (as expected) and even has substantially higher geek bench scores. The dedicated graphics don't really mean a whole lot to me being that I don't do video editing. Ultimately, it's your decision, but switching to a smaller screen is def possible. Whenever I want more screen real estate, I plug into my dual monitor setup at home (which also runs fine with this machine)

 

[mmark77]

Forgot to mention, if Apple replaces your battery, they'll also replace the top-sheet and keyboard (at least on the 2014 model). However, your battery needs to qualify (<80% battery life).

Your comments about repair do make sense and now I'm considering that.
Did you do the repairs yourself or have a service center do them? I've read thru Ifixit's site and battery replacement procedure. I've built several computers in the past. I installed a OWC SSD drive and repaired very loose hinges on my rMBP but tearing down to the battery looks a little intimidating.

And I do hate setting up a new computer.

 

[WardH]

The keyboard back light is out. I've gone through all the steps I could find on the web to try to get it back on without success. Decided it was probably the keyboard. I can live without it but if I'm doing repairs I'd try to fix it as well.
The battery is showing 5405 Ah capacity, which I believe is 62%.

I think I'll give the Apple Store GB a shot. For $200 it would be well worth it.