Mid 2014, or Early 2015?

[wyattaj25]

Hey everyone,

At the moment, I am in the market for an interim Mac, as my daily driver for the past four years has unfortunately just died. The one pridicament is that as I am getting ready for college, I am going to wait to get an Apple Silicoln MBP until i will head off to college.

So for the next 8-12 months, I am going to need a fairly well specced machine for above average tasks, for a good price. The mid 2014 and early 2015 MBPs seem like a great option. Using OCLP, both machines can run very well on the latest operating systems, can run all of the basic productivity and entertainment apps i need, they can do light 1080p video editing, and they can use Boot Camp, which is a nice bonus. Plus, the prices are under $400, which is a good deal for a computer I would use for a year or so (possibly longer, as I might need a second machine to run windows apps in college).

However, I am not sure which model year I would choose. Personally I gravitate towards the 2014 more. It's prices are lower and it can run OS X Mavericks, which I have always wanted to try out. However, the 2014 of course has slightly lesser hardware, and doesn't have the force touch trackpad. I personally havent tried a MBP trackpad without force touch, so is it worth getting a 2015 just for the force touch trackpad and slightly higher specs?


Thanks for the help.

 

[Bigwaff]

Either will do you well given the caveats you specified. Being both models are nearly 10 years old, don’t expect battery life to be good. Plan to stay stationary and use power adapter, otherwise, budget for battery replacement.

 

[rovostrov]

Hey everyone,

At the moment, I am in the market for an interim Mac, as my daily driver for the past four years has unfortunately just died. The one pridicament is that as I am getting ready for college, I am going to wait to get an Apple Silicoln MBP until i will head off to college.

So for the next 8-12 months, I am going to need a fairly well specced machine for above average tasks, for a good price. The mid 2014 and early 2015 MBPs seem like a great option. Using OCLP, both machines can run very well on the latest operating systems, can run all of the basic productivity and entertainment apps i need, they can do light 1080p video editing, and they can use Boot Camp, which is a nice bonus. Plus, the prices are under $400, which is a good deal for a computer I would use for a year or so (possibly longer, as I might need a second machine to run windows apps in college).

However, I am not sure which model year I would choose. Personally I gravitate towards the 2014 more. It's prices are lower and it can run OS X Mavericks, which I have always wanted to try out. However, the 2014 of course has slightly lesser hardware, and doesn't have the force touch trackpad. I personally havent tried a MBP trackpad without force touch, so is it worth getting a 2015 just for the force touch trackpad and slightly higher specs?


Thanks for the help.

I think the 2015 has a larger battery and a faster PCIe interface. I'd probably lean towards the 2015 with (R9) dual graphics.

 

[benwiggy]

I'd stay away from dual-graphics models, as they have a long track-record of hardware issues.

 

[savagewatts]

Hey everyone,

At the moment, I am in the market for an interim Mac, as my daily driver for the past four years has unfortunately just died. The one pridicament is that as I am getting ready for college, I am going to wait to get an Apple Silicoln MBP until i will head off to college.

So for the next 8-12 months, I am going to need a fairly well specced machine for above average tasks, for a good price. The mid 2014 and early 2015 MBPs seem like a great option. Using OCLP, both machines can run very well on the latest operating systems, can run all of the basic productivity and entertainment apps i need, they can do light 1080p video editing, and they can use Boot Camp, which is a nice bonus. Plus, the prices are under $400, which is a good deal for a computer I would use for a year or so (possibly longer, as I might need a second machine to run windows apps in college).

However, I am not sure which model year I would choose. Personally I gravitate towards the 2014 more. It's prices are lower and it can run OS X Mavericks, which I have always wanted to try out. However, the 2014 of course has slightly lesser hardware, and doesn't have the force touch trackpad. I personally havent tried a MBP trackpad without force touch, so is it worth getting a 2015 just for the force touch trackpad and slightly higher specs?


Thanks for the help.

The late 2014 MacBook Pro is probably the best one ever made in my opinion. You can’t go wrong with it

 

[mib01]

Hey everyone,

At the moment, I am in the market for an interim Mac, as my daily driver for the past four years has unfortunately just died. The one pridicament is that as I am getting ready for college, I am going to wait to get an Apple Silicoln MBP until i will head off to college.

So for the next 8-12 months, I am going to need a fairly well specced machine for above average tasks, for a good price. The mid 2014 and early 2015 MBPs seem like a great option. Using OCLP, both machines can run very well on the latest operating systems, can run all of the basic productivity and entertainment apps i need, they can do light 1080p video editing, and they can use Boot Camp, which is a nice bonus. Plus, the prices are under $400, which is a good deal for a computer I would use for a year or so (possibly longer, as I might need a second machine to run windows apps in college).

However, I am not sure which model year I would choose. Personally I gravitate towards the 2014 more. It's prices are lower and it can run OS X Mavericks, which I have always wanted to try out. However, the 2014 of course has slightly lesser hardware, and doesn't have the force touch trackpad. I personally havent tried a MBP trackpad without force touch, so is it worth getting a 2015 just for the force touch trackpad and slightly higher specs?


Thanks for the help.

The 2014 model doesn't have the butterfly keyboard, which usually causes a lot of problems, something to consider. I took a chance and got a 2017 model with a 15-inch screen and i7, 16GB RAM and Radeon Pro 555. I'm very pleased with the high performance. I used the 2012 model and upgraded it for a fair price, staying with Intel for a while longer.

Macs with Apple Silicon are expensive if you're going to get them with modest configurations. The Air M1 8GB is the entry point for many users, depending on your use, like this college case, it might suit you.

 

[mib01]

The late 2014 MacBook Pro is probably the best one ever made in my opinion. You can’t go wrong with it

The only advantage is that it doesn't have the keyboard problems of the 2016 to 2019 models. Otherwise, it doesn't offer 4 thunderbolt 3 ports on the 15" models, continuity camera, touchbar which I think is cool.

4 USB C ports is luxury, no hub, direct cable use.

 

[xboxbml]

The late 2014 MacBook Pro is probably the best one ever made in my opinion. You can’t go wrong with it

Really? I thought it was the mid 2015.. I just bought a mid 2015 15" MBP i7 16gb/512gb that's pristine for a decent price, threw a 2tb drive in it. No issues. Yeah, it's quite a bit heavier than my 2015 Air, but I like the bigger screen and the guy had put a new battery in it so that was one less thing I had to do.

 

[f54da]

they are more similar than different. If you want to try mavericks, get the 2014 version.

 

[junoreactor]

The 2011-12 models are easily upgradable into good daily drivers.
At which point did they start soldering everything in to make it non-upgradable?

 

[benwiggy]

The 2011-12 models are easily upgradable into good daily drivers.

The 2011 models had a bunch of hardware production problems; and don't have USB 3.

The 2012 non-Retina is a glorious machine: USB 3 and Firewire!, Ethernet, TB1 and an optical drive; RAM, SSD and battery all easily replaceable. Apple sold it for over 4 years.

The Retina MBPs from 2012 to 2015 are all pretty decent. I'd stay away from the 15" models with dual GPUs, as they are prone to problems. You can get some 15" with just the Intel GPU.

The main difference between the 2014 and 2015 models is that the 2015 can install Monterey; the 2014 only Big Sur. Force Touch isn't all that.

2016 onwards have TB3, which uses USB-C connectors; but the keyboards are rubbish, and the Intel CPU are ovens.

The late 2014 MacBook Pro is probably the best one ever made in my opinion.

I had one, and I would agree with you ... up to the M1 14/16" MBPs.

 

[specialstyle]

Hey everyone,

At the moment, I am in the market for an interim Mac, as my daily driver for the past four years has unfortunately just died. The one pridicament is that as I am getting ready for college, I am going to wait to get an Apple Silicoln MBP until i will head off to college.

So for the next 8-12 months, I am going to need a fairly well specced machine for above average tasks, for a good price. The mid 2014 and early 2015 MBPs seem like a great option. Using OCLP, both machines can run very well on the latest operating systems, can run all of the basic productivity and entertainment apps i need, they can do light 1080p video editing, and they can use Boot Camp, which is a nice bonus. Plus, the prices are under $400, which is a good deal for a computer I would use for a year or so (possibly longer, as I might need a second machine to run windows apps in college).

However, I am not sure which model year I would choose. Personally I gravitate towards the 2014 more. It's prices are lower and it can run OS X Mavericks, which I have always wanted to try out. However, the 2014 of course has slightly lesser hardware, and doesn't have the force touch trackpad. I personally havent tried a MBP trackpad without force touch, so is it worth getting a 2015 just for the force touch trackpad and slightly higher specs?


Thanks for the help.

I'm coming from a 2012 15 inch MacBook and now on the m3 14 inch...you won't miss the force trackpad at all. It's a 'whatever' feature that's nice to have, but really not a thing. Get the mac you think is better for your use-case. If it's a cheap holdover then that is all that matters. Save the money!

 

[Ben J.]

Everymac.com is a great resource for this:

All Apple MacBook Pro Specs (2006-Current): EveryMac.com

Tech specs for all Apple MacBook Pro from 2006 to the latest. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, storage details, configuration options, model identifiers and more.

everymac.com

And for performance benchmarks:

Mac Benchmarks - Geekbench

 

[nigelbb]

The 2011 models had a bunch of hardware production problems; and don't have USB 3.

The 2012 non-Retina is a glorious machine: USB 3 and Firewire!, Ethernet, TB1 and an optical drive; RAM, SSD and battery all easily replaceable. Apple sold it for over 4 years.

The Retina MBPs from 2012 to 2015 are all pretty decent. I'd stay away from the 15" models with dual GPUs, as they are prone to problems. You can get some 15" with just the Intel GPU.

The main difference between the 2014 and 2015 models is that the 2015 can install Monterey; the 2014 only Big Sur. Force Touch isn't all that.

2016 onwards have TB3, which uses USB-C connectors; but the keyboards are rubbish, and the Intel CPU are ovens.


I had one, and I would agree with you ... up to the M1 14/16" MBPs.

The main difference between the 2014 and 2015 models is that the 2015 have PCIe 2.0 × 4 which means that SSD speeds are double on 2015 especially when you upgrade with a modern NVMe stick.

 

[benwiggy]

The main difference between the 2014 and 2015 models is that the 2015 have PCIe 2.0 × 4 which means that SSD speeds are double on 2015 especially when you upgrade with a modern NVMe stick.

The 2014s came with 2-lane PCIe 2.0, but the logic board supported 4-lane. The 2015s had version 3.0 PCIe.

If you upgrade the SSD on a 2014 MBP, you get 4-lane PCIe 2.0. They also support NVMe.

See this guide to Mac SSDs:

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

I upgraded my 2014 MBP with an Apple 1TB stick, and it was plenty fast enough.

 

[wilberforce]

The 15" 2015 MBPs are pretty good machines, with 4-core CPUs. The 13" 2015 MPBs are underpowered, with dual core CPUs (I had one, pretty annoying lagginess). Big difference in performance, especially now.

 

[nigelbb]

The 2014s came with 2-lane PCIe 2.0, but the logic board supported 4-lane. The 2015s had version 3.0 PCIe.

If you upgrade the SSD on a 2014 MBP, you get 4-lane PCIe 2.0. They also support NVMe.

See this guide to Mac SSDs:

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

I upgraded my 2014 MBP with an Apple 1TB stick, and it was plenty fast enough.

I upgraded my 2014 MBP with an Apple 2TB stick too & didn't notice it as any faster than with the original 512GB Apple stick. I subsequently upgraded my 2015 MBP from 512GB with that same Apple 2TB stick which benchmarked at twice the speed that it did when in 2014 MBP. When the 2TB Apple stick died I replaced it with a WD Blue SN 570 which benchmarked at 50% higher speed than the Apple 2TB stick.

 

[Uddername]

Here's what you do - you go on eBay and look for 15" 2015 models. Within the listing via the description or photos, you find the serial number. You then copy and paste it, or type it into this website:

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program - Apple Support

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program

support.apple.com

If/when you get one with a green tick, that means you can bring it to the Apple store (regardless of whether you're the original owner or not) and Apple will replace the battery, keyboard, palm rest and trackpad for free. This is usually a $300 installation by itself (according to Apple who will give you a breakdown receipt, but it will still be free).

There is currently no expiration for this as it's a health & safety issue. Bear in mind this is only for 2015 15" models.

For example, if you were based in the UK - this would be a possible choice, as C02QXBB0G8WP is eligble for the replacement:

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2015) 2.5GHz dual core i7 16GB RAM 500GB SSD C02QXBB0G8WP | eBay

Native Resolution Boost (Turbo) Speed Dual display extended, video mirroring, and AirPlay Mirroring. Audio Jack 1 - 3.5-mm digital/analog headphone jack. User Upgradeable Geekbench 5 Single Core.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[savagewatts]

Really? I thought it was the mid 2015.. I just bought a mid 2015 15" MBP i7 16gb/512gb that's pristine for a decent price, threw a 2tb drive in it. No issues. Yeah, it's quite a bit heavier than my 2015 Air, but I like the bigger screen and the guy had put a new battery in it so that was one less thing I had to do.

The are pretty much the same.

 

[nigelbb]

Here's what you do - you go on eBay and look for 15" 2015 models. Within the listing via the description or photos, you find the serial number. You then copy and paste it, or type it into this website:

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program - Apple Support

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program

support.apple.com

If/when you get one with a green tick, that means you can bring it to the Apple store (regardless of whether you're the original owner or not) and Apple will replace the battery, keyboard, palm rest and trackpad for free. This is usually a $300 installation by itself (according to Apple who will give you a breakdown receipt, but it will still be free).

There is currently no expiration for this as it's a health & safety issue. Bear in mind this is only for 2015 15" models.

For example, if you were based in the UK - this would be a possible choice, as C02QXBB0G8WP is eligble for the replacement:

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2015) 2.5GHz dual core i7 16GB RAM 500GB SSD C02QXBB0G8WP | eBay

Native Resolution Boost (Turbo) Speed Dual display extended, video mirroring, and AirPlay Mirroring. Audio Jack 1 - 3.5-mm digital/analog headphone jack. User Upgradeable Geekbench 5 Single Core.

www.ebay.co.uk

Are you sure that Apple still have new batteries for the 15" 2015 MBP? About two years ago I tried to pay Apple to replace the battery on my 15" 2014 MBP but they had no more parts in the supply chain.

 

[Uddername]

Are you sure that Apple still have new batteries for the 15" 2015 MBP? About two years ago I tried to pay Apple to replace the battery on my 15" 2014 MBP but they had no more parts in the supply chain.

At least in the UK - 100% sure. I've done this about 15 times in the past year and currently have a MacBook getting installed with a new battery, palm rest, keyboard and trackpad as we speak.

The difference is this is a health and safety issue which Apple have acknowledged. In fact, many airlines won't let you board a plane with the MacBook Pro 15" 2015 model if it's serial number has a green tick on the website I linked above (I'm sure they don't check, but it's in the list of prohibited items). However, Apple does not stock any other part of the MacBook.

So they somehow broke my 2015 logic board last year, and ended up giving me a 16" M3 model as a replacement - but don't expect this kind of luck to occur too often!