Do I need to upgrade or can I update?

[jellyjelly]

I have two rather old lap tops:
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013) 1.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB.
- MacBook Pro 15 inch late 2011, 2.2 GHz intel core i7, 4 Gb 1333MHz DDr3, Intel Graphics 3000 384 MB.
The MacBook Pro is barley useable its sooooo slow. The MacBook air is workable but clearly dying on me (keeps turning itself off and saying it has no storage even tho there is nothing on it).
I need an up to date computer that will last a few years, and its a big birthday coming up so a good time to get one.
My question is - I know a guy who can update memory and storage on old computers but if I do that will it work/last on either of these and how long will that last, or do I need to get a new computer with new technology?
I will be possibly be doing light video editing, music programming and using an art programme on it but apart from that Im not very tech savvy so will mostly be using it for emails , social media ect...
I dont understand techy terms so please if you have any time to advise me please explain it in simple terms
Thanks for your help.

 

[Rich B22]

I have two rather old lap tops:
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013) 1.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB.
- MacBook Pro 15 inch late 2011, 2.2 GHz intel core i7, 4 Gb 1333MHz DDr3, Intel Graphics 3000 384 MB.
The MacBook Pro is barley useable its sooooo slow. The MacBook air is workable but clearly dying on me (keeps turning itself off and saying it has no storage even tho there is nothing on it).
I need an up to date computer that will last a few years, and its a big birthday coming up so a good time to get one.
My question is - I know a guy who can update memory and storage on old computers but if I do that will it work/last on either of these and how long will that last, or do I need to get a new computer with new technology?
I will be possibly be doing light video editing, music programming and using an art programme on it but apart from that Im not very tech savvy so will mostly be using it for emails , social media ect...
I dont understand techy terms so please if you have any time to advise me please explain it in simple terms
Thanks for your help.

I'm not one who jumps to buy the latest and greatest, usually running my computers for close to 10 years, however, IMO, you need to get a new computer. Neither of your MacBooks are getting OS updates anymore. Additionally, the programs you're running use a lot of resources thay you don't have, regardless if you upgrade memory & storage. They would still be constrained by the processor and architecture of the system.
If you don't need the portability, the Mac Mini's are an excellent value in the Apple ecosystem, however, if purchasing now, I would buy one used or refurbished, since there are strong rumors of a new model coming out next year. The M1 (2020) model, which is the current new offering can be had for about $550 (third party seller) and I recently bought one for my wife, which looks and behaves like brand new. DO NOT buy the Intel version as it's already obsolete. Add a monitor, keyboard and mouse for a few hundred dollars and you have the current, state of the art Apple computer.
If the portability is a bigger factor, you may have to go with one of the MacBooks, however, personally, I'm leery of buying any used laptops, since they have a shorter Mean Time to Failure (MTTF). Others may have positive experiences with that and since I've never bought them used, it's just my conjecture.
In any case, good luck.

 

[Fishrrman]

Both are getting too old to spend much $$$ on "updates".

The more relevant question:
Are you financially able to buy a [single] replacement?

Be aware that if you're in the USA, right now there is one of the best sales ever on the 2021 MacBook Pro 14" and 16" models -- generally $400 off most configurations (you have to buy a pre-configured unit from certain resellers, you can't get this from Apple). Here's an example:

2021 Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Pro chip with 8‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) - Space Gray

The new MacBook Pro delivers game-changing performance for pro users. With the powerful M1 Pro to supercharge pro-level workflows while getting amazing battery life. And with an immersive 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display and an array of pro ports, you can do more than ever with MacBook Pro.

www.amazon.com

 

[TechRunner]

Compared to what you're using now, any new M-series MacBook will be a revelation. Opt for 16GB of RAM if possible to give yourself some headroom for video and music projects.