Upgrading mid 2014 13'' Macbook pro retina

[jasonfodor]

This basically served as a junk/backup laptop for basic needs.

Used it to read ebooks, watch youtube videos and used it in the kitchen with moist hands to pull recipes while cooking. Basically, didn't want to toast the battery on my new macbook and wanted something junk/cheap I wouldn't lose sleep over if it broke.

Chrome no longer updates because my macbook is too old, looking to upgrade to something that can get me 3 years or so before saying the OS is too old. Looking to replace with another 13'' (pro or air), prefer the M chips but not sure if it'll make a difference for my very basic needs.

What year and model should I aim for?

 

[dmr727]

What's your budget? If you can swing new, get a M4 Macbook Air. But if not, even a used M1 Air will be a massive upgrade and get you at least another 3 years.

 

[russell_314]

What's your budget? If you can swing new, get a M4 Macbook Air. But if not, even a used M1 Air will be a massive upgrade and get you at least another 3 years.

I second this. If you’re going to buy new, get the M4 MacBook Air. $799 on Amazon in the USA. If you’re in another country, maybe there are deals on the M3, but I can’t find anything in the USA.


If you were going used, the choice is going to be between M1 and M2 Air. The M2 uses the current form factor and in my opinion it looks better. That’s subjective and may not be the case for you.

Just make sure if you buy used it’s not activation locked. Current MacBooks have activation lock like the iPhone and it’s not uncommon for thieves to sell stolen ones on Facebook marketplace. They get their money and you end up with a device you can’t use. If you buy from a reputable seller online, you shouldn’t have to worry about this though.

 

[karlvalueselect]

That sounds almost identical to how I use my 2015 MacBook Pro — light stuff like YouTube, recipes, and reading. I recently gave mine a new battery and SSD upgrade, and it still handles basic tasks fine, but I’m also keeping an eye on software support.


For your case, I think even a base M1 MacBook Air (2020) would be a solid upgrade. They’re usually priced well secondhand now, very power efficient, and will easily get you macOS updates for at least 3 more years, probably longer.


If you find a good deal on an M2 Air or 13" M2 Pro, even better, but for basic use, M1 should be more than enough.

 

[Audit13]

I'm stlll using a mid-2014 13" with 16 GB of ram and it works quite well for my basic needs with OCLP to run Sequoia.