I should be excited (new computer after 10 yrs)

[mersea]

Hello folks,

Its been a dog's age since I was active on this forum, glad to see its still around. I have a mid-2010 MBP 15" which has been a faithful companion and great all-around laptop. OS is out of date (10.6.8) which has caused some issues in recent years. Debated upgrading the RAM, new battery and upgrading the OS rather than buying a new computer (which I may still do), but am now leaning towards getting an iMac. (Not so infrequent kernal panics and the generally dismal quality of new replacement batteries on the market are my biggest pushes).

So I should be excited, right? Except I'm so out of the loop I was disappointed to see that not only have they ditched USB ports on the new MBPs, there isn't even an optical drive on the iMacs anymore?? Add to that the fact that Adobe CS has gone to a monthly subscription (I'm worried I won't be able to port my vintage CS5 over - no CDs... and maybe issues with 64-bit vs 32-bit?).

I know I'm singing a boring and out-of-date song here, but any advice?

 

[velocityg4]

You could update to High Sierra. That's the latest your MBP will support. You'd also want to replace the Hard Drive with an SSD. RAM, Battery and SSD start to add up. That's a fair bit to pay for an outdated machine which can't run the latest OS and will be two generations behind in a couple months. You'll still be able to use CS5.

There are cheap external DVD drives. If you need to install old software or access files. Although most software which came on DVD/CD won't be 64 bit.

Do you need Adobe CS5? Which of the programs do you use? There are a lot of cheaper alternatives to Adobe products which do a great job. Such as Affinity Photo and Final Cut Pro.

If you get an iMac. Get it build to order with an SSD instead of the Fusion drive. Also if the 21" get at least 16GB RAM as it is not user upgradable.

 

[mersea]

Do you need Adobe CS5? Which of the programs do you use? There are a lot of cheaper alternatives to Adobe products which do a great job. Such as Affinity Photo and Final Cut Pro.

- Illustrator
- Photoshop
- InDesign

Don't care for the pay-by-the-month business model, don't need any fancy new features or "cloud" storage space. Just need to be able to do basic photo editing, vector graphics and desktop publishing for print.

If you get an iMac. Get it build to order with an SSD instead of the Fusion drive. Also if the 21" get at least 16GB RAM as it is not user upgradable.

W.O.W....

 

[velocityg4]

- Illustrator
- Photoshop
- InDesign

Don't care for the pay-by-the-month business model, don't need any fancy new features or "cloud" storage space. Just need to be able to do basic photo editing, vector graphics and desktop publishing for print.



W.O.W....

You could always try out Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher. Affinity Photo is well regarded here. Haven't checked in too much on the others. I only use Photoshop CS6 in Windows. Whenever it no longer works I'll likely switch to Affinity Photo. Some other software to consider is Scribus, Inkscape and GIMP. The biggest hurdles are existing Adobe files and collaborating with others using Adobe software. As alternative programs only offer varying levels of compatibility with Adobe file formats, not full compatibility.

Unless you limp along on older hardware and an old macOS or find alternative software. You'll have to switch to Adobe CC. The only way you'll know if alternative software will work for you is to try them out. Which will take some time to learn their ins and outs.

If you are open to running Windows. You can run CS6 in Windows 10 fine still. I've read CS5 has some problems but there appears to be workarounds. Didn't look much into it. As Adobe doesn't provide platform exchanges for legacy products. You may as well get an old copy of CS6 instead of CS5 for Windows.

 

[wordsworth]

That's not a bad lifespan for your MacBook Pro and one generally can expect such long and reliable service from Apple's quality machines.

As velocityg4 suggested, it's possible to upgrade your machine.

If the battery has been an issue, do you still require mobility of your laptop or does it sit on a desk these days, plugged into the wall?

Why not calculate what you'd pay for an SSD to replace the hard drive, plus RAM and battery. Then, if you don't require mobility, you could ignore the battery acquisition at least for now and simply start with the SSD.

How much RAM do you have? Could you get away with what you currently have while you test-run the SSD and an install of High Sierra (making sure, of course, that your model laptop is compatible with High Sierra before you do so). I think you can get away with 4GB. I'm guessing you have more than that on your machine.

So, in that incremental manner, maybe you can get a feel for whether going all out with the upgrades would eventually be the way to go?

RAM is a straightforward solution. Add more if you find you need it.

Batteries are more of a problem but if you avoid the dispiriting lottery (and one usually loses) of buying cheap Chinese batteries from eBay and instead pay seventy dollars or so (if you're in the US) for a NewerTech brand-new battery (they seem to have a good reputation) from EveryMac, or a 2-Power battery from Duracell Direct (if you're in the UK) then with the various or combined upgrades you could maybe get another two or three years from your machine.

Is what you would pay for the upgrade(s) worth it for that extended (but ultimately limited) period in which your computing experience remains relatively stable and familiar (software-wise at any rate)? In two or three years the current Apple range may well have 'matured' somewhat, ready for you to take the plunge with a new machine!

Good luck with your decision.

 

[MRrainer]

I'm sure if someone had fallen into a coma in 2010 and woke up now, there'd be quite a few surprises. The decay of USB drives and CDs being one of them. Though Macs and iPhones and iPads now have AirDrop:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirDrop

I'm in the same boat as OP when it comes to disliking software-subscription models.
OTOH, developers (and their kids) need to have proper meals and a warm, dry place to stay, too.
And I work at an MSP, so it's not like the concept of a reliable, monthly revenue stream is completely foreign to me...

I haven't bothered to check iFixit but if it's really simple to add more RAM and an SSD to that MBP, I'd get a cheap Samsung EVO or Crucial MX SSD and some RAM and do the upgrade while you wait and save for whatever notebook hardware Apple delivers in 2020.

I have a car that is at this point over eighteen years old. It still works well enough and has never failed me (I also paid serious money to keep it serviced at various official dealer garages through its whole life, which may or may not have contributed to that)
However, I will have to get a new one at some point, maybe next year.
I'm 100% certain that any car I get will be much worse than the current one (lots more features, lots more stuff to break, lots more software, lots more bugs, almost 20 years of cost-saving efforts at car-makers and suppliers...).

So, if you venture for a new Mac at some point, do it knowing that it will never last as long as your current machine.
It will also be very, very much more expensive (you could see the later more as side-effect of the overall decline of the value of any fiat currency, if that consoles you).

Start saving!

 

[iluvmacs99]

Hello folks,

Its been a dog's age since I was active on this forum, glad to see its still around. I have a mid-2010 MBP 15" which has been a faithful companion and great all-around laptop. OS is out of date (10.6.8) which has caused some issues in recent years. Debated upgrading the RAM, new battery and upgrading the OS rather than buying a new computer (which I may still do), but am now leaning towards getting an iMac. (Not so infrequent kernal panics and the generally dismal quality of new replacement batteries on the market are my biggest pushes).

So I should be excited, right? Except I'm so out of the loop I was disappointed to see that not only have they ditched USB ports on the new MBPs, there isn't even an optical drive on the iMacs anymore?? Add to that the fact that Adobe CS has gone to a monthly subscription (I'm worried I won't be able to port my vintage CS5 over - no CDs... and maybe issues with 64-bit vs 32-bit?).

I know I'm singing a boring and out-of-date song here, but any advice?

Your dated MBP may have some life left if you do decide to upgrade it with more RAM, a faster SSD, a new battery and upgrading the OS to Sierra or High Sierra. More RAM or max your ram will remove most of your kernel panics and a faster SSD will bring new life to your machine. It's true that replacement batteries are iffy, but do you really need to push your current MBP for another 10 years?!? I think the battery makers understand this and that is people won't be pushing an old computer for more than 10 years, so why make a battery work like an original which can cost more?

If you want to keep what you have software wise, then your options are limited with the new machines. I have CS5 myself and found that the highest OS it would somewhat run on is High Sierra. It breaks in Mojave; which is where the CC version is a plus. So you are limited in the new machines you can buy into until you decide to adopt the subscription model. However, there are refurbished models sold by Apple that can still run High Sierra. My sister who is a graphics artist and use CS5 (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) just bought the new refurb Mac Mini 2014 because she needs High Sierra. The new Mini 2018 will only run Mojave and up. You don't have to get the latest and the greatest. There are no replacements for Adobe CC products, which is why it is still the standard software used in the world of arts. If you just use CS5 for home personal use, you can find other software that may offer some equivalent function. But if you want to maintain a standard for work related projects like my sister does, then keep CS5 and find a new mac or refurb your MBP.

I have an old Mac Mini 2011 myself and after a ram upgrade and a faster SSD had brought new life to the old, slow and problematic machine of the past. I think I can still push it a few more years yet.

 

[CheeseBread365]

Hello folks,

(Not so infrequent kernal panics

that laptop is dying. Replace it. Thats a common issue with the mid 2010 15 inch MBP and the kernel panics will keep getting more frequent until you cant even start the computer anymore. The only way to restore FULL functionality after that is to replace a capacitor on the motherboard which requires soldering iron and heat gun. Its usually not worth it unless its like the top spec model in pristine condition. And you say yours is the 2.4GHz base model, and if you have used it for so long consistently im guessing its not in the greatest shape. I would just get rid of it at this point, unless it has sentimental value or something.

 

[MRrainer]

Maybe if OP lives close to Louis Rossman, he could fix it?
;-)

Don't know what he charges, though.

 

[dwig]

@OP: if you are considering getting a new iMac and have any older software you need to use then you need to get the new iMac very very soon. Once Apple releases macOS 10.15 Catalina all new iMacs will be restricted to using it as the oldest OS they can use. Since Catalina will eliminate all use of 32bit software most of your older software will no longer be usable.

BTW, the new iMacs have not "ditched USB ports". They still have them, though of the 6 USB ports only 4 use the older USB-A connector. The other two use the new USB-C connector. Like in the past, Thunderbolt doesn't have its own connector type. In "olden days" TB2 rode piggy-back on the miniDisplayPort connector. These days, TB3 rides on the USB-C connector.

Apple has left the antique optical drives off of all of their machines for years. They offer their own external "SuperDrive" and there are a number of less expensive external drives available from several manufacturers. I use an Apple SuperDrive with my mid-2015 iMac at work on a regular basis (read: once or twice a week, tops). It's far easier to deal with than a side access built-in drive would be since I use a dual monitor setup that would block access to the slot on the side of an iMac.

 

[CheeseBread365]

that laptop is dying. Replace it.

Maybe if OP lives close to Louis Rossman, he could fix it?
;-)

Don't know what he charges, though.

he charger like 150 buck for it

 

[Kahgroos]

I just decided to go ahead and upgrade my mid-2010 MBP 13inch (2.4 GHz) running High Sierra 10.13.6 because I want to see what comes out in October (or not) on top of what was just released in the MBP dept. I'll go with another MBP 13 inch - something in the mid-to-upper range. I'd like to have another MBP that goes the long-haul although who knows if I'll be able to pull that off again like I've managed with this 2010.

So I purchased 500GB SSD (6G), 16.0GB (2x 8GB) RAM and a battery replacement (NewerTech NuPower 65 Watt-Hour Replacement Battery). Purchased all 3 from OWC (macsales) for ~$270 (exc. tax/shipping). The test will come Monday when parts arrive and I attempt to make these upgrades. Never upgraded a computer before but gotta start somewhere. I figure if I get another year or so out of it, I'm a happy camper.
[doublepost=1564189135][/doublepost]MRrainer said:

"I have a car that is at this point over eighteen years old. It still works well enough and has never failed me (I also paid serious money to keep it serviced at various official dealer garages through its whole life, which may or may not have contributed to that)
However, I will have to get a new one at some point, maybe next year.
I'm 100% certain that any car I get will be much worse than the current one (lots more features, lots more stuff to break, lots more software, lots more bugs, almost 20 years of cost-saving efforts at car-makers and suppliers...)."


I agree MRrainer, I also have a car from last century - a bit of an ugly-duckling (clear-coat finish has worn off allowing the elements to fade the paint, etc.) but it runs well, gets good mileage and has a simple engine. It has served me well. Yeah, I'm not looking forward to having to navigate through newer cars with fun but breakable and buggable features.

 

[MRrainer]

I kind-of want a new car. Badly sometimes. Longer trips aren't really fun. Never were, TBH, and they haven't improved.
But I'm so attached to my old car.

And just like with Apple laptops, the better one is always on the horizon ;-)

 

[Kahgroos]

Well I had success upgrading my mid-2010 MBP 13-inch - added 16 gb of RAM, 500 gb SSD and a new replacement battery. A vast improvement and so far, so good. Running High Sierra 10.13.6 which is fine and hopefully these upgrades will buy me time to watch the market.