Is there anyone else out there still using their 2010 MBP or older? It’s still my only personal computer and it’s running well for its age but I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for its inevitable death. When I ordered it 12 years ago, I never imagined that it would still be running for this long. My iBook only lasted 5 years but it spent 4 years in my backpack in college. The MBP spent only 1 year in a backpack while I was in grad school.
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2010 MBP Users
- Thread starter 2010 MBP Forever
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Just keep the internal drive backed up.
When the day comes when it gives up the ghost, you could take out the internal drive, put it into an external enclosure, and at least that part of it will "live on".
But after 12 years, aren't you ready to try something new?
Take a good look at the MBP 14" and 16".
(the 14" might be an economical replacement, even the base model is a fine performer)
When the day comes when it gives up the ghost, you could take out the internal drive, put it into an external enclosure, and at least that part of it will "live on".
But after 12 years, aren't you ready to try something new?
Take a good look at the MBP 14" and 16".
(the 14" might be an economical replacement, even the base model is a fine performer)
Yeah, I learned the always have a back up lesson the hard way with my iBook. My hard drive gave up the first week of senior year and I lost all of our family vacation photos.
Yes, there’s a part of me that wants to upgrade which is why I’ve started looking at the current options. The 14” MBP is definitely closest to what I want/need but I’m going to try and wait to see what the new MBA will end up having. If Apple adds MagSafe to the MBA then realistically that should be the computer that makes the most sense for my use. I’m still annoyed that Apple took away matte screens though.
Yes, there’s a part of me that wants to upgrade which is why I’ve started looking at the current options. The 14” MBP is definitely closest to what I want/need but I’m going to try and wait to see what the new MBA will end up having. If Apple adds MagSafe to the MBA then realistically that should be the computer that makes the most sense for my use. I’m still annoyed that Apple took away matte screens though.
I like the Early 2015 models because they are still able to run the current Mac OS but I realize not for long as Apple completes their transition away from supporting Intel processors. I like this model of laptops because I can still upgrade my storage drive as my needs grow.
I have a problem with Apple's current marketing strategy as they are geared for profit. They are not the company they started out to be where you could buy their computers and/or laptops and upgrade them as you see fit after purchasing them. It is not this way today. Shame...
I have a problem with Apple's current marketing strategy as they are geared for profit. They are not the company they started out to be where you could buy their computers and/or laptops and upgrade them as you see fit after purchasing them. It is not this way today. Shame...
I used til last year my Late '08 MacBook. While it isn't a "Pro" machine, it has the same guts as the Pro machines from that year (NVIDIA 9400M).
Until last year my MBP maxed out 17" 2007 was my daily out and about machine, travelled 1000s of miles.The screen size was extremely useful. Big & durable... but so am I.
2 years ago I retired an ibook from the duty of 24/7 music streaming.
Apart from the HD aging = set up a backup strategy and the battery swelling as it ages = replace it -just keep on using it until it doesn't do what you need it to do.
2 years ago I retired an ibook from the duty of 24/7 music streaming.
Apart from the HD aging = set up a backup strategy and the battery swelling as it ages = replace it -just keep on using it until it doesn't do what you need it to do.
Still have a MacBook Pro 2010 and use it...
I have the new MacBook Pro 2021 and it is the best laptop I have ever had...it is truly amazing.
But..I still turn it on and use the MacBook Pro 2010 just for basic things still and on occasion use an old program. I put a SSD with 16 GBs of RAM (reapplied the CPU paste and clean it out), put a new battery in it and it still runs surprisingly well, though it is starting to show its age. I even run Snow Leopard on it...yeah...
I also use Arctic Fox as a browser to have an updated browser for safety and added a blu-ray internal drive just for fun. I guess it is now my "hobby" Mac. LOL.
Don't get me wrong...I am not one of those who say the old days are better or Snow Leopard is the best OS, but for whatever reason I just like still using it.
I have the new MacBook Pro 2021 and it is the best laptop I have ever had...it is truly amazing.
But..I still turn it on and use the MacBook Pro 2010 just for basic things still and on occasion use an old program. I put a SSD with 16 GBs of RAM (reapplied the CPU paste and clean it out), put a new battery in it and it still runs surprisingly well, though it is starting to show its age. I even run Snow Leopard on it...yeah...
I also use Arctic Fox as a browser to have an updated browser for safety and added a blu-ray internal drive just for fun. I guess it is now my "hobby" Mac. LOL.
Don't get me wrong...I am not one of those who say the old days are better or Snow Leopard is the best OS, but for whatever reason I just like still using it.
Typing this on my trusty 2010 MBP 13" 2.4GHz Duo, maxed out and upgraded to a 1TB SSD, running a patched Catalina, as we speak. It survived our house fire in March, albeit with a melted touchpad, cracked screen, and an intermittent backlight. But it still works (and is *heavily* backed up!). The fact that it came back to life at all after the fire is a testament to the solid engineering of these old beasts. I will admit that I'm currently looking at a fresh 14" M1 16Gb/1TB to replace it, though. Apple hardware really can live for a long, long time, but this one is definitely on borrowed time...
Dang, a house fire? Send that email and evidence to Cook. Apple loves stories like that. Also, given the constraints surrounding the 14/16" MBPs, why not a 13" MBP? It has the same M1 architecture and from my usage is a solid machine just like my trusted Late '08 Mac. Or are you looking at the expanded RAM capability?
Memory (one can never have enough), and especially the screen real estate. I do a lot of electronic CAD work, and my employer insists that only Windows machines and Windows-based software will be supported for my work for them. So I run W10 under Parallels on my own personal hardware.
I do most of my work on my maxed-out 2010 cMP (which also survived the fire, and I've since moved it into my office at work to supplant the ancient, creaking corporate Dell tower- primarily since I currently have no permanent home to keep it in!). But I do need to do some CAD edits when working remotely, now and again. The extra speed will be massively welcome running that Windoze crap under Parallels, compared to Ol' Paint here... So I regard the 14" as future-proofing, to some extent: because if I'm going to pay that kind of money for a machine I'm damned well going to use it for a minimum of 10 years again!
Note to the humor-impaired: no Windoze machines were harmed in the writing of this post. However, this is primarily because all of them that I owned, including my company laptop, failed to survive the fire. Can't hurt 'em once they're already dead, right? (;-)
Oh this makes much more sense. Yes, lots of memory is always best for your situation.
However, note that Win10/11 support thru Parallels is iffy due to ARM being the base now, MS tried to do Rosetta but they, as usual, messed some things up. Check on your current programs to see if they work under Parallels VM.
Hmm. That is troubling. I was told that Parallels and most W10-hosted S/W ran adequately on the M1 (which is to say, only a couple of BSODs per day or so- the usual fare). The S/W I need definitely has run well for some time under Intel/Parallels with my cMP setup, and here on Ol' Paint. If that is not the case with the M1, I'll have to rethink that replacement strategy. Thanks for the heads-up!
I know there is a big thread here in MR regarding Parallels and the M-series CPU line and the issues people have been seeing.
Check there for the common issues.
Nah, I don't think it's derailment, after all OP asked about who still rocks their old Macs.
I completely agree. Not a derailment at all. My goal for the thread was to unite lovers of these old machines.
For those that have done a hard drive upgrade, how difficult was it and how much did the upgraded hard drive cost? Also, do you have any recommendations for brands or websites to order from? I'm still using my original hard drive. An upgrade might be helpful.
For those that have done a hard drive upgrade, how difficult was it and how much did the upgraded hard drive cost? Also, do you have any recommendations for brands or websites to order from? I'm still using my original hard drive. An upgrade might be helpful.
Oh, Gawd, yes. I've upgraded mine several times- first for capacity, then for speed. Over the years, I have used first the Seagate hybrid SSD/spinner, which helped a great deal with perceived speed, and then just went with the same Samsung SSDs I was putting in my other machines (volume discount, you know). The difference between an older MBP with a spinner and one with an SSD is pretty stark. If it didn't smell like hell warmed over and have all these scorch marks, a flickering backlight, and a dead touchpad, I'd keep it forever...
If you squint a little bit, is is easy to justify picking up a max memory upgrade and an SSD. A true beancounter will tell you that it is a waste of money- but if you love the old beast, and it still fulfills your usage case, you'll marvel at the improvement.
The memory is relatively cheap now, since nothing else really uses it anymore: the 2.4s need 1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM (PC3-8500), the faster ones need 1333. The SSD is essentially a lifetime investment: even if you eventually decomission the MBP, you can pull the disk and put it in an external enclosure. 1TB SSD SATA drives are under $100 these days, and you really don't need the bleeding edge of technology, with the MBP's relatively slow 3GB/s SATA bus. Doesn't matter- anything will beat the original spinner.
You could do both upgrades in half an hour, tops, if you are the least bit mechanically inclined. Replacement/upgrade of either one is trivial with the right tools. These machines were designed before Apple decided to make them a pain in the ass to upgrade, and there are many YouTube videos describing the process. My advice would be to dive right in!
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It was hard only in the sense that I had to look for a hex screw to undo the screws on the hard drive and install them on the new one.
I'm on my 2nd SSD now. I'd recommend cloning your current drive (CCC or Super Duper) onto the new SSD, which you buy an external housing for. Afterwards install the SSD into the machine and you're good to go. The old drive you can bin or have in that housing, though being older and likely to fail, I'd use for non essential data i.e. with a TV or in the car.
Back 10 years ago they were expensive and I ordered an M4 from Crucial/ Micron. Current one is a Samsung Evo 850, quite a nice drive with a long warranty. So, anything from the 850 onwards I'd recommend.
My external case had USB 2.0, FW400+FW800, but that's impossible to find now. For the sake of ease and cost just get a USB 3.1 enclosure with a descent chipset.
I have upgraded a number of the 2009-2012 13" MBP (don't know if yours is a 13 or 15) but they are just as easy. I have 2 2012 MBP 13's and used the Crucial MX500 series (they're a bit cheaper) but the EVO's are great too. They get a lot of use editing photos and some editing of video.
Put the SSD in a USB3 enclosure, use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the hard drive to the SSD, then boot from the SSD to make sure the clone works and will boot up the machine. Then swap the HD for the SSD and reboot. 8gb ram is great for general use, 16gb will work in that machine too. I find the ram on ebay.
Thanks! I maxed out the ram when I ordered it 12 years ago and it still seems to be running well. I learned the RAM lesson with my iBook.
Indeed good choice. Having too much RAM is never a wrong thing if you can afford it.