Still rocking this MBP 15" 2009

[OldMacPro2]

Report from the trenches:

This MBP 15" from 2009 is still running great.

Upgraded to the "full" 8GB DDR3, a 500GB PNY SSD, and recently a new battery.

Hooked up to an LG 23" 1080p external monitor along side the 15" (non-retina) display.

I have the SSD partitioned so I can run either High Sierra or Big Sur (and even Linux).

Guess I am not all that picky...because this is still s a fine "main desktop" for surfing the Web, word processing, spreadsheets, simple database, light photo and graphics editing, etc.

Modern Gaming? No.

Video editing....No if you are talking something like 4k video.

For low-res, yes. iMovie works just fine.

For 90% of what I do, it's great.

EDIT: And as I was posting this, the whole thing powered OFF with no warning...LOLOLOLOL

Rebooted and working good again.

Well, MOSTLY it's running fine.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Yer, got the same one but with a Catalina patch. Had a 1TB SSD for a while and just recently a 2TB in the CD bay, which unfortunately isn't working out.

 

[OldMacPro2]

After playing around a lot more today with this old MBP, I don't think it "powered down" on me after all.

I think the screen dimmer key got stuck when I tapped it and it went dark.

Kind of happened again today.

I just tapped the screen brighter key. So, the keyboard is probably wearing down a bit. Not bad for a 12 year old laptop, though.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

If there's no crash log and KB dimmed also, then that sounds possible.

I've had everything repaired/ replaced, mutiple times now due to only 2. hand parts available. Component level repairs on the logic board, couple SSDs, caps dGPU, AP card, countless CD drives, screen, couple I/0 boards, charger, batteries, loads of subwoofers, case panel beating, etc.

Anecdotally, the KB and track-pad have been absolutely faultless in 13 yrs.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Wow…I’ve only owned this one a short while. It was donated to a thrift store where I often shop.

Had some stickers that indicated it was owned by a small business who undoubtedly upgraded several MBpros. It had no RAM or hard drive. I put in some RAM, a new SSD, and charged it up.

Working good so far.

 

[kschendel]

That model was a very solid machine. I had one for 5 years, then dumped a glass of red wine into it. Oops. Careful wash and dry salvaged all but the DVD drive, then 6 months later the keyboard went berserk. I replaced the laptop with a late 2013, had the keyboard in the 2009 fixed, and gave it to my daughter and she used it for another 6 years.

(The late 2013 rMBP is still running, I'm typing this on it.)

 

[OldMacPro2]

I have a 2017 MBP 15”. And some people rag on that generation because of the keyboard.

This 2009 15” does feel better to type on. It’s heavier and gets hotter, but it’s still solid as a rock.

Upgrading it to an SSD (and not an exceptionally fast one either) made it into a very useable tool.

 

[ajcgn]

Still use use my 2011 15 MBP occasionally. Some of the software doesn’t work on my 2021 MBP. The 2021 is a obviously a great machine, but I sort of like the old 2011 more.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Comparing the 2017 15" MBP with the 2009 MBP, I can say, I do understand why people loved the old keyboards.

This 2017 has the "butterfly" keyboard, and it doesn't have the same key travel as the Unibody. I don't hate it, but it's a different feel. I have not had a problem with mine. Some people claim theirs are terrible and have had to have them replaced. Maybe I don't type on it enough? I do have (two different) docking solutions for the MBP 2017, so I don't always use the built in keyboard anyway.

To me the trackpads feel nearly identical. Both work great. And even though the 2009 is a non-Retina display, I find the standard display to be fine. Yes, the "Retina" MBP 15" is slightly sharper to my eyes, but I can live with either one.

Maybe I am just not demanding enough???

 

[OldMacPro2]

And it's funny, I definitely prefer the 15" to the 13" MBP or Air. Which is the opposite of most people.

I don't mind the extra weight that much, which I put that down to my "old boomer" eyes. Sure don't have to squint as much as I would with a smaller display.

For comparison, I also have an iPad Pro 9.7", which I use t a LOT, checking emails, calendar, light web, some Youtube, etc.

But when I really want to get "serious" about work, it's the MBP 15". Either the old one or the new one.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

From my 5,3 15" I could never downsize on screen-size as my only machine. This effectively removes the MBA and/ or 14" MBP from the equation, when flirting with a replacement. It's a shame really as the Air computing power would likely suffice. Then again, I'd love to get back into photography/ processing and that's where the 16" MBP screen be quite appreciated.

 

[OldMacPro2]

I have a work-provided MBA "clone"...it's an HP Elitebook with a small 13,3" screen, a touchscreen at that, not that I ever use it. The touchpad on the HP is not too bad. Not as good as the MacBook, but much better than most PCs.

The small size is very handy when I have to "go mobile", but I've learned that using it full time mobile is not a good option.

Not only is the screen too small, the keyboard is smaller than a regular 15" laptop. Whenever I am typing on it, I often hit the wrong key and have to delete.

So, when I get "serious" in using it, I put it on a USB-C doc and type with a full size keyboard and mouse...driving two large monitors, too.

The point is, in the real-world, a 15" laptop still works good for me whether mobile or stationary. Even a 13 year old one has value to me.