5 ms·

I'm still on a i7 MBP because everytime I think I'm ready to update the next one is announced.

by yardie 2y ago

0_____0 2y ago
These machines are great. I still use my 2015 rMBP as a secondary. It's a little slow now but a couple years ago I was still running Solidworks (in Bootcamp) on it with minimal issues.
- tmalsburg2 2y ago
  My wife is still using her 2012 MBP. We maxed out RAM and gave it an SSD in 2016. She uses it for video editing and music production. The thing look like new. Completely ridiculous. Only downside: no OSX updates since I don’t know when.
  - jasomill 2y ago
    You might find OpenCore Legacy Patcher[1] worth a look. In many cases, it allows later-that-supported Mac OS versions to be installed on older Macs. As a data point, I still use a 2013 Mac Pro as my primary desktop, and I've been using Sonoma on it for several months, have been able to install all Sonoma patches over-the-air on release without incident, and have only experienced a single, trivial problem: the right side of the menu bar occasionally appears shaded red, in a way that doesn't affect usability; switching applications immediately resolves the problem (the problem appears to be correlated with video playback). [1] https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/ https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/
  - manquer 2y ago
    video encoder/decoder support and performance has order of magnitude improvement in M series, I am surprised that didnt sway you. Not just that, for high res stuff or modern codecs like AV1 or h265 is probably not supported at all in a 2012 device without updates for so long? Even if support was possible it would be software encoding and even short clip it can take hours to render ? I would happily use an older device for development a lot of dev work especially if not frontend or UI usually i can use any laptop just as a terminal, but UI or video editing I wouldn’t be able to.
  - lproven 2y ago
    OCLP is your friend. https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/ https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/
- jkestner 2y ago
  I can't help but reply every time this thread comes up. I'd still probably be using my 2010 if it wasn't for a series mechanical failures. Paid to replace the keyboard once (85 screws, didn't need to do that to myself), but third battery crapping out, trackpad not clicking (probably due to swollen battery) and the MagSafe connector getting loose and glitchy was the end of it. Though I did just boot it up because my phone is somehow still supposed to sync music from it.
  - mschuster91 2y ago
    If the battery is swollen, get rid of it as soon as possible. Swollen battery == ticking time bomb, and I'm not joking about the bomb part. These things can, do and will explode randomly.
gtirloni 2y ago
Besides maybe battery life (which is a huge win), anything you'd benefit from the M's? I only had a 2008 macbook so I'm curious.
- benterix 2y ago
  I can run uncensored models locally - slow but useable.
- OBFUSCATED 2y ago
  Noise level, M series are completely silent in my experience.
  - astrange 2y ago
    llama.cpp somehow causes the fans to spin up pretty hard even if you just leave it at the prompt, but I assume that's performance bugs on their part.
- danielbln 2y ago
  Overall, my 2020 M1 MBP is infinitely better than the 2015 MBP I had before, it's not even close. Battery life, thermal output, speed, noise, neural engine (for ML workloads). It's an utter workhorse that just marches on, no matter what I throw at it. I haven't even considered upgrading to another more current Mx version because this one just.. works. Best laptop I ever owned.
  - danslinky 2y ago
    I just want to echo this experience and sentiment. I absolutely adore my 2020 13” M1 mbp, for all the reasons you list. I do ML workloads and Linux builds and I’m starting to think they forgot to put fans in mine because I’ve never heard them! Despite the annoying limitation of 1 external screen, it’s up there with my 2007 13” mb (rest in peace) as being the best laptop I’ve ever owned.
  - gbear605 2y ago
    +1 I recently upgraded from a 2019 Intel Mac to a similarly-specced M3 Mac, and it really is night and day. My battery life is more than doubled - I can run IntelliJ and multiple Docker containers on battery for more than my whole work day, when before it would barely last a couple hours with that load and be slow while doing so. The fan hardly ever runs while on my Intel Mac it would run constantly.
opan 2y ago
If you care about Asahi support, an M1 or M2 would probably be better short-term anyway.
lowbloodsugar 2y ago
I've got a top spec i9 MBP and my same-price M1 Max blows it out of the water, while being vastly cooler and lasting forever on battery.
grecy 2y ago
I just upgraded from a mid 2014 MBP to a used M1 air. It is much, much faster, silent, and I use it for days without power. Editing 4K video is not just possible, it is a non event.

I'm still on a i7 MBP because everytime I think I'm ready to update the next one is announced.

by yardie 2y ago

I'm still on a i7 MBP because everytime I think I'm ready to update the next one is announced.

These machines are great. I still use my 2015 rMBP as a secondary. It's a little slow now but a couple years ago I was still running Solidworks (in Bootcamp) on it with minimal issues.

tmalsburg2 2y ago
My wife is still using her 2012 MBP. We maxed out RAM and gave it an SSD in 2016. She uses it for video editing and music production. The thing look like new. Completely ridiculous. Only downside: no OSX updates since I don’t know when.
- jasomill 2y ago
  You might find OpenCore Legacy Patcher[1] worth a look. In many cases, it allows later-that-supported Mac OS versions to be installed on older Macs. As a data point, I still use a 2013 Mac Pro as my primary desktop, and I've been using Sonoma on it for several months, have been able to install all Sonoma patches over-the-air on release without incident, and have only experienced a single, trivial problem: the right side of the menu bar occasionally appears shaded red, in a way that doesn't affect usability; switching applications immediately resolves the problem (the problem appears to be correlated with video playback). [1] https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/ https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/
- manquer 2y ago
  video encoder/decoder support and performance has order of magnitude improvement in M series, I am surprised that didnt sway you. Not just that, for high res stuff or modern codecs like AV1 or h265 is probably not supported at all in a 2012 device without updates for so long? Even if support was possible it would be software encoding and even short clip it can take hours to render ? I would happily use an older device for development a lot of dev work especially if not frontend or UI usually i can use any laptop just as a terminal, but UI or video editing I wouldn’t be able to.
- lproven 2y ago
  OCLP is your friend. https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/ https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/
jkestner 2y ago
I can't help but reply every time this thread comes up. I'd still probably be using my 2010 if it wasn't for a series mechanical failures. Paid to replace the keyboard once (85 screws, didn't need to do that to myself), but third battery crapping out, trackpad not clicking (probably due to swollen battery) and the MagSafe connector getting loose and glitchy was the end of it. Though I did just boot it up because my phone is somehow still supposed to sync music from it.
- mschuster91 2y ago
  If the battery is swollen, get rid of it as soon as possible. Swollen battery == ticking time bomb, and I'm not joking about the bomb part. These things can, do and will explode randomly.

gtirloni 2y ago

Besides maybe battery life (which is a huge win), anything you'd benefit from the M's? I only had a 2008 macbook so I'm curious.

benterix 2y ago
I can run uncensored models locally - slow but useable.
OBFUSCATED 2y ago
Noise level, M series are completely silent in my experience.
- astrange 2y ago
  llama.cpp somehow causes the fans to spin up pretty hard even if you just leave it at the prompt, but I assume that's performance bugs on their part.
danielbln 2y ago
Overall, my 2020 M1 MBP is infinitely better than the 2015 MBP I had before, it's not even close. Battery life, thermal output, speed, noise, neural engine (for ML workloads). It's an utter workhorse that just marches on, no matter what I throw at it. I haven't even considered upgrading to another more current Mx version because this one just.. works. Best laptop I ever owned.
- danslinky 2y ago
  I just want to echo this experience and sentiment. I absolutely adore my 2020 13” M1 mbp, for all the reasons you list. I do ML workloads and Linux builds and I’m starting to think they forgot to put fans in mine because I’ve never heard them! Despite the annoying limitation of 1 external screen, it’s up there with my 2007 13” mb (rest in peace) as being the best laptop I’ve ever owned.
- gbear605 2y ago
  +1 I recently upgraded from a 2019 Intel Mac to a similarly-specced M3 Mac, and it really is night and day. My battery life is more than doubled - I can run IntelliJ and multiple Docker containers on battery for more than my whole work day, when before it would barely last a couple hours with that load and be slow while doing so. The fan hardly ever runs while on my Intel Mac it would run constantly.

opan 2y ago

If you care about Asahi support, an M1 or M2 would probably be better short-term anyway.

lowbloodsugar 2y ago

I've got a top spec i9 MBP and my same-price M1 Max blows it out of the water, while being vastly cooler and lasting forever on battery.

grecy 2y ago

I just upgraded from a mid 2014 MBP to a used M1 air. It is much, much faster, silent, and I use it for days without power. Editing 4K video is not just possible, it is a non event.