MBP Mid-2012 15” i7, 2.3 in 2024 - Best Steps?

[serendip]

I was just given the above MBP from a friend, who got a new 16” M2 MBP in August.

It has 16 gb ram, 512 HDD. Battery reports as “Service Needed” with 991 cycles.

(I upgraded my MBP 2010 13” to 16 gb ram and 500 SSD from HDD, so I’m relatively confident I can do the upgrades to the 2012.)

Checking OWC the needed battery isn't available for 65 days. Ifixit shows in and out of stock. Since both of their batteries can have problems, I’m very hesitant to try one from Amazon. Is that still the case, or are there other ones to trust? Any other companies I should check? (The NewerTech batteries that OWC sells are OOS everywhere.)

With the SSD, is Crucial still a good choice, are there any to avoid, or others to consider?

I’d like to keep costs reasonable, I realize this computer doesn’t buy me that much time over my 2010 MBP, but with it running Catalina, I can at least sync iPad and iPhone, and hopefully have some time before I must get the next new computer. (Likely Mac Mini Pro.)

Am I better off keeping it plugged in and using the HDD, and not bother with the battery and hard drive replacement? I’m thinking that the ~$150 on battery and SSD is well spent, am I wrong? The screen and keyboard are terrific. Oh, I’d likely get new “feet” for it, too.

I haven’t yet migrated my stuff to the 2012, does it matter whether I do that before or after I get SSD? I’m not sure if I should replace battery at same time, or in two separate steps to help indicate issue, if anything goes wrong.

Thank you!

 

[Bigwaff]

I’m thinking that the ~$150 on battery and SSD is well spent, am I wrong?

Nope. I would do the same. Although the battery situation is a bit of a pickle. I replaced the battery in my 2014 MBP w/ an OWC (NewerTech) battery several years ago. It worked and charged but I only got 4.5 hours battery life out of it... which was better than the 2 hrs w/ original battery. I would expect about the same for you.

 

[serendip]

Nope. I would do the same. Although the battery situation is a bit of a pickle. I replaced the battery in my 2014 MBP w/ an OWC (NewerTech) battery several years ago. It worked and charged but I only got 4.5 hours battery life out of it... which was better than the 2 hrs w/ original battery. I would expect about the same for you.

Thank you! I’m okay with only getting a few hours, I can easily keep it plugged in if needed; I’m more concerned about the battery causing any kind of issue from swelling, etc.

 

[Macdctr]

Thank you! I’m okay with only getting a few hours, I can easily keep it plugged in if needed; I’m more concerned about the battery causing any kind of issue from swelling, etc.

You can order a new battery from the iFixit web site and follow their replacement guide to replace the battery. I have done this for my Early 2015 MBP. Then once done you are good to go for awhile. I got Open Core Legacy Patcher (OCLP) 1.3.0 installed and have MacOS 14.3 installed and running on my Mac. Yours should be able to run the newest OS using OCLP.

 

[serendip]

You can order a new battery from the iFixit web site and follow their replacement guide to replace the battery. I have done this for my Early 2015 MBP. Then once done you are good to go for awhile. I got Open Core Legacy Patcher (OCLP) 1.3.0 installed and have MacOS 14.3 installed and running on my Mac. Yours should be able to run the newest OS using OCLP.

Thank you! I ran Drive Dx, the hard drive is failing in 17 sectors. I’m thinking I first replace the hard drive, see how it works and if it seems ok, then replace the battery.

 

[Fishrrman]

My advice is to not put TOO MUCH money into it.

A 500gb SATA SSD is about $45 these days (if that much).
Buy for price, not speed.

3rd party replacement batteries can be a crapshoot. Like Forrest Gump and the box of chocolates, "you never know what you're going to get".

So... don't jump at the lowest-priced bargain, but don't assume that the highest-priced battery will be the best, either. You get what you get.

The easiest way to "prep and test" the SSD is BEFORE you install it into the MBP.
I'd get a 2.5" USB3 SATA drive enclosure. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-Extern...enclosure+sata+usb3.1+gen2,aps,55&sr=8-5&th=1
Put the SSD into that, then format it.
Then, you can "start fresh" if you want... or... use something like SuperDuper to "clone" the contents of the internal HDD to the SSD.
Then, do a "test boot" to make sure it works (even though it's not installed internally).
If you get a good boot, THEN it's time to open up the back and swap drives.

Put the old HDD into the enclosure, then erase it, and see if that clears up the disk errors.
If it does, I'd just keep it around as a backup or for "scratch storage".

 

[rovostrov]

I was just given the above MBP from a friend, who got a new 16” M2 MBP in August.

It has 16 gb ram, 512 HDD. Battery reports as “Service Needed” with 991 cycles.

(I upgraded my MBP 2010 13” to 16 gb ram and 500 SSD from HDD, so I’m relatively confident I can do the upgrades to the 2012.)

Checking OWC the needed battery isn't available for 65 days. Ifixit shows in and out of stock. Since both of their batteries can have problems, I’m very hesitant to try one from Amazon. Is that still the case, or are there other ones to trust? Any other companies I should check? (The NewerTech batteries that OWC sells are OOS everywhere.)

With the SSD, is Crucial still a good choice, are there any to avoid, or others to consider?

I’d like to keep costs reasonable, I realize this computer doesn’t buy me that much time over my 2010 MBP, but with it running Catalina, I can at least sync iPad and iPhone, and hopefully have some time before I must get the next new computer. (Likely Mac Mini Pro.)

Am I better off keeping it plugged in and using the HDD, and not bother with the battery and hard drive replacement? I’m thinking that the ~$150 on battery and SSD is well spent, am I wrong? The screen and keyboard are terrific. Oh, I’d likely get new “feet” for it, too.

I haven’t yet migrated my stuff to the 2012, does it matter whether I do that before or after I get SSD? I’m not sure if I should replace battery at same time, or in two separate steps to help indicate issue, if anything goes wrong.

Thank you!

The battery replacement is hit or miss but I've had good results with this one. https://www.amazon.com/Fancy-Buying-A1382-Battery-MacBook/dp/B0BHVHF2VM/ref=sr_1_11?crid=14NSWYHTTN72&keywords=a1382&qid=1704817230&sprefix=a1382,aps,111&sr=8-11&th=1
It's not as good as OEM but it's about as close as you will find and this one can be returned or exchanged in case you get a dud! Good luck! I really love the 2012 MBP's, they were built really well and are solid machines!
As far as the SSD, I'd recommend the Samsung 870 EVO, they run around $60 for 500GB and work well in the 2012 MBP https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QBMD6P4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AOX6GUBE7Z4Q7&psc=1

 

[serendip]

My advice is to not put TOO MUCH money into it.

A 500gb SATA SSD is about $45 these days (if that much).
Buy for price, not speed.

3rd party replacement batteries can be a crapshoot. Like Forrest Gump and the box of chocolates, "you never know what you're going to get".

So... don't jump at the lowest-priced bargain, but don't assume that the highest-priced battery will be the best, either. You get what you get.

The easiest way to "prep and test" the SSD is BEFORE you install it into the MBP.
I'd get a 2.5" USB3 SATA drive enclosure. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-External-Enclosure-Installation-Supports/dp/B01MYTZW5R/ref=sr_1_5?crid=5PV3JJBCKDBJ&keywords=ssd+enclosure+SATA+usb3.1+gen2&qid=1700148863&sprefix=ssd+enclosure+sata+usb3.1+gen2,aps,55&sr=8-5&th=1
Put the SSD into that, then format it.
Then, you can "start fresh" if you want... or... use something like SuperDuper to "clone" the contents of the internal HDD to the SSD.
Then, do a "test boot" to make sure it works (even though it's not installed internally).
If you get a good boot, THEN it's time to open up the back and swap drives.

Put the old HDD into the enclosure, then erase it, and see if that clears up the disk errors.
If it does, I'd just keep it around as a backup or for "scratch storage".

Thank you! Ordered the enclosure, and a Crucial SDD. I will follow your suggestion to make sure it all works, before installing.

 

[serendip]

The battery replacement is hit or miss but I've had good results with this one. https://www.amazon.com/Fancy-Buying-A1382-Battery-MacBook/dp/B0BHVHF2VM/ref=sr_1_11?crid=14NSWYHTTN72&keywords=a1382&qid=1704817230&sprefix=a1382,aps,111&sr=8-11&th=1
It's not as good as OEM but it's about as close as you will find and this one can be returned or exchanged in case you get a dud! Good luck! I really love the 2012 MBP's, they were built really well and are solid machines!
As far as the SSD, I'd recommend the Samsung 870 EVO, they run around $60 for 500GB and work well in the 2012 MBP https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QBMD6P4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AOX6GUBE7Z4Q7&psc=1

Thank you! I ordered the battery; it’s in stock now, and less than half the price of OWC. If it lasts half the time, not a crisis. I ordered Crucial SSD. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it all works. I’m hopeful!

 

[rovostrov]

Thank you! I ordered the battery; it’s in stock now, and less than half the price of OWC. If it lasts half the time, not a crisis. I ordered Crucial SSD. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it all works. I’m hopeful!

No problem, Good luck with the upgrades. You shouldn't have any trouble. Both the battery and SSD replacement are pretty simple on the 2012's. The SSD will make a world of difference.

 

[Furka]

Thank you! I ordered the battery; it’s in stock now, and less than half the price of OWC. If it lasts half the time, not a crisis. I ordered Crucial SSD. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it all works. I’m hopeful!

I am on the same MBP-13 from 2012, with a Crucial SSD on Monterey (also have a Kingston with CatalinaOS that I interchange for testing purposes) and it runs perfectly, with a high general performance. Not the same experience on Ventura/Sonoma, where I have had some issues with the Windowserver daemon with high cpu % usage and noisy fans etc.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Go to ifixit.com for illustrated guides on replacing the battery and drive.
You'll need
- a Phillips 00 driver
- a TORX T-6

These tools can be found (cheap) at hardware stores or on the net...

 

[serendip]

My advice is to not put TOO MUCH money into it.

A 500gb SATA SSD is about $45 these days (if that much).
Buy for price, not speed.

3rd party replacement batteries can be a crapshoot. Like Forrest Gump and the box of chocolates, "you never know what you're going to get".

So... don't jump at the lowest-priced bargain, but don't assume that the highest-priced battery will be the best, either. You get what you get.

The easiest way to "prep and test" the SSD is BEFORE you install it into the MBP.
I'd get a 2.5" USB3 SATA drive enclosure. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-External-Enclosure-Installation-Supports/dp/B01MYTZW5R/ref=sr_1_5?crid=5PV3JJBCKDBJ&keywords=ssd+enclosure+SATA+usb3.1+gen2&qid=1700148863&sprefix=ssd+enclosure+sata+usb3.1+gen2,aps,55&sr=8-5&th=1
Put the SSD into that, then format it.
Then, you can "start fresh" if you want... or... use something like SuperDuper to "clone" the contents of the internal HDD to the SSD.
Then, do a "test boot" to make sure it works (even though it's not installed internally).
If you get a good boot, THEN it's time to open up the back and swap drives.

Put the old HDD into the enclosure, then erase it, and see if that clears up the disk errors.
If it does, I'd just keep it around as a backup or for "scratch storage".

I followed this, first formatting the disk with the enclosure. Then removed the old HDD, installed the SSD, and it was flying! Installed Catalina, then used Migration Assistant to move everything from my old computer to the new one. Upgraded what was needed, deleted things that wouldn’t work and… it’s great!

The battery even changed from “Service needed” to ”Good”! I have a new battery, I’ll install it at some point soon. And I haven’t yet dealt with the HDD, will erase and see if it clears out enough to use for something.

Thank you all, so much!

 

[serendip]

I am on the same MBP-13 from 2012, with a Crucial SSD on Monterey (also have a Kingston with CatalinaOS that I interchange for testing purposes) and it runs perfectly, with a high general performance. Not the same experience on Ventura/Sonoma, where I have had some issues with the Windowserver daemon with high cpu % usage and noisy fans etc.

This is performing so well, it’s shocking! It starts so quickly, isn‘t being held back through the network card limitations of my 2010 MBP, and is really impressive. The fan hasn’t been noisy at all, which I had gotten used to. The Activity Monitor stays calm.

I‘m not thrilled with having to use newer versions of Pages & Numbers (I held on to older ones through numerous updates) but… I will get used to them. If this is the worst issue… I’m good for a while!

 

[Furka]

This is performing so well, it’s shocking! It starts so quickly, isn‘t being held back through the network card limitations of my 2010 MBP, and is really impressive. The fan hasn’t been noisy at all, which I had gotten used to. The Activity Monitor stays calm.

I‘m not thrilled with having to use newer versions of Pages & Numbers (I held on to older ones through numerous updates) but… I will get used to them. If this is the worst issue… I’m good for a while!

Try also OnlyOffice for mac.