Hi, I have 15in early-2013 rMBP and I'm desperate to get either a 13 rMBP or rMB when they finally update them with skylake. Essentially there's not much wrong with my current one, had it about 3yrs now, so can I justify getting a new one? thanks!
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How old is too old?
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The only justification you need is from yourself.... and your pocketbook?
Honestly though, I am like you except with a secondhand 2010 15" (my sister's) that I just upgraded to ssd and added bootcamp. Everyday, I am amazed by the longevity these machines are able to run with.
I have been a long time lurker of the "waiting for skylake" thread and I must admit, the wait pangs can be frustrating.
Do what you think is right. No one else can tell you no
Only offer opinions.
Honestly though, I am like you except with a secondhand 2010 15" (my sister's) that I just upgraded to ssd and added bootcamp. Everyday, I am amazed by the longevity these machines are able to run with.
I have been a long time lurker of the "waiting for skylake" thread and I must admit, the wait pangs can be frustrating.
Do what you think is right. No one else can tell you no
Only offer opinions.2013 isn't even remotely "old", much less too old. Buy a new computer if you want, but your current one will be fine for years.
My main laptop is a T23, which most people would consider too old. It works fine for me and I like it.
My main laptop is a T23, which most people would consider too old. It works fine for me and I like it.
Why do you even bother making a thread and ask a question that can only be answered by yourself? I am using an early 2011 MBP and still going strong. There are people that is still using the iBook or White MP. There are people that changes their computer every year. So you tell me what's old?
Well, you kind of answered your own question.
Does it still do everything you need it to do?
A Thinkpad T23? And you run a G4? That is retro computing, and I applaud you for not caving in to the gotta-hava-new-one urge.
A computer is too old when it no longer does what you need it to do, simple as that.
I was expecting to see you talking about a 10 year old Mac and I was going to say it's probably time to upgrade.
But it's definitely not time to upgrade.
But it's definitely not time to upgrade.
I have a 2013 15" and this thing is still a beast, I wouldn't waste my money for a while unless they come out with something dramatically updated that really suits your needs.
Most any Mac that can run El Cap, take up to 8gb of memory, and have a SSD installed is current enough for general use. My 2011 is doing fine but might need more SSD space in a few months. Since I have another place to use the existing drive, the upgrade cost won't be too bad. A lot cheaper than a new MBP.
Up to you to determine that. I'm still using an early 2011.
No idea. Can you? You seem to be asking us to justify for you. What is your early 2013 not doing for you that a current one will? Why are you desperate for a new one? Just to have a new one? It's your money and your call.
I have a 1999 Powerbook G3 (bronze keyboard) that still works, although the display is pretty dim. That is almost certainly too old.
An early 2013 15-incher is quite unlikely to be too old.
Don't let any of us hold you back from buying a new one if you have the cash, though. The one you have probably has a pretty good resale value.
An early 2013 15-incher is quite unlikely to be too old.
Don't let any of us hold you back from buying a new one if you have the cash, though. The one you have probably has a pretty good resale value.
I would still recommend someone with a non-retina MacBook Pro to upgrade, as the screen is a pretty good upgrade, and the thinner profile is also nice to have. Definitely not necessary, but not a worthless upgrade. However, there's no real compelling reason for anyone who already has a retina MacBook Pro to upgrade.
Probably 75% or more of my use of my MBP is in clamshell mode with an external display. While not retina, it's still nice to have all that real estate. While the retina would be a nice upgrade, I can't see spending that much just to get it since my MBP does a great job otherwise. I also like having the superdrive when I need it and the ability to upgrade my drive. All that said, if my GPU craps out, it will be a retina upgrade for me
When it comes to computers, I like to replace them every 3-5 years.
My last Macbook I replaced after a little over 3 1/2 years, from a 2011 Macbook Pro to a 2015 MacBook Pro.
Before that the computer I had before the 2011 MacBook Pro I had since 2007.
My last Macbook I replaced after a little over 3 1/2 years, from a 2011 Macbook Pro to a 2015 MacBook Pro.
Before that the computer I had before the 2011 MacBook Pro I had since 2007.
I'm running a 2010 MacBook just fine. I think 2013 is just fine. You even answered your own question with, "it essentially runs everything just fine."
Just buy the damn computer. Stop contemplating and justifying tech purchases like half the world does. You want it? Buy it. End of story.
You might want to check the number of battery cycles, About Mac | system info | battery. The battery life starts to get shorter as the number goes up. Apple says the rMacbook Pro battery is good for about 1000 cycles.
Since your rMBP is newer it is probably pretty low, but it depends on how you use your computer.
Since your rMBP is newer it is probably pretty low, but it depends on how you use your computer.
IMHO Machines with SSD don't slower for general use because of age. For example my 2010 17" MBP (8GB, 512GB SSD) is still really fast and only marginally slower in general use compared to my maxed out 2015 MBP. It only gets artificially obsolete, because Apple decides so. SSD and marginal CPU speed improvements have changed the game.
Of course there are significant improvements in connectivity, graphics and displays, which can be reasons to upgrade.
I still use my mid 2009 15" MBP that I purchased brand new in Feb 2010... All original parts with regular spinning hard drive. I don't do much heavy work on it, and it still works like new (I'm still running Snow Leopard). All the softwares I need run very well, and it does everything I want. Other than the new OS features like Continuity, Airdrop, Notifications, etc, I don't think there is something new that I could only do on a new computer... Well, I can't do 4K video editing on my MBP, but I have iMac for that.
How old it too old....?
Well I guess it really depends on the systems, softwares and individual preference... If a computer can run the newest OS and softwares without issues (again, "without issues" is subjective, but generally without crashes, system hang-ups, reduced performance, etc), then this computer still has plenty of life left.
I remember certain BRAND NEW mid-range computers with "Vista compatible" stickers on them could not decently run Windows Vista in 2007... New computer? Sure. But rendered obsolete by the newest OS (or lack of driver support, etc). But these days, computers that are more than a couple of years old run the newest OS pretty well. I have El Capitan partition on my MBP, and it shockingly runs very well. I find myself using the El Cap partition more and more, and gradually I have installed many softwares I use on that partition. So far, no major problems. Same for Windows 10. I hear about how it runs better on computers that came with Windows 8.
Above all else, if you require all the softwares (video editing, games, etc) to run at top performance specs, or if you want all the newest features, then I guess there is no other choice but to upgrade every year or so.
How old it too old....?
Well I guess it really depends on the systems, softwares and individual preference... If a computer can run the newest OS and softwares without issues (again, "without issues" is subjective, but generally without crashes, system hang-ups, reduced performance, etc), then this computer still has plenty of life left.
I remember certain BRAND NEW mid-range computers with "Vista compatible" stickers on them could not decently run Windows Vista in 2007... New computer? Sure. But rendered obsolete by the newest OS (or lack of driver support, etc). But these days, computers that are more than a couple of years old run the newest OS pretty well. I have El Capitan partition on my MBP, and it shockingly runs very well. I find myself using the El Cap partition more and more, and gradually I have installed many softwares I use on that partition. So far, no major problems. Same for Windows 10. I hear about how it runs better on computers that came with Windows 8.
Above all else, if you require all the softwares (video editing, games, etc) to run at top performance specs, or if you want all the newest features, then I guess there is no other choice but to upgrade every year or so.