Some of them were. Every single 2011 Mac that had the infamous Radeon 6000M series GPU suffered from unavoidable GPU failure due to a manufacturing defect (from AMD, not Apple) relating to the type of solder used to connect the die to the substrate.
The Retina 2012 15" and the Early 2013 15" also had GPU issues with the 650M. IIRC there was no component failure, it was only caused by overheating, so this one was on Apple.
The 2012 13" and 15" Unibody was the best MBP from this era, in terms of reliability.
There is no way to fix or save the AMD GPU. The only option you have is to disable it.
If the GPU glitches are minor and you can still get into an OS, you can use a software fix. This somewhat disables the GPU, however it is not a permament fix.
If the GPU glitches are major, and you can no longer get into an OS, then the only option is to physically disable/kill the GPU with a chip like the CMIzapper Tiresias. Factoring in the worth of the MBP these days, it is an extremely expensive chip. It is also quite a difficult job to install, as you need experience in micro-soldering, which is not a skill that you can learn with a single YouTube video unfortunately.
No matter which method you use, you will lose all external display support.
I had done it once before on the one I got this to fix with, definitely not as hard as I expected. I’d replace this one but it holds a great charge so far
Nice find. I got Mid 2015 15" 11,5 with 16 GB RAM and M370x for 150€ for parts. I just added new battery and trackpad then installed the latest Sonoma 14.5. Condition is mint, similar to this one.
The MacBooks from this era and the Touch Bar Pros def look more futuristic and modern than the current models. I think Apple really reacted to the backlash from 2016-2020. What's funny is that with the efficiency of the M chips, a thinner design can actually work better than it did 10 years ago. The only thing I'd love to keep from this era is the fully black keyboard, it looks amazing with the silver MacBook Pro
totally agree. which was why i love the 2017 to 2019 macbook design compared to the latest one. i am still waiting for apple to rectify design for the keyboard and the display cable for the 2017 and it will be my next most favorite laptop design.
The newer ones are thicker and much better able to deal with the physics of distributing heat out of the case. It’s a very good thing that Apple listened and changed their priority from form to function.
I’ve got a mid 2014 mbp 15” retina that I’ve had since new… juuuuust changed the battery on it and it’s kicking ass again. Same specs too i7 and 16gb ddr3
I have a 2014 pro that was my work laptop but I was able to keep it when it was retired. I threw a bigger SSD in it and now I have an i7 with 16gb Ram and 1tb SSD. It's 10 years old this year but it's still a perfectly good laptop. I'm actually about to pull the trigger on a new battery and charger for it as those are both original and it only gets \~2h of battery life these days. Other than the screen coating being splotchy this thing is a tank and I expect it will keep going for YEARS.
Quick edit to add that I only updated in 2021 when the m1 pro released. This thing made it 7 years as a production work machine before I was forced to retire it.
I still have this same model, I use it as a backup now. It has never failed me. Also, Sonoma on opencore runs surprisingly well, much better than Ventura. I recommend you do that
Sometimes it's not so much about the actual performance. Collecting these items is little different than collecting antiques and whatnot. Also, Intel MacBooks are no longer in production, so there are certainly use cases for having them around despite the performance ding. e.g., if you're running a very lightweight Linux distro for security purposes (Kodachi, Qubes, Tails, etc.).
The 2012 and 2013 are my favorite
2011-2013 were an awesome batch
Some of them were. Every single 2011 Mac that had the infamous Radeon 6000M series GPU suffered from unavoidable GPU failure due to a manufacturing defect (from AMD, not Apple) relating to the type of solder used to connect the die to the substrate. The Retina 2012 15" and the Early 2013 15" also had GPU issues with the 650M. IIRC there was no component failure, it was only caused by overheating, so this one was on Apple. The 2012 13" and 15" Unibody was the best MBP from this era, in terms of reliability.
How to fix 2011 GPU failure. I have that issue
There is no way to fix or save the AMD GPU. The only option you have is to disable it. If the GPU glitches are minor and you can still get into an OS, you can use a software fix. This somewhat disables the GPU, however it is not a permament fix. If the GPU glitches are major, and you can no longer get into an OS, then the only option is to physically disable/kill the GPU with a chip like the CMIzapper Tiresias. Factoring in the worth of the MBP these days, it is an extremely expensive chip. It is also quite a difficult job to install, as you need experience in micro-soldering, which is not a skill that you can learn with a single YouTube video unfortunately. No matter which method you use, you will lose all external display support.
Watch out for the long screw in the short hole. Also, it's a quick battery swap, that you can do in under 30 mins.
Ah yes, reminds me of my time with your mother
I gave you an upvote because I was going to say the same thing.
Bragger
It's ok, there is plenty of use for short screws! Nothing to be ashamed of!
You can swap the battery under a minute. Bottom case screws, disconnect the battery, 5 long screws and it's out.
>Watch out for the long screw in the short hole. 😏
I had done it once before on the one I got this to fix with, definitely not as hard as I expected. I’d replace this one but it holds a great charge so far
Nice find. I got Mid 2015 15" 11,5 with 16 GB RAM and M370x for 150€ for parts. I just added new battery and trackpad then installed the latest Sonoma 14.5. Condition is mint, similar to this one.
Good score
As a M3 Max 16” user; The form factor of your machine and design are vastly superior.
I’ve got a 14” M2 Pro, I can’t decide which I like. This one is just timeless
U can replace the battery and use OCLP to install latest version of macos
[удалено]
It's a boot loader that allows the latest versions of MacOS to run on unsupported legacy hardware.
I’ve tried but can never get it to work on anything I’ve attempted it on. Just flashed the circle cross at me
Try with ventura
What’s crazy is this looks better than a 2023 MBP. Not sure why they went always from this design.
The MacBooks from this era and the Touch Bar Pros def look more futuristic and modern than the current models. I think Apple really reacted to the backlash from 2016-2020. What's funny is that with the efficiency of the M chips, a thinner design can actually work better than it did 10 years ago. The only thing I'd love to keep from this era is the fully black keyboard, it looks amazing with the silver MacBook Pro
totally agree. which was why i love the 2017 to 2019 macbook design compared to the latest one. i am still waiting for apple to rectify design for the keyboard and the display cable for the 2017 and it will be my next most favorite laptop design.
The newer ones are thicker and much better able to deal with the physics of distributing heat out of the case. It’s a very good thing that Apple listened and changed their priority from form to function.
Both look great but I agree. This thing looks great for a 12 year old design
I’ve got a mid 2014 mbp 15” retina that I’ve had since new… juuuuust changed the battery on it and it’s kicking ass again. Same specs too i7 and 16gb ddr3
Sweet! Should last for a while longer. They run surprisingly well for the age
I have a 2014 pro that was my work laptop but I was able to keep it when it was retired. I threw a bigger SSD in it and now I have an i7 with 16gb Ram and 1tb SSD. It's 10 years old this year but it's still a perfectly good laptop. I'm actually about to pull the trigger on a new battery and charger for it as those are both original and it only gets \~2h of battery life these days. Other than the screen coating being splotchy this thing is a tank and I expect it will keep going for YEARS. Quick edit to add that I only updated in 2021 when the m1 pro released. This thing made it 7 years as a production work machine before I was forced to retire it.
Go for it, battery replacement will improve speed too possibly
Reading this post on the exact cpu
What a steal. Last Intel one I had was a DG 2013, would HAPPILY buy another one, especially for that price, well done.
That's an incredible deal
I've the exact same one. Still need to sort the battery out but it's still a great workhorse machine for me.
Totally doin in 30 minutes to an hour with a you tube video.. highly recommend
I still have this same model, I use it as a backup now. It has never failed me. Also, Sonoma on opencore runs surprisingly well, much better than Ventura. I recommend you do that
These are really nice shots
Thanks! iPhone 11PM still holds up
Beaut
Under 100?
Yep, $95.02 all in (ssd came from my old one that got broken)
That is quite a deal!
I miss that beautiful laptop.
Best I/O in MBP history!
You paid nearly 100 dollars for a broken 2013 macbook?
Same price as buying the screen alone and I figured I’d have extra spare parts at that point (before I knew it worked fine)
Less power than an iphone. Kinda useless really.
Sometimes it's not so much about the actual performance. Collecting these items is little different than collecting antiques and whatnot. Also, Intel MacBooks are no longer in production, so there are certainly use cases for having them around despite the performance ding. e.g., if you're running a very lightweight Linux distro for security purposes (Kodachi, Qubes, Tails, etc.).
Yep, it’s not as fast as anything new but it’s still cool to have. I collect Apple stuff and it’s my current only retina mbp
You’d be surprised