Who to upgrade 2010 Macbook Pro?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

HK’s mid-2010 Macbook Pro, currently on High Sierra, is starting to make funny noises and to take too long to do ‘stuff’. It doesn’t collect updates anymore but she still likes it.

I understand that it is possible/ sensible to upgrade the RAM and to replace the spinning disc with a bigger SSD. Which company in West London would folk recommend to do this work? Is this something that an Apple store would do or is it better to use a ‘neutral’ shop?

Apparently there are unofficial ways to get non-supported Macbooks upgraded to a more recent iOS that still receives security updates. Is this something that this idiot can follow step-by-step or should it be left for a dodgy shop to carry out?

[grams]

I can't imagine this is economically sensible vs buying a newer machine that is still supported by Apple, which currently goes back quite a long way.

[ian]

It's nearly 12-years old, so probably time to think of a replacement. That said, I use an early-2009 Mac Mini as a server (with the benefit of aftermarket SSD) and it's surprisingly unslow for anything that doesn't require a modern processor (I think it still picks up critical El Capitan security updates).

I'm not sure Apple would offer upgrades for a Macbook of that vintage, but any Apple-certified place could probably fit an SSD. That said, a quick google finds several DIY guides and it looks pretty simple. Whether it's worthwhile is up to you.

[grams]

I think it still picks up critical El Capitan security updates

The last one of those was in 2018. Perhaps it's between updates.

[Jurek]

I'd go with the advice of ian & grams and buy new and welcome to the 21st century.
The difference is bogglesworthy.
ETA - If you are still using a mac which you bought more than 10 years ago, you've had more than your moneysworth.
If you want to save money, go for an Apple legit refurb.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

We tend to be light on our computers.

2010 is a fair way into the 21st Century already.

[ian]

I think it still picks up critical El Capitan security updates

The last one of those was in 2018. Perhaps it's between updates.

Possibly, I just fired it up and it said it didn't have any updates. I can't say I'm worried, it just drives the printer and a pair of USB hard drives.

[StuAff]

+1 to m'learned friends' view that a new- or at least considerably newer- machine would be a much better bet. Replying to this on a Early 2009 2Ghz MacBook, running El Capitan- so, even older and considerably slower than your machine. Have considered upgrading to an SSD (the only upgrade possible in my case), but it would cost more than the MacBook, and much poorer value than a newer system- even the 2012 MacBook Pro models, for example, are much more powerful and expandable at reasonable cost. That said, should you still prefer to upgrade it, DIY is pretty straightforward. iFixit has loads of easy-to-follow guides https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Unibody_Mid_2010 I opened up my MB and gave it a good clean after the fan started sounding like a leaf blower.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

OK, given the lack of support for the alternative, where is the sweet spot in used Macbooks for a non-power-user who wants to keep it a while?

[Gattopardo]

I'd see what the ram upgreade options as as well as SSD.  SSD does speed things up.

You can do the work yourself it is only a few screws and not the penta screw proprietary screws.

[grams]

OK, given the lack of support for the alternative, where is the sweet spot in used Macbooks for a non-power-user who wants to keep it a while?

2015 MacBook Air. Officially supported by the current OS which means security patches for a few years. All of them have SSDs. Make sure you get one with 8GB of RAM.

(I'm typing this on one)

OTOH a brand new M1 MacBook Air is sometimes on sale for £800, is much faster and 10 years wouldn't be an unreasonable lifespan.

[ian]

Grams beat me, but yes, a new Macbook Air is going to give you a decade before you have to ask the question again.

I had a 2015 Macbook Pro until recently, it was fine, but really, if you have a budget buy something new. Apple also have a refurb store which might be worth checking out.

[HectoJ]

Macs generally have a 10 year service life with software updates, after that you are at the mercy of whatever security threat is going around that is not patched on your machine.

There is an alternative: install Linux on it. There do exist some flavours of Linux for older Intel mac machines...

[GavinC]

Just to add a different pov - we have several Macs in our house and they’re all old - the newest being an early 2012 MacBook Pro. I’ve replaced all of the hard discs with SSDs, which has transformed them from being barely useable into workable computers again. Adding RAM also helps. Replacing the disc and RAM in the 2008-2012 unibody MBPs is easy - as StuAff mentioned, the iFixit site has excellent pictorial guides.

All of my Macs are currently running Catalina, which is still getting security updates from Apple (until the next OS upgrade at least). I have three 2009 Macs that don’t officially support Catalina but using the Dosdude1 Catalina patcher, it was pretty straightforward to install and all three machines have been rock solid since the upgrade. There are also patchers to allow unsupported Macs to upgrade to Big Sur and Monterey but I don’t have any have experience of those. At first look, they seem quite a bit more techy though.

I know ultimately I’ll need to replace them all but I hate to consign something to landfill while it’s still usable.

[TimC]

OK, given the lack of support for the alternative, where is the sweet spot in used Macbooks for a non-power-user who wants to keep it a while?

Replacing the HDD with an SSD is pretty simple, and you may be able to upgrade the RAM, but unless you find a way to update the OS you're still stuck with a non-updating computer. The funny noises may well be the fan, which you can clean out if you open the case. You can, of course, make it purely a Windows 10 box, in which case updates will continue for a few more years (2025), or some form of Linux if you want to get a bit nerdy. Anything that you connect to the Internet really needs to have access to regularly-updated security.

But the current M1 MB Air is a cracking buy if Mac OS is a must-have, and it's considerably faster than it has any right to be.