you are totally right - TB2 only and RAM not designed for user upgrades. Not seeing a machine below 2k that would improve much (to my eye) and apparently this is only worth £200 in part ex to mac.... (maybe for that it is worth cracking it open!) I was hoping that an eGPU + TB2 to TB3 adaptor might have given me something but for the £400-£500 you're probably correct and i should just save up my money for a new machine. Thanks for the advice
One thing to keep in mind is that if you get an eGPU (+enclosure), RAM, replace drive with SSD...it's a bunch of work and it won't be cheap, and that money could pay for a big chunk of a new machine. How long do you think you could function with such a machine? It is an option but maybe you could hang on for new ARM based Macs, get a refurb iMac Pro...
