my laptop is mostly a home computer; but it does move around as needed. sometimes to other private settings, so i would have to pack a hub and cables just in case i needed to use any of the ports. with my 2011, i have most of what i need built in. i could see a permanent at home hub, but then how much are they, and should i just spend the extra money on a laptop with built ins? i know, around and around....
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Does a 2015 MacBook Pro still cut it in 2024?
- Thread starter rwh63
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I’m certainly no fan of deleting ports, and I have on occasion taken a SuperDrive with me to show films from the school library. I always thought that “Blu Ray was a world of pain” comment was totally silly and without merit. That said, time goes on, and optical disks aside, the three usb c ports and HDMI get me through much of my travels ok, and when im at my desk I have my usb dongle to allow for my mechanical keyboard, my SuperDrive, and assorted chotchkies.
I just got a got this at a very nice price:
My 2021 MBP has the SD card and HDMI output, so all I really need for it is a $15 USB-C to USB-A hub with Ethernet. I just use a dock at home for the convenience of not connecting/disconecting mutiple cables.
If you are looking at Apple Silicon MBAs and need all the ports you probably need to spend $30-60 to get USB-A/HDMI/Ethernet/SD-Card all in one package. One example is the OWC Travel Dock E, but you can find cheaper stuff on amazon.
OWC USB-C Travel Dock E - 6 Ports of Connectivity
The best bus-powered dock to connect, charge, display, and import on-the-go. Compatible with any USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 equipped Mac, PC, tablet, or phone.
2015 MBPs are missing USB-C, which means using a dock requires a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter and a more expensive Thunderbolt dock. On the other hand, they already have USB-A/HDMI/SDcard.
when we talk about missing ports: the biggest issue with the 2015 and before, beside slow and battery life, is the missing USB C port. all new el. products will have that I/O in the seeable future
I have a 2010 15" MBP, and a 2015 13" w/16gb of ram. Size wise they are about the same as the new 16" and 14", lighter in the 16" but dimensions are nearly the same. I was just using my 13" the other day and it was perfectly fine, for basic office tasks etc and wasn't much faster than my old 15" with 4gb of ram. 13" thermals aren't great compared to the larger 15". My dad was using my old 15" until last fall when support for anything had gone stopped etc.. (not doing open core for him), I convinced him to get a 15" MBA and it was so much nicer being 2lbs lighter, but still a solid machine. A dock/USB hubs/USB-A to USB-C converters aren't that much of an issue and are fairly cheap at this point. I'm currently looking at a new M3 (portable editing machine), as I do photography and new ones are just so much faster for that, and I don't get a burn/jet simulator on my lap either.
Unless it’s an incredible price, as in under $200, I’d say no.
1: Monterey will probably receive its final security update sometime this fall. After that, while the machine doesn’t become unusable, it does become significantly less secure. You can install a different operating system on it, but at that point why not just buy a Windows computer?
2: You’re coming from an aging problematic 2011 computer… but the 2015 computer isn’t that far behind. And if you’re buying used, who knows the kind of problems it’s had. Dead pixels, faulty GPUs on the 15, heavily used SSDs, possible port failures. And if you want to fix any of this, that’s even more money down the drain.
If you absolutely need an Intel computer, the only one you should be considering as a main machine in 2024 that you’re actually going to spend money on is a 2019-2020 MacBook Pro or 27 inch iMac.
They are the only late era Intel Macs that have decent keyboards and will probably still receive a couple more years of support.But an M1 or newer is really the way to go, even used.
1: Monterey will probably receive its final security update sometime this fall. After that, while the machine doesn’t become unusable, it does become significantly less secure. You can install a different operating system on it, but at that point why not just buy a Windows computer?
2: You’re coming from an aging problematic 2011 computer… but the 2015 computer isn’t that far behind. And if you’re buying used, who knows the kind of problems it’s had. Dead pixels, faulty GPUs on the 15, heavily used SSDs, possible port failures. And if you want to fix any of this, that’s even more money down the drain.
If you absolutely need an Intel computer, the only one you should be considering as a main machine in 2024 that you’re actually going to spend money on is a 2019-2020 MacBook Pro or 27 inch iMac.
They are the only late era Intel Macs that have decent keyboards and will probably still receive a couple more years of support.But an M1 or newer is really the way to go, even used.
Yeah, my 2013 MBP was definitely having SSD problems that caused it to shut down randomly at one point.
i spoke with Apple support (with whom i've only had great experiences with, btw). i got some assistance with transferring all of my documents to iCloud. i asked about compatibility issues i might run into, esp. with pages/documents, if i jumped from my 2011 to an M-series laptop. was told that i can migrate all documents to the new laptop, and something like if i used the same ID, there would be no problem with anything. an issue would arise if i created a new ID for the new laptop, them i would not be able to access the older data.
i ran into a similar issue recently looking into removing my phone from a shared cell account. mine is not primary, so i was told that my voicemails would not be connected to my phone anymore if i opened a new account. only solution was to take over the account as primary, and split off the other devices to their own account.
so, now i am leaning towards an M1-M4 laptop (Air or MBP). from what i've read, there isn't a tremendous difference between the group. the average user would not notice much difference side by side. the hardware seems the same. i don't see any M1 in the refurb shop.
i ran into a similar issue recently looking into removing my phone from a shared cell account. mine is not primary, so i was told that my voicemails would not be connected to my phone anymore if i opened a new account. only solution was to take over the account as primary, and split off the other devices to their own account.
so, now i am leaning towards an M1-M4 laptop (Air or MBP). from what i've read, there isn't a tremendous difference between the group. the average user would not notice much difference side by side. the hardware seems the same. i don't see any M1 in the refurb shop.
What specs are you shopping/needing?
If you can get away with a standard config of some variant, you can save a ton with other retailers, Woot, preowned, etc
Anything BTO (has to come from Apple) is a massive ripoff
It's the equivalent of walking into a car dealer and just buying a car ... you are getting screwed the second you drive off the lot (or boot it up in the case of a computer)
Yeah, it’s quite a little scheme they’re running. The specs aren’t upgradable after the fact, so they ensure that you need to pay sky high prices for the BTO models. Sometimes Microcenter and B&H have the previous models specced-up to the max for relatively good prices. They have an M1 Max 64Gig/4Tb for 2499 right now, for example.
Yep... Said "scheme" is literally why I haven't bought Mac hardware in years and years now
stopped by apple today. liked both the air and pro. prefer the heft of the pro, plus the additional ports. what are the screens made of now? seems like plastic. believe my 2011 is glass.
Good lord...
....buy a used silverback iMac for $75 and install Chromium-Legacy (with uBlock Origin extension) as a modern browser. Watch 1080p youtube and movie rips all day long and be perfectly happy saving $2,425. Or get a 2013-15 15.4" Retina MBP & hdmi cable for $150-250. Get a bunch of cheap, used 256gb SSDs, and learn how to clone your OS using CarbonCopyCloner5 and GetBackupPro3.
Computers exceeded the speed of humans at least fifteen years ago, and have to be made artificially slow now in order to trick us into buying new ones. (As a real-world speed-test on a bone-stock 8gb ram 2011 i5 iMac with High Sierra off a rotational-drive, I played a 1080p x265 file in VLC, another 1080p video in youtube in an open browser, and a third video in another player app -- all simultaneously without frame-loss.)
1.2 billion transistors in the 2015 chip….. vs. 25 billion in an M3. The M4 will have around 30 billion transistors.
It’s a whole new world. But it’s commendable you enjoy refurbishing antique tech.
Still rocking my 2014 MBP and I don’t have a reason to upgrade yet. Mind you I have the latest phone and iPad so that helps I just find I don’t need the new features and it still runs fast enough.
I mean, I’m all for using old tech rather than buying new as much as you can. An old iMac like that isn’t going to run Davinci Resolve with ProRes 4K files so it doesn’t really work for me. There’s no need to upgrade if you’re happy with what you have. I have no need for AI, for example, so I won’t be upgrading any time soon, probably until they stop doing security upgrades, unless something changes with my workflow.
I was replying to rwh63, who was using a laptop as a "home computer". Nobody needs to spend $2,499 to surf the web when $100 will deliver 1080p YouTube video in the exact same quality. Regards da Vinci, IMO it (like Premier) is a bloated sow of an application marketed to oblivious people who don't know about all the other options of the last twenty years. I.e., about 90% of video work is cutting and joining, not rendering -- so any app that renders rather than stream-copies is wasting your time and electricity while giving you a lossier result. And with Retroactive, you can run Final Cut Pro 7 in High Sierra, and FCP7 has some features missing from the new versions. Of course FCP10 runs in High Sierra, as does Filmara10, Handbrake, AvidDemux, and Joyoshare Video Joiner. I could cut-n-join 4K video on a 2007 21.5" 'blackback' C2D iMac w/2gb ram faster than it takes Premier et al to render it on an M3. (Some people have this erroneous notion that you need a screen resolution equal to the resolution of the visual content being worked on; I encounter it frequenty among those clamoring for Retina displays.)
Now if we're talking pro-grade 3D effects (e.g., AutodeskMaya), then you have a point...and I'd still get a 2019 i9 27" iMac (and put Mojave/HFS+) on it for ~$1K before spending 150% more for an unexpandable box sans monitor. The way businesses churn barely-used hardware for tax-lootery purposes, non-professionals (and even most of them) have little real reason to ever buying bleeding-edge gear. Apple can only do its level best to panic them into it via impending-doom notifications.
What you could do also is:
Scour eBay for used 15" MBP 2015 and a decent percentage of the ads will include the machine's serial number (you could also msg the buyers for the serial number too) and then copy & paste it into the following website:
If a green tick appears, you could then buy that machine and then immediately go the Apple store and get a brand new keyboard, trackpad, palm rest & battery (installation price would usually be £304).
Then you have machine which although is old, has new parts fitted by Apple in 2024. I buy & sell 2015 models and this is something I do often.
Scour eBay for used 15" MBP 2015 and a decent percentage of the ads will include the machine's serial number (you could also msg the buyers for the serial number too) and then copy & paste it into the following website:
15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program - Apple Support
15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program
support.apple.com
If a green tick appears, you could then buy that machine and then immediately go the Apple store and get a brand new keyboard, trackpad, palm rest & battery (installation price would usually be £304).
Then you have machine which although is old, has new parts fitted by Apple in 2024. I buy & sell 2015 models and this is something I do often.
Having worked at Adobe and having trained Apple engineers on FCP 7, you’re exaggerating a bit. Premiere was a disaster, and yes FCP never recovered from the transition to 10. I find Davinci quite useful, and yes the majority of edits are simple splices. Anyone who’s ever edited video knows that but thanks for the reminder.
We get that you like intel machines. Good for you! I always tell people to stick with what they have as long as they can. If someone is just starting in the Mac ecosystem, however, I’m not going to tell them to pick a platform which is well on its way to the past. I also know my needs, and I still have Intel machines I can use when necessary but I find that less and less common, and I like the speed of the new machines, though I acknowledge their glitches.
I couldn't care less about the processors. I care about the operating-systems. Catalina represented a clear and unnecessary night-of-the-long-knives memoryholing of over a decade's worth of useful 32bit software undertaken solely for the spite of it not being subscription-model (yeah, I know there are plenty of other cover excuses).
The last thing I do to a "noob" is tell them to blow $2,499 on a computer when they haven't the least clue what they really need.
Per Apple druthers, everything is "well on its way to the past", as that is the definition of artificial-obsolescence. That $2,499 metal box will depreciate in value faster than Cybertruck (well, maybe not that fast). Per WarGames, the only winning move is not to play, unless you absolutely need that box's found-nowhere-else capabilities right *now* to earn income. I.e., you're a studio with render project stacked up around the clock.
A computer is a tool, and most tasks that a computer can do for a human were largely "solved" at least a decade ago. Nobody will ever need 8K video at 120fps anymore than they need 300mph cars, and new architecture is running out of selling-points. Closed systems running on what is essentially overpriced jewelry at this point are very niche, and I frankly don't see how Apple can keep it up much longer. (I.e., it's not going to be able to coast forever on people replacing their sluggified iPhones every three years.) Word is out: the "new" MacOSes, like Windows11, are data-harvesting stank that actively thwart the user.
Last edited:
I don't think anyone was suggesting the $2499 M1 Max was an intro computer, but an example of getting higher-end BTO options from a non-Apple source, with discount. You also mentioned it being monitor less compared to an i9 iMac. The machine being referred to was a 16" MBP, so it has a screen, and a mass of RAM and fast SSD storage.
Let's ignore that specific machine for a second, if we're just going to compare computers on price, but without matching specs. You can get a $650 M1 Air from Walmart. It is not only cheaper than your $1k i9 iMac, but will out perform it, use fast SSD storage instead of a Fusion Drive, it's portable, and it's going to have longer support.
For all but the lightest home user, or a user that demands to use Chrome, I wouldn't recommend that either due to the 8GB.
Currently Apple offers a reburb M3 Air 16GB/512GB for $1270... that looks like a good sweet spot for most users. About the same price as your i9 iMac, faster CPU, faster storage, faster RAM, portable, and with years and years of support left. It would fit most users needs far better than trying keep an Intel box off the extinction list.
You like your old OS, but many with old machines are seeking ways to put newer OSes onto their unsupported machines. While in the past you may have been able to coax OS updates to work, pretty soon they'll only be compiled for Arm, not Intel, and you'll have no chance of even unofficial support... At that point, your best bet is transforming it into a Linux box, or used offline.
Let's ignore that specific machine for a second, if we're just going to compare computers on price, but without matching specs. You can get a $650 M1 Air from Walmart. It is not only cheaper than your $1k i9 iMac, but will out perform it, use fast SSD storage instead of a Fusion Drive, it's portable, and it's going to have longer support.
For all but the lightest home user, or a user that demands to use Chrome, I wouldn't recommend that either due to the 8GB.
Currently Apple offers a reburb M3 Air 16GB/512GB for $1270... that looks like a good sweet spot for most users. About the same price as your i9 iMac, faster CPU, faster storage, faster RAM, portable, and with years and years of support left. It would fit most users needs far better than trying keep an Intel box off the extinction list.
You like your old OS, but many with old machines are seeking ways to put newer OSes onto their unsupported machines. While in the past you may have been able to coax OS updates to work, pretty soon they'll only be compiled for Arm, not Intel, and you'll have no chance of even unofficial support... At that point, your best bet is transforming it into a Linux box, or used offline.
Last edited:
i bought a used 16" M1 pro used for 1500€ a year ago. I guess the used prices in the US would be now more like $1200?
Yes; I tend to gravitate to threads concerning them, such as this one.
We get that you like Mx machines. Good for you!
I always tell people that the "ecosystem" is the worst (and least-secure and prone to bricking) aspect of the Mac experience, but one which is fortunately entirely superfluous and which for the most part didn't exist until relatively recently in the timeline (the California OSes).