The Life of a MacBook Pro

[Dave245]

It isn't really a matter of overbuying, I think that's actually generally wise when purchasing a machine. Get something more than you need that you know will last.

It's the overbuying every two years that I see that makes me chuckle. Most folks don't need NEAR the power to justify a new machine anywhere close to that often, I know lots of pro photographers, designers, and animators that are using machines apparently a lot slower than your average Macbook Pro forum poster.

Yea but how do you know how long it's going to last when you but the machine in the first place? I purchased my MacBook Pro in 2011, I maxed out on specs with 2.2GHz i7, 8GB Ram and 750 HDD. But I didn't know how long it was going to last. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad its still working great. But I still don't know long it will last. My needs are evolving, with conmuting too and from univeirsty I could do with a lighter laptop and that's why I considered the MacBook Air, but that has nothing to do with how long my 2011 MacBook Pro is lasting, because it still works.

 

[fig]

Yea but how do you know how long it's going to last when you but the machine in the first place? I purchased my MacBook Pro in 2011, I maxed out on specs with 2.2GHz i7, 8GB Ram and 750 HDD. But I didn't know how long it was going to last. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad its still working great. But I still don't know long it will last. My needs are evolving, with conmuting too and from univeirsty I could do with a lighter laptop and that's why I considered the MacBook Air, but that has nothing to do with how long my 2011 MacBook Pro is lasting, because it still works.

You never know exactly how long a machine is going to last, but unless your needs dramatically change there's a very slim chance you actually NEED to upgrade a decently equipped Macbook Pro any sooner than 3 years.

 

[divergirl]

I bought a higher end Thinkpad just over six years ago and to be honest, outside of flash videos (Flash really does suck huh?), it still does pretty much everything I need it to do without being slow at all. I have Windows 8 on it now and it runs like a champ. According to my old invoice the processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz 800MHz 6MBL2), and the GPU is an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M (128MB).

Honestly the only reason I don't use the thing too often now is because the fan motor is dying which apparently these laptops are prone to, and it's annoying to use it because it's so loud. It's also quite thick and heavy and the battery life is pretty much nonexistent. (I know I could replace the battery since it's removable but it would cost almost $200, which I'm not willing to invest in a six-year-old laptop.) But spec wise? It's absolutely fine!

Our desktop computer (which I don't know the specs of) is nine years old and even that still runs fine. I figure if it is still meeting your needs, why replace it? If it seems too slow to you for the tasks you need to do, then sure, replace it, but don't do it just for the specs.

 

[Ih8reno]

Have multiple computers but my Macbook Pro early 2011 is my main machine. Since I have gotten it I have had barely any problems and works very well, except startup and shutting down takes longer. I upgraded to 8gb of ram and so far so good. While I would love a Retina Macbook Pro or Air I don't see the point as this can run the newest software still.

 

[teleromeo]

I have a 2011 MacBook Pro, it's never let me down. Thinking of upgrading the Ram and maybe putting a bigger drive in. Don't know yet whither to put an SSD in or just a bigger HDD.

Get a large enough SSD if you can afford it, the speed bump is phenomenal. Perhaps put the original drive in an external case so you can use it as backup or extra storage. Later when you upgrade to to a new mac you can swap the drives again and use the SSD with you new system.

 

[raptor402]

I have a mid-2010 15" MBP. I have installed an SSD, upgraded to 8GB memory and moved the original HDD to the optical drive bay. I was planning to trade it with my father's secondary machine (mid-2012 15" rMBP), but I have decided against it.

I think that this machine can last me another year or two. The SSD definitely helps. The Hi-Res display adds to the value too.

My MBP suffers from many issues. Firstly, I can't use the discrete GPU due to the dreaded GT330M kernel panics. The Intel HD Graphics iGPU is just not up to the mark. Secondly, the CPU is a grossly underpowered dual core i7. And finally, it's limited to SATA II.

If I had a 2011 15" MBP, I would have been able to use it for at least 2-3 years longer than this machine.

Raptor

 

[AppleGoat]

I have an early-2011 13" -- to which I've made a few upgrades (two SSDs and 8GB of RAM). I've been allured by the Retina screen but it feels wasteful to upgrade when my current rig purrs the way it does. I had a 15" PowerBook G4 for nearly 6 years before this machine, which nostalgia kept me from leaving behind sooner. That machine struggled with many websites. If my current 13" were compromised similarly, I would have a Retina by now.

 

[kwokaaron]

My mid-2007 macbook is still chugging along perfectly. Battery still holds charge and the whole shebang.

 

[jjahshik32]

I still have my 2011 15" mbp with hi res anti glare model and has not let me down as well. I heard about the discrete graphics issue so I just d/led gfxCardStatus and enabled the integrated only option.

I installed a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD Drive + 16GB of ram and breathed new life into this machine. I'll probably chug along for another couple/few years or when the machine cannot handle anything that I do on a daily basis.

Although I had a faulty battery, I ordered a brand new one from amazon (official apple battery) and installed it myself.

 

[squidkitten]

I'm using a mid-2010 13" MBP and for the most part it's not running too terrible. The Core Duo is starting to show its wear and my machine definitely feels much slower, but I also do not have an SSD and only have 4GB of RAM. Start up and shut down take forever, and my machine generally runs very hot. It's not really able to keep up with Adobe CC and Final Cut Pro like I need it to. Also, several keys are loose and my battery needs replacement, because I get about 2 hours max out of it with just general web browsing.

I'm buying a new rMBP this fall (hopefully they push out a 2014 model by then, purely because it'll be better for resale than a 2013, but I'm not particularly bothered about spec increases since the late 2013 is a great model) because I want the increased real estate from the 15", the retina display, as well as quad core. Plus, the 15" rMBP is hardly bigger than my current machine, and even weighs a little less despite its size.

I could probably solve all my issues with my current model with just a couple hundred dollars and easily get another few years out of this machine though, so I stand by the idea that you can easily get 5+ good years out of a machine if you're not super bothered by needing the latest and greatest.

 

[Boyd01]

I still have my 2008 15" MBP core2 duo 2.4ghz/4gb/160gb, but don't really use it anymore. A few months ago the battery went completely dead. Not going to spend the money to replace it, seems like it would just be a waste. Am currently using a 2013 i7/8gb/512gb 11" MBA and it is so much faster, lighter and runs all day on batteries.

The old MBA seems a bit like a dinosaur. Aside from the weight and speed, it runs very hot - always has. Was considering converting it to an iTunes server, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea to put any money into a machine of this age.

Amazing how your perspective can change in 6 years. When I got that machine I was just amazed by how fast it was compared to my huge PowerMac G5. #

I also still have my PowerBook G4, which looks pretty much identical to the MBP except for the Magsafe connector. Haven't bothered to fire that up in a couple years, but I think it still works. Last time I used it was to convert a few old files I had created in MacDraw.

 

[pragmatous]

I only do this with critical devices because they're important to my everyday life. Once the warranty expires I buy a new one or buy an extended warranty if I can.

so far with my MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) I've not had any issues even after it falling 4 feet off the ground.

So i've had my Macbook Pro, 15" since 2011, its a great computer that i use everyday mainly for writing and other different things. I was wondering how long you guys have had your machines? and what the longest time you have ever had a Macbook for? i've had mine for 3 years and apart from being a little slow on start up, it is a reliable machine that has so far served me well

How often do you upgrade to a new machine? i have seen the retina Macbook Pro and I've even thought about the Macbook Air (for University it would be light to carry around) But my Macbook Pro 2011 is still working so it would probably be a waste of money to buy another Macbook at this point.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

I'm using a mid-2010 13" MBP and for the most part it's not running too terrible. The Core Duo is starting to show its wear and my machine definitely feels much slower, but I also do not have an SSD and only have 4GB of RAM. Start up and shut down take forever, and my machine generally runs very hot. It's not really able to keep up with Adobe CC and Final Cut Pro like I need it to. Also, several keys are loose and my battery needs replacement, because I get about 2 hours max out of it with just general web browsing.

I'm buying a new rMBP this fall (hopefully they push out a 2014 model by then, purely because it'll be better for resale than a 2013, but I'm not particularly bothered about spec increases since the late 2013 is a great model) because I want the increased real estate from the 15", the retina display, as well as quad core. Plus, the 15" rMBP is hardly bigger than my current machine, and even weighs a little less despite its size.

I could probably solve all my issues with my current model with just a couple hundred dollars and easily get another few years out of this machine though, so I stand by the idea that you can easily get 5+ good years out of a machine if you're not super bothered by needing the latest and greatest.

I'm in the same boat as you and believe me, adding an SSD and more RAM is not going to improve FCP performance much.

The thing is, the Sandy Bridge cpu's (2011 and up) all have hardware H.264 encoding which vastly improves performance in FCP. We will never have this benefit on our C2D so the only path is a new computer.

Looking at a 15 inch too. Waiting for Broadwell, but the prices the current base model are going for are realy tempting (1800€) and more than enough for my needs...

 

[Nermal]

My previous MBP was a "Late 2006" and I eventually replaced it with an "Early 2011" so that's about 4.5 years. I use a desktop as my main machine so I don't need a high-spec laptop; to be honest I didn't need to get the 2011 MBP but it had higher specs than my desktop at the time so I decided to consolidate down to one system. I subsequently bought another desktop

 

[pragmatous]

Probably won't see broadwell until February 2015 is my guess.

I'm in the same boat as you and believe me, adding an SSD and more RAM is not going to improve FCP performance much.

The thing is, the Sandy Bridge cpu's (2011 and up) all have hardware H.264 encoding which vastly improves performance in FCP. We will never have this benefit on our C2D so the only path is a new computer.

Looking at a 15 inch too. Waiting for Broadwell, but the prices the current base model are going for are realy tempting (1800€) and more than enough for my needs...

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I'm probably going to get a mac pro refresh with the haswell-e processor and then get a cheaper macbook pro. I like having a power house in the house for when I need it.

My previous MBP was a "Late 2006" and I eventually replaced it with an "Early 2011" so that's about 4.5 years. I use a desktop as my main machine so I don't need a high-spec laptop; to be honest I didn't need to get the 2011 MBP but it had higher specs than my desktop at the time so I decided to consolidate down to one system. I subsequently bought another desktop

 

[827538]

I just jumped into Macs late last year after waiting for the Haswell Retina Macbook Pro. Simply incredible machine and extremely happy with it.
I plan on buying a new Retina Macbook Pro every year - sounds unnecessary and expensive but it isn't too bad.
I am a student studying Electronic & Electrical Engineering. I also do quite a bit of gaming as well as programing, 3D modeling, photoshop. I always used to build my own systems so I hate falling behind in terms of hardware so for me I really like to upgrade each year. Plus the new Maxwell and Broadwell chips are shaping up to be very impressive - Broadwell for its much lower thermal characteristic and power consumption and Maxwell for its 50% boost to FPS.
I also get 15% off each new Retina Macbook Pro plus a 3 year extended warranty. So it holds is value even better thanks to the Apple Warranty and with the discount the cost of upgrading is only a few hundred pounds which I can justify to myself.

 

[mjbushnell]

You're supposed to dispose your Mac Book Pro between 36-48 months.

I bought my 15" MacBook Pro in March, 2008. I guess that I'm way overdue for a new one.

 

[CarreraGuy]

I bought my 15" MacBook Pro in March, 2008. I guess that I'm way overdue for a new one.

I'm two years ahead of you but still. Mine should have been tossed out years ago, damn thing just keeps working.

 

[Dave245]

Does the retina screen on the rmbp make a big difference? Does it effect watching TV shows that are brought on iTunes?
I have thought about getting a MBA for university because of its lightness and also the 12 hour battery life, but it had been pointed out to me that for £45 extra I could pick up a rmbp (with student discount).

 

[iPH0NE 3GS]

You're supposed to dispose your Mac Book Pro between 36-48 months.

What do you mean by dispose ???

 

[Barney63]

What do you mean by dispose ???

On a fire, but remember to remove the battery first.


Barney

 

[Asuriyan]

My late 2006 15" is still functioning. My wife was using it until I forced her to adopt my old 2010 HR/AG machine. I had replaced the battery just before getting my Retina model and didn't want to see it go to waste.

 

[SgtPepper23]

i've had my 2010 MBP since August of that year. last summer i upped the RAM from 4 GB to the then-max 8GB (something about Mavericks allows 16 GB, so i read)and i also removed the optical drive and placed an SSD in its place, to have a sort of Fusion Drive thing (OS on the SSD for fast boot ups, data on the HDD). and recently i had the logic board replaced, since i had a graphics card issue. i'm hoping to keep this lovely machine running for at least 2 more years. While my MBP was in the shop, i had a 15 rMPB, and it was a dream machine, but i could not justify keeping it, what with being in uni still. i'm hoping to get the 2015 or 16 iteration of the MBP, probably maxed out.

 

[mneblett]

I update once the CPU/GPU become too slow for my tasks

Bingo -- my late 2008 MBP (1st Unibody model) went 5 years before (i) the CPU/GPU started struggling with the "stuff" I was running, and (ii) there was enough improvement (retina display, battery life, CPU/GPU) to warrant moving to a late 2013 MBP.

And the 2008 is still running along fine -- meets my wife's needs and is currently my test bed for OSX Server while I wait for the Mini update to come out (if it ever does).

 

[Fishrrman]

I have an April 2010 MacBook Pro that is still doing just fine.

I upgraded the internal HDD to an SSD, and it actually runs BETTER THAN new.

I see no reason to replace it -- at least not for another 2-3 years.

Some folks are "upgrade junkies" and have to buy a "fresh one" every new release, or every other new release, whether they need it or not.

I stuck with my PowerMac g4 tower for NINE years before replacing it...