Which would you choose in 2022

[Heliotropen]

Sry have to make another one of these.

I'm having a hard time finding a used macbook pro 2015 13" with 16 gb rams and Danish keyboard.

I can find a 2013 13" with 16 gb ram (i7 intel 2,8 GHz)

And a 2015 13" with 8 gb ram (i5 intel 2,7GHZ).

Assume all other conditions are identical: except year and version.

I will move over my 500 gb SSD blade from the broken macbook pro 2014 anyways.


One thing is that 2013 will run macOS 12 Monterey where 2013 won't.
Right now I'm still on Catalina anyways and my 2013 imac is locked with Catalina anyways.
But not sure how much it matter ...

How much longer life I can press out of a newer with less ram vs. 2 years older with more ram?

 

[Jack Neill]

One thing is that 2013 will run macOS 12 Monterey where 2013 won't.

OCLP will probably allow it to run Monterey. The i7 in the 2013 is much faster than the i5 in the 2015 according to Mac Tracker. I have the 2015 and its fine with 12.5 but I think 11.6.8 was a bit smoother.

2013 imac is locked with Catalina

My late 2013 iMac is running Monterey perfectly.

BTW the 2014 SSD is different than the 2015 if you go that route. I would recommend an adapter and just use an NVMe, I put a 2TB in mine.

I find this guide handy sometimes.

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

 

[Heliotropen]

Thank you so much for your answer, it's a big help

OCLP will probably allow it to run Monterey. The i7 in the 2013 is much faster than the i5 in the 2015 according to Mac Tracker. I have the 2015 and its fine with 12.5 but I think 11.6.8 was a bit smoother.

Well I'm actually preety happy with catalina anyways ... hated Big Sur found it to feminine and ios alike for my taste.
But would be nice to have to option ... I had read a bit about the patches but never tried them

BTW the 2014 SSD is different than the 2015 if you go that route. I would recommend an adapter and just use an NVMe, I put a 2TB in mine.

I always thought I had a blade SSD in my 2014 macbook, is rather sure it was sold like that to me.
And it always felt fast ... but now I just checked it ... seems like it's just an PCI though ... and it seems slowit's like 650 / 650 in blackmagic.

The drive should be compatible with:

• MacBook Pro 13" Retina A1502 Late 2013 to Early 2015

Though it seems ... am I wrong?

 

[Heliotropen]

Btw I found another option

a 2015 with 16 gb of ram ... it's 2.5 x as expensive as the 8 gb 2015 ... and 2 x as much as the 16 gb 2013.
The CPU is a 2.7 GHz (Turbo Boost på op til 3.1 GHz) Intel Core i5

Should probably add it to the poll above ...

Seems to me like the best option to go with, but what do you guys think?

 

[Heliotropen]

The thing with the 2015 also, it's a newer machine, so it should last like 2 years longer right?
And being a newer generation should be a good thing also right?

 

[Heliotropen]

OCLP will probably allow it to run Monterey. The i7 in the 2013 is much faster than the i5 in the 2015 according to Mac Tracker. I have the 2015 and its fine with 12.5 but I think 11.6.8 was a bit smoother.

My late 2013 iMac is running Monterey perfectly.

BTW the 2014 SSD is different than the 2015 if you go that route. I would recommend an adapter and just use an NVMe, I put a 2TB in mine.

I find this guide handy sometimes.

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

Thank you so much (look above) ... this is so helpfull!

 

[Heliotropen]

As for the processor in the old 2013 being faster
Older dual core gen i7 vs. never dual core i5 ... that might make it run hotter as well right?
And how much will the diff be?

 

[Heliotropen]

hmm this is the options I get ... he said his late 2013 was a 2.5 single core i7 ... but those does not seem to exist
If it's the i7 2,8, then it's even faster than the 2,7 in the 2015.

 

[jav6454]

Sry have to make another one of these.

I'm having a hard time finding a used macbook pro 2015 13" with 16 gb rams and Danish keyboard.

I can find a 2013 13" with 16 gb ram (i7 intel 2,8 GHz)

And a 2015 13" with 8 gb ram (i5 intel 2,7GHZ).

Assume all other conditions are identical: except year and version.

I will move over my 500 gb SSD blade from the broken macbook pro 2014 anyways.


One thing is that 2013 will run macOS 12 Monterey where 2013 won't.
Right now I'm still on Catalina anyways and my 2013 imac is locked with Catalina anyways.
But not sure how much it matter ...

How much longer life I can press out of a newer with less ram vs. 2 years older with more ram?

Pick the one with the higher release year (the 2015). Why? Parts are still somewhat available should anything go wrong.

 

[kschendel]

I'm perfectly happy with my late 2013 rMBP, 2 GHz quad-core i7, 16 GB. I expect to be able to use it for at least a couple more years, particularly since I replaced the battery earlier this year.

If you can get 2-3 years out of a good condition, late 2013, at the right price, that might set you up to replace it with an Apple Silicon laptop at that point, and it will be a big step up. I might have considered replacing my 2013, just because, but I still need to be able to run x86 virtual machines for a while yet.

 

[Heliotropen]

Pick the one with the higher release year (the 2015). Why? Parts are still somewhat available should anything go wrong.

Yeah that's what my instincts was telling me as well.
It seems to suck to go from a 2014 to 2013

But will also say now I'm studying the differences in the machines:

The late 2013 was released in October 2013.
The mid 2014 in July 2014
The early 2015 in March 2015
So there is only a year and 5 months between.

Then again if it last a year and 5 months longer, that matters buying something this old.

Also for service the first two is Obsolete ... the last still Supported ... though they will probably kill it soon as well sadly.

Also for the bus, I'm not sure in the ssd speeds and battery consumption.
It might seem like this is the biggest thing ... a faster PCIe SSD would use less power in the 2015 it seem, run faster also. But I'm not certain ...

It seem cheep to upgrade the PCIe SSD on all of them with an adapter anyways.

It sucks so much that key on my 2014 died ... I was very happy with it.
Now it would be nice to feel a tiny upgrade if nothing else.

These seems like the only options within my price range ...
Since keyboard is a big thing for me, I fear the butterfly ones (though haven't ever tried them).
So these seems like my only option right now, for a great working machine.

 

[Heliotropen]

I'm perfectly happy with my late 2013 rMBP, 2 GHz quad-core i7, 16 GB. I expect to be able to use it for at least a couple more years, particularly since I replaced the battery earlier this year.

If you can get 2-3 years out of a good condition, late 2013, at the right price, that might set you up to replace it with an Apple Silicon laptop at that point, and it will be a big step up. I might have considered replacing my 2013, just because, but I still need to be able to run x86 virtual machines for a while yet.

To be honest I was very fine with my 8 gb ram, 2,8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 2014 rMBP, 500 gb SSD, as well, untill the T key died ...

I downgraded it to Catalina though, which ran amayzing on it ... Big Sur did not run well on it.

I don't feel like I can afford the M1 or M2 right now, the prices are diffrent here in Denmark 2-3x as high and I need the Danish keyboard... in a few years I'm sure I can affort whatever new there is at that point.

I wish there where something good in between the 2015 rMBA and the M1 ... but it does not seem so right ... not something that is worth while anyways.

PS: You have to be aware that I'm talking about the 13" models here ... the 15" is allot more powerful ... but I already have an imac so need something less bulky for working mobile.

 

[velocityg4]

After 5 years. I think it's just luck of the draw as to which one fails first. I suppose in theory. The 2015 model should last a year and a half longer. In actuality, you never know. If they've lasted this long. Except for battery replacements or power adapter. They'll likely hold up until they are 15-20 years old.

None of that's guaranteed. That just seems to be when parts becoming brittle and various electrical components go kablooey.

I've got a 2001 PowerMac G4 and 2006 MacBook which still work fine. I have older Mac's but they needed extensive work to refurbish. So, they don't count. I don't get rid of computers often. The majority hold up well past ten years before a significant component fails.

As for macOS support. The 2015 obviously supports newer versions without hacks than the 2013. Once it's support drops. How long each will continue to support new versions with hacks is hard to say. They could each lose support at the same time or the 2015 could last a lot longer.

You'll still be able to run them on Linux for a very long time.

 

[Heliotropen]

After 5 years. I think it's just luck of the draw as to which one fails first. I suppose in theory. The 2015 model should last a year and a half longer. In actuality, you never know. If they've lasted this long. Except for battery replacements or power adapter. They'll likely hold up until they are 15-20 years old.

None of that's guaranteed. That just seems to be when parts becoming brittle and various electrical components go kablooey.

I've got a 2001 PowerMac G4 and 2006 MacBook which still work fine. I have older Mac's but they needed extensive work to refurbish. So, they don't count. I don't get rid of computers often. The majority hold up well past ten years before a significant component fails.

As for macOS support. The 2015 obviously supports newer versions without hacks than the 2013. Once it's support drops. How long each will continue to support new versions with hacks is hard to say. They could each lose support at the same time or the 2015 could last a lot longer.

You'll still be able to run them on Linux for a very long time.

Thank you for the feedback.

The info with 15-20 years is nice to know!
I was very conserned about ppl taking about 7-9 years.

Right now I prefer Catalina ... which my late 2013 imac 27" is also locked with.

The options I have right now is a:

Late 2013 2,8 ghz i7, 16 gb ram, 500 gb ssd
That's the 2013 top model.
Price is 2700 DDK

And a:
2015 model med 2,7 ghz i5, 16 gb ram, 250 gb ssd.
Price will be 4799 DDK

That's bottom model cpu vice
Big option ram wise
Medium option ssd wise.

Both are in great condition.

Of cause the SSD I can replace.


It seems hard to balance the two machines against each other.

There is the broadwell improvements in the 2015.
then again i was okay with my 2014 before the key broke... this 2013 will be almost identical just with more ram.


There is other options, but then I have to live with 8 gb of ram or the machine being more dent having screen pest and so on.

 

[Heliotropen]

Just got a 3 options:

2015 model med 3,1 ghz i7, 16 gb ram, 250 gb ssd.
6125 DDK

That late 2013 tempt me allot on the price ...

I can get a macbook pro 2017 almost as new with i7 and everything for 3500 ddk
Sadly I have been adviced to avoid that keyboard

 

[velocityg4]

Thank you for the feedback.

The info with 15-20 years is nice to know!
I was very conserned about ppl taking about 7-9 years.

Right now I prefer Catalina ... which my late 2013 imac 27" is also locked with.

The options I have right now is a:

Late 2013 2,8 ghz i7, 16 gb ram, 500 gb ssd
That's the 2013 top model.
Price is 2700 DDK

And a:
2015 model med 2,7 ghz i5, 16 gb ram, 250 gb ssd.
Price will be 4799 DDK

That's bottom model cpu vice
Big option ram wise
Medium option ssd wise.

Both are in great condition.

Of cause the SSD I can replace.


It seems hard to balance the two machines against each other.

There is the broadwell improvements in the 2015.
then again i was okay with my 2014 before the key broke... this 2013 will be almost identical just with more ram.


There is other options, but then I have to live with 8 gb of ram or the machine being more dent having screen pest and so on.

Is all that happened to your 2014 is a broken key?

If it’s the scissor mechanism. You can probably find a used mechanism and keycap. If it’s the actual key press “button” of the keyboard. You can find replacement top cases and replace the battery. As it’s glued to the top case but sellers usually remove it.

You’d likely need a new battery for a 2015 or 2013 anyways. I had good luck with Ninjabatt batteries.

The 7-9 years is usually more along the lines of obsolescence. Before a computer is too old for most people. To be useful. Also when hard drive’s fail a lot. Not sure about Apple SSD. They are too recent to get a good feel for ultimate lifespan.

 

[Heliotropen]

Is all that happened to your 2014 is a broken key?

If it’s the scissor mechanism. You can probably find a used mechanism and keycap. If it’s the actual key press “button” of the keyboard. You can find replacement top cases and replace the battery. As it’s glued to the top case but sellers usually remove it.

You’d likely need a new battery for a 2015 or 2013 anyways. I had good luck with Ninjabatt batteries.

The 7-9 years is usually more along the lines of obsolescence. Before a computer is too old for most people. To be useful. Also when hard drive’s fail a lot. Not sure about Apple SSD. They are too recent to get a good feel for ultimate lifespan.

Yes, but it's not the scissor mecanism ... it didn't work very well, so I took it off to clean it, I was cleaning it with a dry cuetip and sadly the silicone cup felt out ... after that I can't even activate the sensor with a nail or screwdriver anymore... the mechanics is fine after I put the silicone cup back and the button back .... but the key is fully dead.

So yeah, it's probably the sensor on the actual board I broke ... so it will take an entire new top case.
Those are much cheaper than a new mac ... but it looks like a nightmare to shift them around.

I would like this to be a minor upgrade instead.
I had the 2014 2,8 ghz (middle cpu), 8 gb (lowest ram), 512 gb ssd.

the 2013 would be a tiny faster i7 cpu, 8 gb rams more.
A 2015 would obviously be a generation newer ... nor sure if I should then go for 16 gb ram as well .. or 8 gb (the cost would be the double almost) ... the cpu would be slower at the 16 gb, but faster at the 8 gb ...

These machines I'm looking at all have good battery cycles left ... almost like new.

The SDD can easily be replaced in these machines ... but yeah ... after 7 years mac discontinues them so they can't update without a patch ...

But I actually don't feel these machines are that slow ... my 2014 was more than okay with catalina ... even with photoshop ...

 

[Heliotropen]

Also, either the:
2013, 16 gb ram, i7, 500 gb (same chipset as my old one and more ram)
or the
2015, 8 gb ram, i7, 500 gb (faster chipset and processor)

Is about the same price as a new top case, because I need danish keyboard ... and for them to change it (I'm not going to lol)...

The thing is when I'm already buying a new ... if it's worth upgrading diffrently:

2015 - 16 gb ram, slowest cpu for the 2015 - will be 2 x the price of the above 2.
or the
2015 - 16 gb ram, fastest cpu for the 2015 - will be 2,5 x the price of the above.

Prices in DDK:
2013: 2700 ddk
2015 8gb: 2500 ddk

2015 - 16 gb ram, slowest cpu: 4900 ddk
2015 - 16 gb ram, slowest cpu: 6125 ddk

The conditions for all these are great for them being used, and with good battery cycles left.

 

[Heliotropen]

I have found this option of a 2015 with 16 gb ram, 2,9 i5, 250 gb ssd ... in good condition.
Think that's my best deal I think ...

 

[Fishrrman]

If you can get the 2015 mentioned in the post above... would be a good choice.

 

[jav6454]

I have found this option of a 2015 with 16 gb ram, 2,9 i5, 250 gb ssd ... in good condition.
Think that's my best deal I think ...

This would be your best bet. Also, as soon as you get it, check the battery and if it's a bit cycled, go into an Apple Store to get it replaced.

 

[Heliotropen]

If you can get the 2015 mentioned in the post above... would be a good choice.

I ended up finding an good deal for it 365 usd, the guy had 10 left for sale and said they would lose more value in september anyways so he decided to discount them already.

It’s in mine condition.

 

[Heliotropen]

This would be your best bet. Also, as soon as you get it, check the battery and if it's a bit cycled, go into an Apple Store to get it replaced.

Lovely with ppl who actually understand my situation … Thank you so much.

 

[_Dave_]

I'd definitely go for the 2015.

 

[Heliotropen]

I'd definitely go for the 2015.

Thank you Dave ... I did ... a 2015 with 16 gb ram, 2,9 i5, 250 gb ssd ... in mint condition with plenty of battery cycles left.

It's a lovely, lovely machine ... and I get to look forward to owning an M1 in the future as well ^^

Now I just have to upgrade that SSD a little.