Resolved Is a 2009 MBP worth buying

[UncleSchnitty]

I know this is purely opinion but do you guys think a 2009 MBP is worth buying? I have a mac pro thats my main computer and I just want something portable, not a iPad (had didn't like). I wanted a MBA but the prices stay pretty high for very low specs, not that I will be using this as a work horse or anything. Im just afraid that next OS?(almost used X as a variable and relized that wont work ha) will drop C2D or maybe theres something about 09s that I don't know. any opinion would be appreciated thank you

 

[KUguardgrl13]

I know this is purely opinion but do you guys think a 2009 MBP is worth buying? I have a mac pro thats my main computer and I just want something portable, not a iPad (had didn't like). I wanted a MBA but the prices stay pretty high for very low specs, not that I will be using this as a work horse or anything. Im just afraid that next OS?(almost used X as a variable and relized that wont work ha) will drop C2D or maybe theres something about 09s that I don't know. any opinion would be appreciated thank you

In general they're sturdy machines. No known failures like graphics cards or anything like that. Mine has had an issue with hard drive cables, so be careful of that. I expect that it will not be able to run 10.10, but I could be wrong. Mine runs Mavericks pretty well, even somewhat better than 10.5 or 10.6. Just make sure you max out the ram at 8gb. You can put in an SSD, but the SATA II connection will be limiting.

I would say an 09 is still capable today with the right upgrades. I use mine as a media storage machine, and it does pretty well handling multiple digital downloads. It also handles web browsing and Netflix just fine, and I was using it just last year for word processing.

I'd say check the battery cycles and health with Coconut Battery. It may need to be replaced if the original owner hasn't yet.

 

[brdeveloper]

I know this is purely opinion but do you guys think a 2009 MBP is worth buying? I have a mac pro thats my main computer and I just want something portable, not a iPad (had didn't like). I wanted a MBA but the prices stay pretty high for very low specs, not that I will be using this as a work horse or anything. Im just afraid that next OS?(almost used X as a variable and relized that wont work ha) will drop C2D or maybe theres something about 09s that I don't know. any opinion would be appreciated thank you

I have a late '09 Macbook (unibody) which shares almost the same specs as this MBP. Both have a 9400m GPU, run at 2,26GHz and come with just 2GB of RAM. The only issue I had until now is in the trackpad. Sometimes I do a physical click (not the "tap-to-click") and the actual click doesn't happen. I found that there is a screw below the trackpad that controls its sensitivity and I could attenuate the problem, but sometimes I still miss some clicks. Not a big issue -- since it can be theoretically fixed, but it's something you'd like to take care before buying a used one.

I upgraded my Macbook with 8GB 1066MHz RAM and a 250GB Samsung EVO SSD (this one is specially recommended because it's a SATAIII unit capable of negotiating SATAII speeds; some models can only negotiate SATAI speeds). It's a very capable machine for non intensive computing. If you're a programmer, you can still get decent computing if you can code with OpenCL.

 

[UncleSchnitty]

This is going to be a purely travel, room to room pc. Like I said my MacPro does all the heavy lifting. I like the light weight and smaller screen of the air but there is so much expandability with the pros. I just put a ssd in my friends 2010 and now it flys. I don't know I guess this should be called Air or Pro. Im just really worried that anything not an i5-7 will be outdated by the next OS

 

[brdeveloper]

This is going to be a purely travel, room to room pc. Like I said my MacPro does all the heavy lifting. I like the light weight and smaller screen of the air but there is so much expandability with the pros. I just put a ssd in my friends 2010 and now it flys. I don't know I guess this should be called Air or Pro. Im just really worried that anything not an i5-7 will be outdated by the next OS

Well... there is a chance that you'll be stuck on Mavericks. The good news is Mavericks is a modern 64-bit OS with a good energy and memory management. It's a OS that will be usable for the next 3 or 4 years. I could still be using Snow Leopard if Mavericks wasn't offered as a free upgrade, though. Snow Leopard run every software I currently use. Actually I lost CUDA support to my 9400m after upgrading to Mavericks, but I'm fine only with OpenCL.

 

[UncleSchnitty]

I actually snagged a 2011 MBA i5 4gb for $419 online. The price seemed good and the i5 sold it. It may not be the best but it gives me a sense of security that it may make it past mavericks. If it were a C2D or only had 2gb ram I would have definitely gone with the MBP. Its one of those things that I think I will second guess myself on no matter what hah

 

[Quu]

@ Op, my 2009 model my 9600GT died, I have to run it on the 9400m now. Even with the 2.93GHz CPU it lags with YouTube 1080p content. Very slow machine in my opinion. I upgraded it with an SSD and more RAM and they did boost the performance a bit but it's still poor. I would not buy this notebook again today.

I have a late '09 Macbook (unibody) which shares almost the same specs as this MBP. Both have a 9400m GPU, run at 2,26GHz and come with just 2GB of RAM. The only issue I had until now is in the trackpad. Sometimes I do a physical click (not the "tap-to-click") and the actual click doesn't happen. I found that there is a screw below the trackpad that controls its sensitivity and I could attenuate the problem, but sometimes I still miss some clicks. Not a big issue -- since it can be theoretically fixed, but it's something you'd like to take care before buying a used one.

Have you opened yours in a while? I have a 2009 model too and my battery expanded stopping the trackpad from clicking down. I changed the battery and it fixed that problem.

 

[davys]

If the price is right for the mid 2009, go for it! Im still using a mid 2009 2.5 Core Duo - I maxed out the ram to 8gb earlier this year, and last week I added a Crucial 256gb SSD and carried out a complete fresh install of Mavericks. This is not my main machine, I also have a 21" iMac.

The laptop still flies through what I want it to do - word processing, Excel, Powerpoint, photo management via Aperture, Photoshop and various plug-ins. Yes, ok, it's obviously not as fast as more recent Macbook Pros, but it's still a very capable machine.

Prior to the ram upgrade earlier this year, I was getting the beachball frequently when photo editing, but I've never seen them since. The SSD upgrade has added a new lease of life and everything is as quick as folk say it is - less than 15 seconds for start up.

I'm really pleased with it...I'm optimistic that I'll get another two years out of this machine if required, or at least let me hold off until the new Broadwell's come out early next year - now that will be an upgrade worth waiting for!

 

[UncleSchnitty]

I'm really pleased with it...I'm optimistic that I'll get another two years out of this machine if required, or at least let me hold off until the new Broadwell's come out early next year - now that will be an upgrade worth waiting for!

In about another year I'll go for a new desktop with whatever is out then. Since I have a very well equipped desktop I don't need a crazy fast laptop. Just something to last a few years that has a little wiggle room for updates.
Hopefully the air I picked up will cover this, although I would love if they were a little more expandable

 

[brdeveloper]

Have you opened yours in a while? I have a 2009 model too and my battery expanded stopping the trackpad from clicking down. I changed the battery and it fixed that problem.

The battery looks mint. I also read in forums about the battery issue, but I think my problem is trackpad wear caused by normal usage. Tighten or loosing that bottom screw helped attenuating the issue, but sometimes I still lose clicks.