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When do you decide to upgrade?

A

augforce

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 4, 2011
12
0
St. Charles, MO
I am in a potential transition phase with my MacBook and was wondering about how/when members go about deciding its time to retire the old and grab the new?
I have a white MacBook that I purchased in Spring 2008 (my first Mac) and its been moving pretty sluggish. I purchased a USB HDD to back up my data because I'm concerned about a potential crash. I really would like to invest in one of the new MacBook Pros but I am up against not only (potentially) my wife but fear that I may be jumping the gun. Its served me well these 3 years and I don't like the idea of running it into the ground.
 
Either when my warranty runs out or if the upgrade is significant compared to my current machine. It's always been like that for me, but I usually upgrade before warranty expires to retain good resale value.
 
rockyroad55 said:
Either when my warranty runs out or if the upgrade is significant compared to my current machine. It's always been like that for me, but I usually upgrade before warranty expires to retain good resale value.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I didn't think about the warranty angle, which has obviously passed me a while ago. I'm looking into the new 13" MBPs...I'd like a 15" but that's quite a price leap.
 
augforce said:
Interesting. I didn't think about the warranty angle, which has obviously passed me a while ago. I'm looking into the new 13" MBPs...I'd like a 15" but that's quite a price leap.
Click to expand...

If you have the money, always go for the latest and greatest. But, for the 13", just go with the lower model. Skip the upgraded version of the 13" because you might as well spend a bit more and go with the 15". I'd say still sell your old MacBook and maybe use the money to save on tax or some accessories/software. Macs still retain value so I am sure you'll get a nice chunk.
 
Generally I hold MBPs for two years because that is when I start to feel it getting slower as I've loaded new s/w that's is built for faster, newer machines. Also a two year old Mac is still worth decent $ so it's a cheap upgrade.

However, there are exceptions. For example, I just sold my '10 MBP when the TB MBPs came out b/c I feel the value of non-TB Macs is going to plummet before my usual upgrade cycle.
 
Just depends on how big the current upgrade is, if I have another computer to use in the mean time, and when the next refresh is likely to happen. I don't like small processor bumps, and it's pointless for me to upgrade at those points. I always like new GPU's, TB was a nice addition, but if rumors are strong on a complete redesign next year I might get rid of this machine in favor of something new.

Really just depends, everyone has different budgets, needs, uses, etc... my advice use your computer until it's too slow, out of warranty, or until you have enough money to upgrade. If you're still happy with your macbook, no sense in wasting money to upgrade now. Save your money until you need a new computer and then buy the best you can afford.
 
If there is a time to upgrade, it is now. If you have the financial ability and the higher price of a MBP won't cause you financial stress, upgrade. This is even more truer if you use your computer for ridiculously long periods of time...I am on my system for 12+ hours a day during the weeks, and sometimes on the weekends. It's something you interact with so much that it really is worth upgrading when you start to consider it. Perhaps my logic is silly though, as I known people buy $1,000 Viking mixers who don't even cook and then tell me I am crazy to spend $3,000 on a laptop. :p
 
When the computer is no longer able to cope with the stuff I throw at it, or when it dies. Whichever comes first.
 
At the intersection of "it's significantly improved over what I currently have" and "I have the cash".
 
Thanks for the input everyone.
My '08 white MB still runs at an 'acceptable' speed, but I'd still consider it sub-par. The HDD is around 60% capasity (mostly music). I upgraded it to 4GB of RAM a while back but even that didn't seem to help (it originally had 2). If what was mentioned about a complete redesign coming soon is true, maybe I should wait. This seems to be more of a WANT than a NEED, but that sometimes makes no difference in the world of :apple:
 
Grab a new, big, fast internal SATA hard drive, install it, and reload Snow Leopard (assuming you purchased the upgrade). You should notice a difference, and your cost will be $60-100 depending on what drive you get. If it does what you need it to do, there's no real need to upgrade.

I'm probably on the bottom of the spectrum, but my original Mac (my first gen white iBook) lasted 7 years before finally dying. Yes, 7 years.

EDIT: Forgot to add my two cents on when I personally make the choice to upgrade. I try to wait until the hardware is no longer supported by the next OS revision. Therefore, your old '08 white MacBook would need to be replaced when the "Core 2 Duo" is no longer supported by Mac OS X revisions. -OR- I decide to sell the old one to finance a new one. That was the case with my 13" MB Pro; sell the Core Duo MacMini to finance some of the purchase.
 
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augforce said:
Thanks for the input everyone.
My '08 white MB still runs at an 'acceptable' speed, but I'd still consider it sub-par. The HDD is around 60% capasity (mostly music). I upgraded it to 4GB of RAM a while back but even that didn't seem to help (it originally had 2). If what was mentioned about a complete redesign coming soon is true, maybe I should wait. This seems to be more of a WANT than a NEED, but that sometimes makes no difference in the world of :apple:
Click to expand...

You could always try putting an SSD in it. Boy, that would work wonders!
 
I'd really consider finding a nice SSD and doing a clean install of Snow Leopard. I think that would really help things out.

Considering when I upgrade, I kept my first notebook (Dell Latitude) for the last 4 years. It got me through college fine. I bought my new 13" MBP about a month ago as an early graduation present for myself. I will probably try to keep it 4 years as well to get me through medical school. I think you should use your machine until it cannot do the job you need it to do anymore. Once that time comes, buy the best machine you can afford and keep it until it can't do what you want anymore, etc. I try to get the most bang for my buck when it comes to electronics. I pay a lot up front, but I take care of my stuff and it lasts.
 
augforce said:
Thanks for the input everyone.
My '08 white MB still runs at an 'acceptable' speed, but I'd still consider it sub-par.
Click to expand...

I don't get it. Why is your mac slower? It should run as fast as it did in 2008. Other than games, software hasn't advanced that far to the point it will choke a C2D machine. I still have an early macbook 2008 and it's just fine. (looks a bit like crap though). It handles MS Office 2011, web browsing even some video encoding just like it did when I first got it. I'm not much of a gamer though and if I were I surely wouldn't have considered buying it at the time.

This seems to be more of a WANT than a NEED
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There you go. But I know how you feel. I just bought a MBP for one of my kids going to college. Damn if it wasn't tempting to just swap out the old macbook for her new one. :D

My plan is to wait about a year and get the next 13" MBP refresh. I figure it will cost me $2400. ($1200 for the MBP... another $1200 to get the wife something so she let's me buy one :eek:).
 
My mom is still using her MBP G3 on daily basis, and has no idea why I want her to upgrade - it works fine for her.

I used to (before kids :) ) update every time a new generation of machine/architecture came out, and would always get top of the line.

I don't think either approach is ideal, but it highlights a problem with answering a question - everyone is different. There are as many upgrade paths as there are customers I think :) As a baseline though, I do like the proposed idea of upgrading when the warranty runs out, so every 3 years with Apple Care. Of course, upgrading to SSD or at least a much faster HD and a fresh install is always good stopgap.

Polbit
 
Every 2 to 3 years generally. If I start looking I usually get the UPGRADE fever. :)
 
I tend to upgrade as my needs change, but that's because my computers before this MBP were vastly different. First it was upgrading because I needed something more portable...than no longer needed portability...the needed portability again... then wanted to go Mac so I upgraded to my current MBP. This one will suit my needs fine for a long while. I tend to upgrade before I technically "need" to though (in terms of specs issues/not being able to run programs/etc).
 
There is a lot of talk of a complete redesign next year so I would highly recommend you keep your MB untill the 2012 models come out.

In the mean time I would buy a cheap SSD. Since you have an external HD for media the SSD can be small. So a fresh install of snow leopard and your mac will feel much faster.

That way you can bide the time till next year and even if there is no redesign then you will be upgrading to the latest and greatest mac.
 
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