Late 2013 MBP. Monterey or Ventura for a better “first Mac” experience? Please be kind, never done this before!

[thecautioners]

Fingerprinty. She gets warm fast and her fans like to spin but she’s 100% capable. Her updates stopped with Big Sur but I’m going to use open core legacy to put Monterey or Ventura on her. My partner is interested in coming over to the bright side  so this will become her YouTube and Binding of Isaac machine. She has served me well 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 I have never had a single poor experience with an Apple product—even my 10 year old’s 2017 MBP with the awful butterfly keyboard works like a charm for her.

I want my partner to have a *fantastic* first Mac experience, but she can’t afford an M1 Air right now. She is currently playing her game (Isaac) and enjoying it immensely on Big Sur. Is Monterey going to be less buggy than Ventura? I want her to have a great time with my old gal and I don’t want to set her up for failure by giving her something difficult and frustrating. It’s 8GB/256GB but it’s Intel, so.

 

[thecautioners]

I am also curious about the battery. Only 331 cycles (it’s been in storage for a long time) and “good” health, but it does seem to drain fast. Would apple still do a battery replacement on it or is that something I’d have to do myself? I don’t mind paying to have someone smarter do it for me.

 

[Audit13]

Apple will not be doing any repair work or battery replacements for this model.

You'll have to use a third party battery and replace it yourself or take it to a repair shop and have them do the replacement.

 

[thecautioners]

Apple will not be doing any repair work or battery replacements for this model.

You'll have to use a third party battery and replace it yourself or take it to a repair shop and have them do the replacement.

Fair enough, I think I’d rather have a place do it for me than risk it myself. Thanks!

 

[GMShadow]

Apple still shows the Late 2013 15" as serviceable for a battery, it's $249 though (they basically replace the bottom case). https://support.apple.com/mac/repair

 

[thecautioners]

Apple still shows the Late 2013 15" as serviceable for a battery, it's $249 though (they basically replace the bottom case). https://support.apple.com/mac/repair

Woah thanks for checking! That’s perfect. We’re going to see how this battery performs and if it sucks enough to bother her we will just pay the $249. That’s more doable than an $800 M1 Air, which would otherwise be perfect for her in every way (and applecare+ because it makes me feel better)

 

[Audit13]

Apple still shows the Late 2013 15" as serviceable for a battery, it's $249 though (they basically replace the bottom case). https://support.apple.com/mac/repair

Nice! I didn't know they still offered battery replacement.

I'm in Canada and, at $249 USD, I would replace the battery myself. I replace the batter in a mid-2014 13" Pro and it was not bad at all. I used a piece of nylon string to "cut through" the adhesive and used a few drops of acetone to remove the glue residue.

 

[Bigwaff]

We’re going to see how this battery performs and if it sucks enough to bother her we will just pay the $249.

You should reconsider spending that much money for a battery replacement on a 10 year old device. For between $300-$400 you can find a used 2020 i3 MacBook Air on eBay which will serve you better. Ventura runs pretty good on my 256GB 8GB 2020 i3 MacBook Air. The M1 is awesome but the i3 MacBook Air is perfect for general computing use.

 

[Jack Neill]

You should reconsider spending that much money for a battery replacement on a 10 year old device. For between $300-$400 you can find a used 2020 i3 MacBook Air on eBay which will serve you better. Ventura runs pretty good on my 256GB 8GB 2020 i3 MacBook Air. The M1 is awesome but the i3 MacBook Air is perfect for general computing use.

I would recommend the i5, I had a i5 2020 and it was awesome.

 

[thecautioners]

You should reconsider spending that much money for a battery replacement on a 10 year old device. For between $300-$400 you can find a used 2020 i3 MacBook Air on eBay which will serve you better. Ventura runs pretty good on my 256GB 8GB 2020 i3 MacBook Air. The M1 is awesome but the i3 MacBook Air is perfect for general computing use.

Chances are she won't be bothered enough by the battery to warrant spending money on it. She is very opposed to spending and I can see her just using it on the charger if it comes down to it.

 

[redheeler]

Monterey has been solid on my 2013 iMac, aside from some Bluetooth issues.

 

[TheEnthusiast]

Nice! I didn't know they still offered battery replacement.

Then why did you initially state otherwise so confidently?

Would apple still do a battery replacement on it or is that something I’d have to do myself?

From Apple's perspective, the late 2013 MBP is considered to be obsolete. So while it is still eligible for battery-only service, that is subject to parts availability. It never hurts to ask, but if an Apple store is not nearby, it may not be worth the trip to be told otherwise. Also, between Monterey and Ventura, I would stick to Monterey for now.

 

[Audit13]

Then why did you initially state otherwise so confidently?

Because I mistook the OP's MacBook as being a 13" Late 2013, okay?

 

[TheEnthusiast]

Because I mistook the OP's MacBook as being a 13" Late 2013, okay?

There would be no difference between service eligibility. Sometimes, if unsure, not saying anything is OK. I hope this helps.

 

[Audit13]

There would be no difference between service eligibility. Sometimes, if unsure, not saying anything is OK. I hope this helps.

Yes, thank you so much! Your post was extremely helpful. I hope everyone has learned from your posts.