You’re wrong about the 2015-17 MBAs. They’re solid, rugged ultra portable computers with upgradable SSDs, MagSafe, good keyboards, glass trackpads, decent CPUs and I personally like the bezels because they help avoid getting fingerprints on the screen. While they’re technically only speed bumps over the the 2013/14 models, they officially support later operating systems. The only real downside is the non-retina screen but it never really bothered me, even when switching to a retina model at work.

2014 was my first MBP and Apple product. It was weird because for almost the next decade, it seemed like Apple kept making the worse decisions when it came to their laptops. Thank god for the Apple silicon lines! Recently upgraded to M1 MBP 14” and loving it!

It seems I’m very lucky as my MBP 2011 is still alive and with no graphics issues. I find Your channel warm and cosy. I hope it will grow

Hey I would like to say well done, something practical to watch just found you the other day enjoying your videos keep it up. One thing that you don't see to often on KZfaq is what else you can do with your older Mac's like try retro gaming on them what recommended software to try and other hacks just some ideas. I have two 2011 MBP 15" and have had them for many years now. I change the termal paste every two years or so and turned up the fan rate to keep the GPU cool, and have not had a problem with them, I also recently installed Windows 11 on them and boy do they run well. Maybe I'm lucky i don't know?? I know that one day they will fail but for now why go out and buy new when they work perfectly well, browsing the internet, watching KZfaq and receiving emails, isn't that what most of us do, anyway thanks very much!!

Good stuff! Keep it up, please; Subscribed

Just keep uploading man. Great content. You're bound to become big.

Subscribed :) great production quality and interesting content without too much clickbait

I bought a 2017 MacBook Air from my friend for $2.50, since he thought it was broken. All it needed was an OS reinstall. It had the upgraded i7, 8gb of ram, and 512 GB SSD. I used it for about 2 months, and it was a great computer, except for the screen and the occasional overheating. Traded it in to Best Buy for $300, and bought an M1 MacBook Air. Sad I can't use Windows though.

I used to have the MacBook Pro 2011, unfortunately didn’t last very long. Wish your channel had been around back then, thank you for your vids!

the mid 2015 macbook pro 15 inch was the best imo, just ordered another one after giving away my first one to my cousin a few years ago

15” Late 2013 to 2015 is the one to have for cheap. Running OCLP is great and they offer decent performance. The 2015 13” is also fine. They seem to be dropping in price as well. From 2015 to 2019 there isn’t much to get. The 2020 Intel is actually good, but better get an M1 for about the same money

I am running a 2013 15" Retina Macbook Pro that I purchased new in 2013. It has a 2.7 ghz i7 cpu and 16GB ram. I upgraded the SSD and have it patched up to the latest Ventura OS. Aside from a few slow downs here and there, it is still serving me well. I keep thinking I should upgrade to a newer Intel model, but honestly I see no benefit to do so. My next upgrade will be Apple silicon, but that may not happen for quite some time.

Heavily disagree on two of the points: 1. 2016 and later MacBook Pros were much much better than their predecessors. The jump from Haswell/Broadwell to Skylake was immense. Universal Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C ports are a godsend; these ports are still relevant today, unlike useless array of USB-As, Thunderbolt 2s and outdated HDMI 1.4 of previous models. Also, these support USB charging, including from power banks and monitors and dock stations. Then came the 2018 model with quad-core CPU, updated Thunderbolt controller, almost-fixed keyboard and almost-fixed screen flex cable. I'd still happily daily drive it if I had one. 3. While 2015 MacBooks 12" indeed were not great, 2016 model shipped with much more potent Skylake Core m chips. It was day and night difference. Pretty useful even today. I still dream of picking up Rose Gold Early 2017 model for collection... BTW, I do find this channel interesting, as a person who used to flip Mac computer during student days, and who is still slightly connected to the local Apple dealing scene. Cheers for the video!

Good video, BUT you're missing a graphics issue MacBook. That's the 10,1 MacBook Pro (aka the Mid 2012 Retina and Early 2013 Retina MBP). The power management chip on their GT 650M dedicated GPU is known to desolder itself if under heavy load, requiring board-level repair. While not as common as the 2011 15" graphics issue, it still is an issue for MacBook buyers to be aware of. I have used a 2012 15" Unibody for a while, and love it, the heft doesn't bother me. But the early 2013 Retina I used for a few months had the graphics card die

How about a video on which old MacBook to buy in 2023? I'm looking for something cheap and reliable for my so who will be using it for basic web browsing, could use a recommendation.

Hi im after a macbook pro cant afford a M1 and im after a big screen so looking at 16 inch 2019 model but some have i7 some i9 ive heard about overheating and fan noise the laptop sits on sofa arm rest and only gets used for general internet and streaming i know nothing about i7 and i9 chips your advice would be helpful thanks

I got the 2011 15” for free, installed Opencore legacy patcher and runs good.

I think 2015-2017 MacBook Airs are worth considering. Despite their dated displays and large bezels, they seem to perform well with 8GB RAM and an i7 CPU. These models also offer upgradable SSDs and replaceable batteries. I think people should Avoid the 11" models (smaller batteries) and those with 4GB RAM. The software support is still decent, making them a practical choice. I'm currently using a 2015 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and an i7 CPU for Photoshop and Illustrator and seems to run fine for the most part. However, If your budget allows, you should definitely get one of the 2015 Pros as those have a more appealing design and are a compelling option. In reality though, this is just my opinion and I could be wrong, I just think these are still quite useful in todays age, Quick note: I don't intend to turn this into an essay or throw shade. I agree with you on avoiding the 12-inch MacBook. Two years ago, I was trying to escape from using bulky laptops with stripped screws and DDR2 memory, and then I saw the 12 inch MacBook. But the overheating issues due to the absence of a fan made me reconsider. The MacBook Air quickly became my preferred choice. I have no idea what was going through apples mind when they made that.

Is it worth to buy Apple MacBook Core Intel Core M5 1.2 GHZ 12" (Mid-2017) SSD 512GB rn? I'll use it for college and studying? I might get it for around 350 bucks so idk thats why I'm asking

Literally just got a macbook pro from late 2016 for about £135 which (i hope) will last me for small tasks and some small creative tasks (basically going to be used for digital camera storage but anyways) i do hope it lasts for maybe 2 more years but for the pricepoint i dont really mind it

If you can get a 2015 or 2017 MacBook Air for under 200 bucks I would argue it's still not a bad deal. In fact, the 2017 models came with 8GB of RAM standard and it really boosts the performance on these MacBooks. Sure, it was also available as an option on the previous model years but most people didn't opt for that and finding one now that has that option either is incredibly rare to find or when you do find one the seller knows what they have and charges an premium for it. Then again, I might be biased since I own both a 2014 and 2017 MacBook Air.

A useful guide.👍

If you still have your 2011 MacBook Pro, you can patch out the AMD GPU with a few NVRAM commands. It isn't perfect, but it does boot up properly and stuff

Tbh, if your looking to pickup a 10+ year old macbook because of the upgradability and you plan on using it for non-legacy applications: Why not look at it's PC contemporaries? I mean, many early 2010's laptops still had upgradability in mind, and there's always linux sitting in the corner. It's very likely to be cheaper too, because, well, who wants a 10+ year old windows laptop? (me)

Going to keep my 2012 unibody going as long as I can 🤞🤞🤞

I was given a macbook air 2017 with 128gb ssd, 8gb ram in order to try it before buying it. It absolutely struggled with 4k 24fps video playback in vlc, it was unwatchable : screen tear, lag... The asking price was about 370 or 380$. Should I say no?

I have a 2015 MacBook and a 2015 MacBook Pro 13 and a 2012 MacBook Pro 13.

Been thinking about a 2020 MBA with the quad core i3. May have been a '19 but think it was 20

But which Macs do you recommend then?

My wife bought the 2011 MBP 15" new. Probably her favorite computer ever until the graphics failed and it went in for recycling. What a disappointment! By now she'd have moved on to something Retina, but I'd still be using it. You have a great channel and deserve to be paid for your efforts. SUBSCRIBE, FOLKS!

4:10 The great flip chip plague...

The Esc key on the touchbar was miserable.

I think the 2012 macbook with optical drive is still a good option for people who want to import CDs/burn CDs and watch DVDs, i'm not the type of person that carries a laptop with me so their weight never bothers me, i want to get one to dual boot windows 10 to replace my windows laptop because that thing is just getting worse with every windows 10 update, it hasn't been right since 2021 and i keep seeing videos on youtube of even the 2009 macbook lineups running better on windows 10 than my native windows laptop lol

the main question after the video, which macbook should we buy?

The non touch/touch bar MacBook Pros from 2016-2019 were the worst MacBook Pros ever made. They had so many problems, ranging form Flexgate, where the screen would completely give out, to the crappy butterfly keyboard, which led to a class-action settlement. Oh lets not forget, Apple completely got rid of the Magsafe port, SD card slot and hdmi port in favor of two/three thunderbolt three ports on these models. If you want to use a hdmi or sd card, you had to carry dongles or use a usb-c hub. Funny enough, Apple brought back these options with the introduction of the 14” and 16” M-series MacBook Pros.

the Macbook Air should be ALL of the versions before M1 2020, it's slow, overheat and the butterfly keyboard is terrible (except the 2020 model)

I say buy them people use open core legacy patcher save money

the best one still until now is a 2015 MBP 15 inch with 2,8Ghz core i7 .. no debating this tho for me

I had the mistake buying used a mid 2017 13 Macbook Pro: ok it's got 8gb RAM, 256 ssd, Intel Core I5 7360U for 230 euros (with SERVICE BATTERY....) Ok at the beginning could be resonable. But i realize after how complicate is to replace the battery by myself.... And fora replace battery the average price for the service is about 250-300 euros.... Another issue: it heats up a lot!! And during a normal KZfaq video!! I understand unde heavy video editing but these tempereatures just watching KZfaq? Oh i forgot: the keyboard is terrible. And im not agree for Macbook Air 2017: i had one from November 2022 to January 2024, bought used for 240 euro: for mobile office use and similar is perfect, for heavy use of course not. I regret for selling it

The 2015 MacBook Pro is still highly regarded, but it is no longer the best option in 2023 due to advancements in Apple silicon and newer models offering better performance at a similar or lower price. Apple will no longer support security updates for the 2015 MacBook Pro by fall 2024

So what do I get?

2015 for 155 bucks isn’t a bad deal 2015 with 8gb of ram at a good price isn’t a bad deal if under 200$ and a good battery

This reminds just how many absolute dogs*it laptops apple has actually put out. The 2016-2019 fiasco was just straight up ridiculous.

Interessting video. Here, grab a subscribe and good luck with the channel. :)