I have had this computer since 2012 and it has just gotten better over time, during the last 3 years I've upgraded to 16 GB of memory, 2 TB of solid state drive, new battery and keyboard. Couldn't be any happier with this computer, it has given me everything and more.
"What the heck is that old beast" is the exact reaction I get everywhere with my 2012 Thinkpad W530. When I owned a mid-2012 people barely had any idea it wasnt brand new. This design really is timeless
@@DS-rq7bs You need to buy a special socket. And unscrew a few pieces. If you never open your mac its better to give this to computer service or some nerds ;)
This was the MBP that switched me from windows. and man in 2012, and fully specced out this was not only a thing of beauty, but an absolute beast! My first one died due to a glass of wine being spilled on it, so I bought another. It lasted for years as well! When my partner needed a new laptop she got this one-- it's still going strong. I now am using a late 2019 15" for work, but it just doesn't have the same "heart" as this old one did. plus, DVD drive! Firewire was useful for my old audio interface, but the I/Os on this model was why I was so in love with it. Wish they'd bring it back!
In my case, my mid-2012 15" unibody is rocking 16G RAM, a 1T SSD... AND a Matshita UJ267AM Blu-Ray reader/burner! (I deal with music CDs and disc burning often, so I LIKE having an internal optical.) The original DVD drive was failing, and the replacement part was hard to get, but when researching options, I learned that the UJ267 Blu-ray is exactly the same physical size as the original DVD drive! It doesn't, however, have the right mounting lugs, so you have to swap the top cover of the old drive onto the new one. It's a bit of a hack, but it works. And I got the NEW Blu-ray internal drive for LESS than a refurb replacement DVD was going for. So this computer is, yes, better than new! But you forgot one thing: "Upgradability" is a synonym for "REPAIRABILITY." On this same laptop, I have also replaced the battery, the trackpad, the keyboard, AND the wi-fi antenna. I don't look at that as having thrown a lot of money into a pit, rather, if I was having an issue with just ONE component, I could buy a $30 part, turn a few screws, and be back in business with a like-new computer, rather than being forced to replace the entire machine. As much as I lust after a newer 8-core i9 machine with the fabulous display and the touchbar, I dread being unable to REPAIR it. When the battery inevitably starts to lose capacity, the entire computer might as well be failing.
Well said! This is exactly why I love working on and using older devices. They're so easy to do maintenance on and that gives you a sense of security because you know that if anything does go wrong, all you have to do is unscrew a panel and replace the part that isn't working. I never have to worry about my older devices becoming an expensive paperweight because a cheap repair will always ensure my money didn't go to waste. The lengths you have to go to and the money you have to spend to repair a modern phone or laptop is way too much by comparison. They're designed in such a way that if you're not careful enough, you could end up with more broken parts than you started with. Adhesive everywhere. Thin ribbon cables that are far too short. Nonstandard screws requiring specific and expensive screw bits to be purchased by the user. It's all so wasteful and helps no one. I really hate how much the industry has regressed despite how much progress it has made in other ways.
catholiccowboy dude, don't want to worry you, but sell it, while you still can 😂 I didn't know about the whole #radeongate thing, while I bought mine 2011 MBP 15" two years ago. I didn't really read any reviews prior to my unfortunate purchase. It is my first Apple computer. Having heard so much good stuff about Macs and what reliable machines they are I just assumed that they are immune to failure or something. As Luke was saing in the video these models are bound to fail sooner or later. So finally the day has come for my machine: the infamous Radeon GPU failed on me - I was so pissed off it almost turned me off buying any Mac ever again... Until I fixed it. I managed to bypass the discreet graphics and use the integrated card permanently. Worked fine except for decrease in graphics department, obviously. But yesterday it failed again and it won't cooperate this time. I tried everything... I'm yet to find a working fix. So now I'm stuck at home because of pandemic without a working computer. Should've sold it right after I fixed it... But if there's one thing I know it's that if I manage to repair it I'm selling it immediately and buying a Retina, preferably 2015, cause they are said to be the most reliable ones. I won't ever make the same mistake: buying expensive equipment without doing extensive research on the reliability. So to sum up, I warn you: sell yours before it breaks down. And it will eventually. Buy yourself a more reliable model, if you can't afford newer ones, even the 2010 will do - they at least won't turn into a brick overnight. Cheers 😉
I have the 13 inch version of this. Bought it as a base model. I upgraded the ram from 4 to 8 gb and swapped out the HDD out for a SSD. Still runs beautifully.
Yay, you are doing a review of the Macbook pro that I've been using since I bought it in 2014! The upgradeability of this particular Macbook is the only reason I've kept using this machine instead of buying a new macbook.
@@vxqzy I've got the late 2010. Added two SSD's and upgraded RAM to 8GB (which i'm told it maxes out at) I've lugged it around in a backpack for years and it's finally showing it with a single line down the screen, so I can replace the screen, live with it as is, or buy a 2012 and get the better bus speed (SATA 3 vs SATA 2, I believe)
Been using mine since 2012, still smooth for the most part. Had to repair a few bits over the years, but all DIY, can't say I'll be able to do the same for the new one that's coming... awesome machine, will keep it around as a backup.
To this day I’m still rockin my mid 2012 2.7 i7 MBP Retina (a little thinner) for design work. I run heavy Illustrator, Photoshop, Cinema 4D and Keyshot - even Catalina - no issues. It set me back $4K at the Apple store 8 years ago, but the processor is still relevant today, and haven’t come close to maxing the 750Gb SSD. Paid for itself many times over.
Bought my first MacBook back in 2012 (this one) upgraded ram and ssd a few years later and I am still happily using it till this date. Battery is still working quite well, have seen people buy 2 or 3 new laptops in the meantime because they got slow or broke. I’m really amazed at how well this MacBook aged. Very sad to see upgradability disappear since.
And the battery is only a hundred or so dollars to have it sent to Apple and have it replaced for another 1000 charging cycles. Sounds like incredible value to me.
Still have mine. Upgraded to the ram to 16GB and threw in a 1TB SSD, took out the Super Drive and threw in a 750GB SSD. To this day the thing is still a beast!
I bought a used Macbook Pro 13" 2012 with a cracked plastic screen, bought the parts to fix it on Amazon including a toolkit, plastic screen replacement and heat gun for $60 total. I watched UA-cam videos to learn how to repair the screen. It took 2 hours but I was very very careful. Success and I had never done it before! Then I dropped a Crucial MX500 1TB SSD into it , and put 16 GB of RAM in it and it works amazingly well and it's 2020. It's running Mojave like a champ. It cold boots in about 40 seconds. Thanks for this video, Luke! You're an A+++ communicator.
I JUST upgraded my 13'' tonight and the performance is amazing, far better than I expected. I haven't upgraded my OS past Sierra because of software I need that just isn't supported beyond High Sierra so I'm not concerned too much with OS upgradeability. Still, with the hardware upgrade it's almost like a brand new machine.
Watching on my 13 inch 2012 MacBook Pro upgraded to 16GB RAM & 500GB SSD 🥰 it's such a good laptop, fastest I've ever had, works perfectly on macOS and windows. I'm not upgrading this thing until it literally snaps in half. 😆
Mine has almost snapped in half (half of the screen hinge cracked and broke off and the screen is half separated from the keyboard part) and I'm STILL using it, and not giving it up until it literally STOPS WORKING! Even then, I will be looking for ANOTHER mid-2012 unibody MacBook Pro, hopefully upgrading from the i5 I currently have to an i7 in the mid-2012 unibody hard-drive & RAM upgradeable version!
I bought a used one, just this year. Still runs great, editing videos, photoshop... I upgraded to 16GB and SSD, removed the DVD port to fit another HD. Works awesome!
Yes it is still the king. Just upgraded mine with 16gb ram and 2TB Samsung evo 860. I use mine for music production with logic pro x and a lot of iMovie projects.
The biggest issue with the Unibody 13" models are the drive cable failures. It makes it look like the hard drive is failing when it's actually the easily worn 'flat' cable that has 3 90 degree bends in it. The cable rubs against the metal case and creates micro fractures which you cannot see but do affect the HDD/SSD. Easiest fix is to replace the cable and apply electrical tape to prevent the cable from moving/rubbing on the case. There's a few videos on this out there if you have this issue. Upgraded to 1TB SSD + 16GB RAM and it still works great. The graphics card is a bit crap in the 13" but alas, still good for everyday browsing/work/videos etc.
Mine will be going in for a service this week (Battery-replacement, thermal-paste replacement). But other than than, I've been having a near flawless experience, using it for music production. Bougght the 2.33 model second-hand in 2014I. I' ve upgraded the ram to 16g, whacked in a 2tb main SSD, and replaced the dvd drive with a 1tb SSD. Total workhorse.
@Shank Adams I can fix it myself, it's solid as a rock and upgrades in the future (storage, memory) are possible. It will be useful for decades to come. Right along with my original Macintosh sitting in the basement.
Thats nice to hear. The 13" MBP 2012 was my first apple laptop. But, my hard drive kept crashing and I had to repair it twice in 1 year. In my opinion the 13" 2015 MBP is the best. 5 years and going strong.
ive had mine since it came out. got me through nursing school. last oct I upgraded to Catalina computer took a nose dive. during this quarantine I decided to update the ssd to the Samsung 1tb. and WOW. this thing is a beast. 2minute start up now 16sec. UA-cam fast. its a must do.
I've got an upgraded one and I love it. It's a beast, never failed or needed any repair. I've got also a Macbook Air 2020 Intel i3, but when it comes w/ reliability, I'd prefer my Macbook Pro Mid 2012, no doubt.
10 years later still rocking my 15" MBP pumping out vids and I have only recently added 16 ram and put in a 1gb SSD and I can't believe the difference! I should have done it years ago lol. An absolute workhorse .. unlike my 2009 27" iMac
My 2012 15" MBP pays my bills. Nothing Apple makes now is capable of replacing it as a truly 'pro' portable. I've been able to just keep upgrading it as I went along -- currently with a quad i7, 16GB RAM, 2TB 6G SSD, a higher watt-hour aftermarket battery, and quieter more efficient fans. Magsafe, dual video processors, so much connectivity without a dongle or dock, etc... I plug it in to my Thunderbolt Display, and it's gold. Also: I have not tried it, but there are several videos on UA-cam of people who have successfully put two SSDs in this model and made RAID-0 work.
@@HenryHearse I bought the 85w one from OWC (the original was 77w). Gives me a pretty consistent 6hrs per charge. Longevity I can't attest to, I've only had it a little less than a year, so far so good though.
Hello I'm posting this on my MBP 2012, I've resurrected it from the dead. I did not open my computer for years and it's collected dust around the fans which caused an overheating issue overtime to short the circuit. Since then I've sent my logic board for repair, dusted the whole thing thoroughly, upgraded the ram from 8gb to 16gb and upgraded to a samsung evo 500gb SSD. This thing works like a dream and I love it! I'll certainly take this over those "fancy" new macbooks which have no upgrade-ability what so ever.
@James Phillippe Essentially, there is a chip (gmux chip) onboard that controls switching between dedicated GPU and integrated Intel GPU. Flashing the said chip with custom firmware permanently disables the dedicated AMD GPU. Requires a bit of microsoldering or pogo-pins but is essentially a JTAG flash. Pros: - GPU receives no power so less heat to dissipate for the cooling - permanent GPU solution that will keep the machine running for years Cons: - MiniDP port for video out to a monitor will never work again because it's integrated through the dedicated AMD GPU - brightness controls are broken post procedure and require a 3rd party software fix to get re-enabled again Google: "dosdude DeMux flash" and that's your reading material on the subject
@James Phillippe If your device is working properly than wait for it to die, statistically speaking it most likely will - there was a 85% failure rate. You don't have to touch it now if it's still working as it should.
I’m still using mine. I upgraded it to 16 Gb of ram and added two 512 Gb SSDs over the years. It sits closed on the shelf connected to a thunderbolt dock. My monitor and all my music production gear run through the dock and it works flawlessly. Since I don’t have the need for a powerful graphics card I’m sure I’ll still be using this one for awhile. That is unless Apple decides to make a computer that caters to the prosumer level that’s modular and user upgradable. I won’t hold my breath though.
I got a 2012 15” MacBook Pro for 180$ and it is in pretty good condition and it has 8gb of ram but still has a HDD and a 2.3ghz core i7 and the hard drive is still in good health
Bought my 13” mid-2012 MBP new in 2013. Chose it because of the upgradeable RAM/HD and the optical drive. Almost ten years later, I’m still using it every day. Maxed out the RAM and added an SSD. Performance in data heavy apps is poor, but it is still hanging on. What a workhorse.
It is still my king. Macbook Pro 13" mid 2012 and it works wonderfully. Parralled with Windows 10 for light Steam gaming and car ECU diagnostics. Two 1TB SSDs; one is for off-loading drone footage (replaced the Super Drive, which is used occasionally but now enclosed externally. Also upgraded to 16GB of RAM. It takes no time for booting and navigating at all. Still love the quality build, which is aesthetically pleasing. The battery is still really good. The device started off with 4GB or RAM and a 500GB HDD. Thank you for your video.
In early 2015 I purchased a 2011 MBP 13 dual core, put a 512gb SSD, and 16gb of ram. Lasted me throughout 4 years of school with moderate workloads. Stopped using it late 2018 but it is one of the best purchases I have made. Still works well for light tasks, and use it for occasional server management.
@@tomrobinson2914 jfc the amount of things that can go wrong with this is levels of terribad, for any person that sees this PLEASE take your macbook to a specialty electronics/laptop repair shop/person so they can REFLOW the joints affecting the gpu with a heatgun/more solder and not bake your board.
really? I have mine sitting in a cupboard somewhere because the graphics card fried itself. I tried the software work around but eventually it failed to and now doest display anything
I'm still using my mid 2012 Macbook Pro 13'. I cannot believe it survived all these years of coding, running simulations, and video editing. The best thing about this mac is our ability to upgrade components. I maxed out the RAM and switched to SSD in 2015, and has been a beast. Did have an issue with speaker, but it's easily replaceable. Replaced the battery once, too.
I still have my good old 2012. Minus a couple of dents I made, that baby got me through college and is still helping me out in my professional career. The SSD and RAM upgrades were a big help!
Because of this channel and a few others I bought my 2012 unibody core i7 last year for $300. I put in a new battery, ssd & 16gb of ram at a total price of $540. I use it for college and tele communicating for work and i feel like its over kill. In a few years i’ll buy the newest best macbook pro. Until then, this one is still king imo
Bought my 2.7GHz MBP early in 2013. It's still running the original battery and 768GB SSD. It continues to work perfecty and has never needed a repair. I dicovered my old Powerbook G4 (a whole 1.67GHz) in the loft a few weeks ago; plugged it in, charged it up and - by some miracle - it still works. My youngest daughter is now on her third HP laptop in four years. Okay, they're cheaper than Macs, but the resale value of a Mac is considerably higher and the longevity a lot greater.
This would be a huge upgrade for me, seeing as how I'm still using the same MacBook Pro I bought in late 2007, and still using it for video editing and photo editing.
You get upgrade the motherboard to a 2012. Ifixit.com. Use that site to see what is wrong with it. If it doesn’t charge the maga connected is cheap. If you need a new hard drive cable those aren’t too expensive. I replaced my logic board on my MacBook Pro. I got used one, air sprayed it to get the dust off and and now my MacBook Pro 2012 works.
This is a pretty good Macbook, it is actually amazing when you're upgrading it. Being the last univody Macbook Pro makes it a good choice because it has a lot of ports and the date makes it more advanced than the other unibodies. It also has an easy to use trackpad, because the size and the stability gives it an easy way to use gestures. The retina Macbook Pro is fine, but it has quite less ports and the display isn't such a big difference (It is when you're recording with a camera). I have one running Os X Catalina with upgraded 1TB of storage, 16GB of ram and i5, and it's very adaptable for my needs.
I have had this mid 2012 MacBook Pro since new (probably spring of 2013). I initially upgraded the RAM to 8 gb... then later discovered I had some laying around that would take it up to 16. I have changed drives a couple times... first to a 1TB spinning drive, and later to a 1TB SSD. I use it everyday and twice on Sunday, so to speak. Battery still holds a decent charge... I may replace it soon. Currently running Mojave, only because I have an old version of MS office I want to keep using. This thing is a champ. Other than the 12 inch Aluminum Powerbook I had prior to the intel switch, I am not sure I have ever had such strong feelings about the quality and durability of a computer. Earlier this spring, in a meeting with a bunch of people relegated to using Windows machines, a director of a department looked over and asked how I had this machine (because I sort of run my own technology acquisition). I tried to downplay that it was really quite old... but the truth is, I wouldn't have traded for any other machine in the room.
but you can't fix it or take it apart!! :( that's a huge downside for me. my mbp2012 wouldn't be the amazing machine it is today if i hadn't been able to upgrade it. it just lasts so much longer when the company lets you do this kinda stuff. not just better for your wallet but also for the environment.
Watching on a 2010 MBP which until recently has ran like a champ for the last 10 years. I swear just in the last few months video playback has been lagging like crazy and overall performance has dropped. Not sure what is up but nice knowing I can always go crazy and spoil myself with a 2012 model!
Had a mid 2012, it started freezing, couldn’t fix it, so I bought a second one w/ 16gb Ram and put in a 1tb ssd. As soon as I did, I figured out what was wrong w/ the first one so now I have 2. I love’em both!
@@luisfernando55 it was like $60 on ebay. serious game changer, I was about to get a 2015 15 because i was fed up with the shit screen quality but this is a serious revamp
Just bought one of these today in 2021. 2.3GHz i7, put in 16GB ram. 500GB ssd and 1TB hdd. It's usable but the age is really showing with the modern web and so forth. Display looks fine in my own opinion, not the best but it's still reasonable.
Petra van Hoften That can’t be right, unless you have a low spec configuration when you bought your laptop. What are you specs and the OS you’re using?
Mr. IDGAF Core i7, 2.4 GHz (I think), 8Gb ram. Running Catalina which runs fine on the old mid 2012. But when I start using Word, excel or outlook it takes ages for the programs to open and I get a lot of rainbow spinning things (whatever those are called). The HD is still has plenty of space. I thought of doubling the ram.
My mom found a MacBook Pro (unibody) 2012 thrown away, all I spent was $179 to upgrade to 500 SSD and 16gb Ram and replace the battery. It runs great and is perfect for my little sister who plays Roblox and browses UA-cam. The machine isn't perfect but it fits my needs.
This is one of my computers that is dusting out. This was my main computer once. Now It need a screen glass replacements. Hard disc replacement and no power. I am planing to bring this to life again and thank you for your video.
i'm still using a 2012 13" and I love it! I maxed, the ram, added an SSD and 1TB harddrive. I have an eGPU for it, RX570. I edit photos and videos on it. With the egpu it can handle 4k footage on premier pro and final cut to.
シDraco Dark of course it can! Thunderbolt 2 can handle ~20GBit ... It just cant use the full potential of the eGPU as on newer TB3 laptops. @Dániel Lukács does it use x2 or x4 PCIe Lanes from the CPU?
Yea good question is 13“ Mid 2012 same like 15” 2012 that i can Add some RAM .I’m interested in something for travel and 15” I already have from Lenovo is to big to take in bag and go for some trip.
Typing this on my 2012 MBP 15inch with 2 1TB SSD's (replacing optical drive) new keyboard, new battery and reapplied thermal paste and cleaned motherboard dust ducts, it runs faster and better than even when I got it new.
Upgraded 2 mid-2012 MacBook Pro machines to 1TB SS drives, 16MB RAM, & replaced batteries for less than $500.00. Just purchased 2 mid-2012 MacBook Pro machines for our grandchildren on eBay, and upgraded from 4MB Ram to 8MB using RAM from our machines, and replaced 1 battery. Purchase & upgrades less than $700.00. They now have good machines for school that I can work on and everyone is happy! Great laptops for our small business and kids school.
I have just seen a 15 inch 2012 macbook for 900 with i7 quad core 3.6ghz, geforce 650m graphics card, 2tb SSD & 16gb or ram. I was thinking of getting this as I need something powerful/fast with a lot of storage for music pro, video editing, and graphic design. Is this a bad buy due to the price & age etc?
Recomendation. Remove the DVD Drive and put a 250 GB SSD, then a 1 or 2 TB HDD in the HDD Bay. Combine both in a fusion drive. I think it is the best bang for the buck for that machine.
Pablo Cardelino maybe, it depends of what you use the computer for. A RAID 0 can reach 900 MB/s sequential reads and writes. It is useful for very large files. In everyday use, not professional, I rarely saturate the 550 of the single SSD. I also don’t need to transfer more than 4 GB at once. With a 50$ 2TB HDD and a 50$ SSD you can have 2,25 TB storage and the SSD experience. 2 TB SSD costs ~ 200-230$
Hi. I don’t review videos like this but this video is obviously different. You really helped me to make the decision to purchase this MacBook Pro. Appreciate your content. It’s informative and helpful to know what you need to do.
I own this laptop. It was a very short debate at the time for Retina or, as how I saw it, an actual laptop still geared towards artists. I'd rather have the ports for in the field, and just hook it up to a 4k monitor back in my home office. This laptop served me well for years!
Me too, Bimini Bob. I’m a web developer and I really need a faster modem but I bought a great machine in. 2009 and it has really held up. I did put in a 500 GB SSD and upgraded to high Sierra against Apple’s advice.
Dang it... I have a 2011... I just updated it to Catalina though and it works great for a 9 year old laptop! 🙂 It was a major pain to go from Yosemite to Catalina though. I had to dump a ton of patches just to get it to High Sierra then to Catalina but it works! 😁 I'm sure by adding a 1TB SSD and maxing our the RAM helped a couple years ago too. 👍🏼🙂
Got a mid 2012 mbp with the core i5 running MacOS BigSur. I upgraded it to 16GB RAM, added a 256GB SSD and replaced the thermal compound. Runs perfectly fine and almost never goes above 85°C
Love my Mid 2012 13 inch! I have the 2.9ghz i7 model, with 16gb ram and a 2TB Evo 860 SSD. Catalina unfortunately has definitely slowed it down.. nervously awaiting to see if it will run 10.16.
I'm thinking of buying that same laptop and thinking the same approach as you mentioned, so I want to ask how does your computer work well with bigger file sized things as well as having multiple things open were it isn't super slow?
2022 may - I found that this macbook for sealed box for 300 bucks and jumped it :) added samsung 500 gb ssd and 16 gb ram costs near 100 ( new ). The only problem is battery died when i opened the box because its never charged and can' charge . 0 cycle and died before use :) added another battery good condition for 15 bucks, installing oclp monterey and these machine running likes a beast. If anyone thinks to buy relatively cheap these macbook you can still usable for daily ısage, wathcing contents smoothly. Also you can install windows 10 and play games era of 2005 - 2015 thanks to gt650. Also I've got never m1 Ipad pro for another things but playing older games or wachting movies on big screen 2012 mid non retina is very good for the price. This is not a super computer in 2022 but still the king :)
I walked into the apple store in mid 2012 with 2500 dollars to spend. I was interested in the rentina version since I was coming from a 2007 17 inch MBP. I had my doubts about buying a new untested model and really liked the battery swapabilty of the 2007. The mid 2012 had the same guts without the retina display and I spent about 45 minutes debating with myself. I eventually asked one of the apple store dudes his straight up opinion and he kinda leaned in and said "I'm not supposed to say this, but definitely get the non retina". Almost 10 years later after SSD/RAM upgrades and a precautionary battery replacement, this machine is still running strong. Never a blip, everything has always worked perfect, not one issue. The SSD upgrade a couple years ago made it whole new machine. Definitely the last great macbook. Should probably do a thermal paste refresh and give it a good clean soon, maybe remove the optical drive for some better thermals or another SDD. I gave mine to my girlfriend and she uses it pretty heavily for school and general use. This thing just wont die. Too bad they probably won't support it anymore soon since it is so repairable.
I’ve now watched two of your videos and in neither of them have you mentioned battery life. That’s a huge deal bro. You need to talk about how these old batteries are holding up.
I'm living overseas. I have two. I have upgraded one to 2 terabytes and 16ram. The country I'm in doesn't have official Mac dealers. But there are official re-sellers here. A new Macbook would cost me $1,000 easily. So I'm sticking with this and parts replacements for a while longer. I do a lot of video editing, so I needed the extra terabyte boost. But basically it's still working. And if one gets funky I can take it out of the loop and replace parts. Thanks for the review.
Thanks, Luke! Just bought one for $300.00 which is more than I wanted to spend but it will be my "on the road" machine for work. If I break it or some jackass steals it I won't feel as bad as I would if they stole my new 2020 MBP!
@@muhammadfaiz3890 I think so! It does what I want it to which is surf the net and watch movies while working out of town. I bumped up the ram to 16gb and put a 1tb ssd in it. If you're going to render videos it will still do it but just slower.
I have had this computer since 2012 and it has just gotten better over time, during the last 3 years I've upgraded to 16 GB of memory, 2 TB of solid state drive, new battery and keyboard. Couldn't be any happier with this computer, it has given me everything and more.
"What the heck is that old beast" is the exact reaction I get everywhere with my 2012 Thinkpad W530. When I owned a mid-2012 people barely had any idea it wasnt brand new. This design really is timeless
ua-cam.com/video/W5JR-xYWYfI/v-deo.html
look at those lovely ports. I'm still using the mid 2012 :) as of writing to this comment, I replaced it with SSD and it was blazing fast :)
same. just bought a san disc 512gb ssd .16gb 1600mhz ram + the i7 35someting at 2.9ghz and 13 inc display with big sur on it. love it
Same, but I build in the second ssd instead of cd drive. works great.
Just bought late 2011
@@dejw1982 hey could you please tell me how to do that or if I am not professional in doing this ! So should I do that ?
@@DS-rq7bs You need to buy a special socket. And unscrew a few pieces. If you never open your mac its better to give this to computer service or some nerds ;)
This was the MBP that switched me from windows. and man in 2012, and fully specced out this was not only a thing of beauty, but an absolute beast! My first one died due to a glass of wine being spilled on it, so I bought another. It lasted for years as well! When my partner needed a new laptop she got this one-- it's still going strong. I now am using a late 2019 15" for work, but it just doesn't have the same "heart" as this old one did. plus, DVD drive! Firewire was useful for my old audio interface, but the I/Os on this model was why I was so in love with it. Wish they'd bring it back!
In my case, my mid-2012 15" unibody is rocking 16G RAM, a 1T SSD... AND a Matshita UJ267AM Blu-Ray reader/burner! (I deal with music CDs and disc burning often, so I LIKE having an internal optical.)
The original DVD drive was failing, and the replacement part was hard to get, but when researching options, I learned that the UJ267 Blu-ray is exactly the same physical size as the original DVD drive! It doesn't, however, have the right mounting lugs, so you have to swap the top cover of the old drive onto the new one. It's a bit of a hack, but it works. And I got the NEW Blu-ray internal drive for LESS than a refurb replacement DVD was going for. So this computer is, yes, better than new!
But you forgot one thing: "Upgradability" is a synonym for "REPAIRABILITY." On this same laptop, I have also replaced the battery, the trackpad, the keyboard, AND the wi-fi antenna. I don't look at that as having thrown a lot of money into a pit, rather, if I was having an issue with just ONE component, I could buy a $30 part, turn a few screws, and be back in business with a like-new computer, rather than being forced to replace the entire machine. As much as I lust after a newer 8-core i9 machine with the fabulous display and the touchbar, I dread being unable to REPAIR it. When the battery inevitably starts to lose capacity, the entire computer might as well be failing.
Well said! This is exactly why I love working on and using older devices. They're so easy to do maintenance on and that gives you a sense of security because you know that if anything does go wrong, all you have to do is unscrew a panel and replace the part that isn't working. I never have to worry about my older devices becoming an expensive paperweight because a cheap repair will always ensure my money didn't go to waste.
The lengths you have to go to and the money you have to spend to repair a modern phone or laptop is way too much by comparison. They're designed in such a way that if you're not careful enough, you could end up with more broken parts than you started with. Adhesive everywhere. Thin ribbon cables that are far too short. Nonstandard screws requiring specific and expensive screw bits to be purchased by the user. It's all so wasteful and helps no one. I really hate how much the industry has regressed despite how much progress it has made in other ways.
Still rockin my early 2011, hasn’t failed yet.
catholiccowboy what OS are you running it on?
catholiccowboy dude, don't want to worry you, but sell it, while you still can 😂
I didn't know about the whole #radeongate thing, while I bought mine 2011 MBP 15" two years ago. I didn't really read any reviews prior to my unfortunate purchase. It is my first Apple computer. Having heard so much good stuff about Macs and what reliable machines they are I just assumed that they are immune to failure or something.
As Luke was saing in the video these models are bound to fail sooner or later. So finally the day has come for my machine: the infamous Radeon GPU failed on me - I was so pissed off it almost turned me off buying any Mac ever again... Until I fixed it. I managed to bypass the discreet graphics and use the integrated card permanently. Worked fine except for decrease in graphics department, obviously. But yesterday it failed again and it won't cooperate this time. I tried everything... I'm yet to find a working fix. So now I'm stuck at home because of pandemic without a working computer. Should've sold it right after I fixed it...
But if there's one thing I know it's that if I manage to repair it I'm selling it immediately and buying a Retina, preferably 2015, cause they are said to be the most reliable ones. I won't ever make the same mistake: buying expensive equipment without doing extensive research on the reliability.
So to sum up, I warn you: sell yours before it breaks down. And it will eventually. Buy yourself a more reliable model, if you can't afford newer ones, even the 2010 will do - they at least won't turn into a brick overnight.
Cheers 😉
@@LazarusMcPush Sierra. og battery, 500 ssd, and 16gb ram. Its fast as ever
@@kajetanrabiega6030 I got it mine in 2011 so if it dies i still got my monies worth. Plus I wouldn't want to screw someone over in these hard times
@@catholiccowboy Fair play
I have the 13 inch version of this. Bought it as a base model. I upgraded the ram from 4 to 8 gb and swapped out the HDD out for a SSD. Still runs beautifully.
Yay, you are doing a review of the Macbook pro that I've been using since I bought it in 2014! The upgradeability of this particular Macbook is the only reason I've kept using this machine instead of buying a new macbook.
Same here got it back in 2014 for $1400. Still running amazing and just changed the thermal paste. Got a higher benchmark score than when I bought it.
Same lol my dad also bought it in 2014 but gave it to me an year ago or so and I think it is still a great deal
I use the mid 2010 all white unibody MacBook and it works like a champ!
@@vxqzy I've got the late 2010. Added two SSD's and upgraded RAM to 8GB (which i'm told it maxes out at) I've lugged it around in a backpack for years and it's finally showing it with a single line down the screen, so I can replace the screen, live with it as is, or buy a 2012 and get the better bus speed (SATA 3 vs SATA 2, I believe)
@@Hunter_RQ i have a 2012 macbook pro 4gb ram, but it doesn't work, do you think it's worth refurbishing? / is it possible to upgrade the ram for it?
Been using mine since 2012, still smooth for the most part. Had to repair a few bits over the years, but all DIY, can't say I'll be able to do the same for the new one that's coming... awesome machine, will keep it around as a backup.
To this day I’m still rockin my mid 2012 2.7 i7 MBP Retina (a little thinner) for design work. I run heavy Illustrator, Photoshop, Cinema 4D and Keyshot - even Catalina - no issues. It set me back $4K at the Apple store 8 years ago, but the processor is still relevant today, and haven’t come close to maxing the 750Gb SSD. Paid for itself many times over.
“What the heck is that old beast?” - I get that look, whatever laptop I’m using.
@Dr ROLFCOPTER! I was about to say that 😛
LOL, no matter what kind of Laptop? Even an Apple laptop?
The look I get when I need windows at work on the old T440P
You tell them that it’s the last real MacBook and not the junk that is made today.
@@mathewchen6471 Somehow I don't think they're referring to the computer :(
Bought my first MacBook back in 2012 (this one) upgraded ram and ssd a few years later and I am still happily using it till this date. Battery is still working quite well, have seen people buy 2 or 3 new laptops in the meantime because they got slow or broke. I’m really amazed at how well this MacBook aged. Very sad to see upgradability disappear since.
And the battery is only a hundred or so dollars to have it sent to Apple and have it replaced for another 1000 charging cycles. Sounds like incredible value to me.
Still have mine. Upgraded to the ram to 16GB and threw in a 1TB SSD, took out the Super Drive and threw in a 750GB SSD. To this day the thing is still a beast!
Will it support 2TB SSD on 1 TB sata each?
@@JOSELOUIS yeah definitely
I bought a used Macbook Pro 13" 2012 with a cracked plastic screen, bought the parts to fix it on Amazon including a toolkit, plastic screen replacement and heat gun for $60 total. I watched UA-cam videos to learn how to repair the screen. It took 2 hours but I was very very careful. Success and I had never done it before! Then I dropped a Crucial MX500 1TB SSD into it , and put 16 GB of RAM in it and it works amazingly well and it's 2020. It's running Mojave like a champ. It cold boots in about 40 seconds. Thanks for this video, Luke! You're an A+++ communicator.
I JUST upgraded my 13'' tonight and the performance is amazing, far better than I expected. I haven't upgraded my OS past Sierra because of software I need that just isn't supported beyond High Sierra so I'm not concerned too much with OS upgradeability. Still, with the hardware upgrade it's almost like a brand new machine.
Watching on my 13 inch 2012 MacBook Pro upgraded to 16GB RAM & 500GB SSD 🥰 it's such a good laptop, fastest I've ever had, works perfectly on macOS and windows. I'm not upgrading this thing until it literally snaps in half. 😆
;)
Where did you buy your upgrades?
Mine has almost snapped in half (half of the screen hinge cracked and broke off and the screen is half separated from the keyboard part) and I'm STILL using it, and not giving it up until it literally STOPS WORKING!
Even then, I will be looking for ANOTHER mid-2012 unibody MacBook Pro, hopefully upgrading from the i5 I currently have to an i7 in the mid-2012 unibody hard-drive & RAM upgradeable version!
Atima Xavitna I just pulled out my 2012 MacBook Pro. What would you suggest I do to get it running again? What soft ware could I upgrade to and how?
Neither is Apple;)
Give us back CHOICE:
- Ports: SD, USB 3, USB-C
- Screens: Matte vs. Brilliant
...
Ordered mine with matte. Best decision ever. Ever ever. Still have it kicking around somewhere. Carried me through school and a million other hurdles.
My choice is to have a thin macbook rather than a (useless for me) SD card slot and USB 3
Ask photographers and video makers if they like it without SD slot
What an AUTISTIC decision by Apple! Stupidity at its finest
GallicGarlic photographers and video makers are a minority they don’t give a shit about minority
curtis mills photographers and video makers are the majority. Normal folk is the minority
just upgraded my 15" mid-2012. With the upgrade its now awesome again.
I bought a used one, just this year. Still runs great, editing videos, photoshop... I upgraded to 16GB and SSD, removed the DVD port to fit another HD. Works awesome!
This the only Macbook I see DJ's use.
Thats what I use!
I’m ganna try it
@@kikimusicofficial8601 I am trying to get it
Doesn't matter because DJs don't do anything, they just act like they turn knobs when they don't.
In Brazil same 😆😆
Yes it is still the king. Just upgraded mine with 16gb ram and 2TB Samsung evo 860. I use mine for music production with logic pro x and a lot of iMovie projects.
Thanks I'm bout get one because I want logic
How did you upgrade it with 16gb ram?
@@ftcompilations1174 bought 8 ram twice.
I'm thinking of buying one from my buddy next week for just recording music and film
Thinking about doing this finally
2012 13" here. It is still the king, for sure! I can literally have the best Mac and Windows laptop, all in one. Greay videos m8!
I have one of these in my classroom. It's like having a ten-year-old Lexus - drives like new.
The biggest issue with the Unibody 13" models are the drive cable failures. It makes it look like the hard drive is failing when it's actually the easily worn 'flat' cable that has 3 90 degree bends in it. The cable rubs against the metal case and creates micro fractures which you cannot see but do affect the HDD/SSD. Easiest fix is to replace the cable and apply electrical tape to prevent the cable from moving/rubbing on the case. There's a few videos on this out there if you have this issue.
Upgraded to 1TB SSD + 16GB RAM and it still works great. The graphics card is a bit crap in the 13" but alas, still good for everyday browsing/work/videos etc.
I've had this issue twice. If I replaced the optical drive with an ssd and booted from there, would it resolve the problem?
Mine will be going in for a service this week (Battery-replacement, thermal-paste replacement). But other than than, I've been having a near flawless experience, using it for music production.
Bougght the 2.33 model second-hand in 2014I. I' ve upgraded the ram to 16g, whacked in a 2tb main SSD, and replaced the dvd drive with a 1tb SSD.
Total workhorse.
Happy with my 13" Macbook Pro Mid-2012 non-retina. It does all I want, and is solid as a rock.
@Shank Adams I can fix it myself, it's solid as a rock and upgrades in the future (storage, memory) are possible. It will be useful for decades to come. Right along with my original Macintosh sitting in the basement.
Dean Klein "decades"
Thats nice to hear. The 13" MBP 2012 was my first apple laptop. But, my hard drive kept crashing and I had to repair it twice in 1 year. In my opinion the 13" 2015 MBP is the best. 5 years and going strong.
@@12345starbucks give him an ssd
ive had mine since it came out. got me through nursing school. last oct I upgraded to Catalina computer took a nose dive. during this quarantine I decided to update the ssd to the Samsung 1tb. and WOW. this thing is a beast. 2minute start up now 16sec. UA-cam fast. its a must do.
7:41 how you tell the waiter to stop pouring ur drink at a restaurant
im dead
BlocksMC 😂
LMFAO we need to get this comment on top!!!!
😂😂😂😂
lmfaooo
I've got an upgraded one and I love it. It's a beast, never failed or needed any repair. I've got also a Macbook Air 2020 Intel i3, but when it comes w/ reliability, I'd prefer my Macbook Pro Mid 2012, no doubt.
10 years later still rocking my 15" MBP pumping out vids and I have only recently added 16 ram and put in a 1gb SSD and I can't believe the difference! I should have done it years ago lol. An absolute workhorse .. unlike my 2009 27" iMac
“It’s a little bit thick, a little bit heavy”
*ThinkPad W700ds laughs in the background*
@Joshua Knighten Typing this from one of mine now! With an IPS upgrade and a CPU swap they can cream any MacBook from the same era.
I watched your video, tell your friend I have some fresh kidneys and whatever organs they need in exchange for that W700ds
@@sneedsneed460 XD Hahah! I will relay the message to him!
LOL, T400 and T440p laughing on my desk
ua-cam.com/video/W5JR-xYWYfI/v-deo.html
I really enjoy these “value” centric videos. Would love to see a “best value iPhone” or “iPad” video.
I'm still using it and while I'd love to upgrade to an iMac, this thing is so reliable, so thumbs up
My 2012 15" MBP pays my bills. Nothing Apple makes now is capable of replacing it as a truly 'pro' portable. I've been able to just keep upgrading it as I went along -- currently with a quad i7, 16GB RAM, 2TB 6G SSD, a higher watt-hour aftermarket battery, and quieter more efficient fans. Magsafe, dual video processors, so much connectivity without a dongle or dock, etc... I plug it in to my Thunderbolt Display, and it's gold.
Also: I have not tried it, but there are several videos on UA-cam of people who have successfully put two SSDs in this model and made RAID-0 work.
Can you post a link to where you got your higher watt battery? I can’t seem to find any good replacement batteries that last longer than a few months.
@@HenryHearse I bought the 85w one from OWC (the original was 77w). Gives me a pretty consistent 6hrs per charge. Longevity I can't attest to, I've only had it a little less than a year, so far so good though.
Hello I'm posting this on my MBP 2012, I've resurrected it from the dead. I did not open my computer for years and it's collected dust around the fans which caused an overheating issue overtime to short the circuit. Since then I've sent my logic board for repair, dusted the whole thing thoroughly, upgraded the ram from 8gb to 16gb and upgraded to a samsung evo 500gb SSD. This thing works like a dream and I love it! I'll certainly take this over those "fancy" new macbooks which have no upgrade-ability what so ever.
Watching this on my Late 2011 with bypassed GPU, matte hi-res screen, and SSD. Rocks as a surfer.
Bought two of these for $100, both had GPU issues that I worked around with a gmux flash and haven't had issues since! Terrific value for money.
@James Phillippe Essentially, there is a chip (gmux chip) onboard that controls switching between dedicated GPU and integrated Intel GPU. Flashing the said chip with custom firmware permanently disables the dedicated AMD GPU. Requires a bit of microsoldering or pogo-pins but is essentially a JTAG flash.
Pros:
- GPU receives no power so less heat to dissipate for the cooling
- permanent GPU solution that will keep the machine running for years
Cons:
- MiniDP port for video out to a monitor will never work again because it's integrated through the dedicated AMD GPU
- brightness controls are broken post procedure and require a 3rd party software fix to get re-enabled again
Google: "dosdude DeMux flash" and that's your reading material on the subject
@James Phillippe If your device is working properly than wait for it to die, statistically speaking it most likely will - there was a 85% failure rate. You don't have to touch it now if it's still working as it should.
ua-cam.com/video/W5JR-xYWYfI/v-deo.html
Watching this on my 2012 MBP 15" Retina. It's a beast and as fast as the day I bought it, no exaggeration.
Can we ply gta 5 in it dude?
I’m still using mine. I upgraded it to 16 Gb of ram and added two 512 Gb SSDs over the years. It sits closed on the shelf connected to a thunderbolt dock. My monitor and all my music production gear run through the dock and it works flawlessly. Since I don’t have the need for a powerful graphics card I’m sure I’ll still be using this one for awhile. That is unless Apple decides to make a computer that caters to the prosumer level that’s modular and user upgradable. I won’t hold my breath though.
I got a 2012 15” MacBook Pro for 180$ and it is in pretty good condition and it has 8gb of ram but still has a HDD and a 2.3ghz core i7 and the hard drive is still in good health
Bought my 13” mid-2012 MBP new in 2013. Chose it because of the upgradeable RAM/HD and the optical drive. Almost ten years later, I’m still using it every day. Maxed out the RAM and added an SSD. Performance in data heavy apps is poor, but it is still hanging on. What a workhorse.
It is still my king. Macbook Pro 13" mid 2012 and it works wonderfully. Parralled with Windows 10 for light Steam gaming and car ECU diagnostics. Two 1TB SSDs; one is for off-loading drone footage (replaced the Super Drive, which is used occasionally but now enclosed externally. Also upgraded to 16GB of RAM. It takes no time for booting and navigating at all. Still love the quality build, which is aesthetically pleasing. The battery is still really good. The device started off with 4GB or RAM and a 500GB HDD. Thank you for your video.
In early 2015 I purchased a 2011 MBP 13 dual core, put a 512gb SSD, and 16gb of ram. Lasted me throughout 4 years of school with moderate workloads. Stopped using it late 2018 but it is one of the best purchases I have made. Still works well for light tasks, and use it for occasional server management.
"The graphics will fail and you will die" that one got me
@@tomrobinson2914 jfc the amount of things that can go wrong with this is levels of terribad, for any person that sees this PLEASE take your macbook to a specialty electronics/laptop repair shop/person so they can REFLOW the joints affecting the gpu with a heatgun/more solder and not bake your board.
There was a software that I found that fixed that problem.
@@tomrobinson2914 so many many things could go wrong with putting electronics in an oven
@@tomrobinson2914 i actually done this TWICE with a 2009 MacBook Pro and it saved my life…….TWICE!
really? I have mine sitting in a cupboard somewhere because the graphics card fried itself. I tried the software work around but eventually it failed to and now doest display anything
I'm still using my mid 2012 Macbook Pro 13'. I cannot believe it survived all these years of coding, running simulations, and video editing. The best thing about this mac is our ability to upgrade components. I maxed out the RAM and switched to SSD in 2015, and has been a beast. Did have an issue with speaker, but it's easily replaceable. Replaced the battery once, too.
I still have my good old 2012. Minus a couple of dents I made, that baby got me through college and is still helping me out in my professional career. The SSD and RAM upgrades were a big help!
150.000 Subs!! I knew you can do it!!!! Congrats!!
Because of this channel and a few others I bought my 2012 unibody core i7 last year for $300. I put in a new battery, ssd & 16gb of ram at a total price of $540. I use it for college and tele communicating for work and i feel like its over kill. In a few years i’ll buy the newest best macbook pro. Until then, this one is still king imo
This sealed the deal for me
I have this macbook. Bought it in 2012, still use it every single day with the original battery. Love it!
same here... but looking for a new battery. Mine has 779 cicles and still last like 2 hours of a light safari session
@@sabelonmc4508 I didn't even know what these cycles were until i saw mine was at 1,677 haha. Just ordered a new battery!
I'm still rocking mine since 2012!
Bought my 2.7GHz MBP early in 2013. It's still running the original battery and 768GB SSD. It continues to work perfecty and has never needed a repair. I dicovered my old Powerbook G4 (a whole 1.67GHz) in the loft a few weeks ago; plugged it in, charged it up and - by some miracle - it still works. My youngest daughter is now on her third HP laptop in four years. Okay, they're cheaper than Macs, but the resale value of a Mac is considerably higher and the longevity a lot greater.
This would be a huge upgrade for me, seeing as how I'm still using the same MacBook Pro I bought in late 2007, and still using it for video editing and photo editing.
THIS IS AWESOME. omggeee
What editing apps you using
@@kayliciousrice8371 I'm using the iMovie software that came with the laptop.
@Images In LA so it came wit your computer
@@kayliciousrice8371 yes the editing software came with my computer. Why, what are you trying to do?
I've owned my 15" mid 2012 unibody new since 2013 and it flawlessly does everything I need.
I added 16 gb of Ram and a 2 TB Samsung 860 SSD.
My 2011 died this year. And I died a little inside. Damn graphics.
You get upgrade the motherboard to a 2012. Ifixit.com. Use that site to see what is wrong with it. If it doesn’t charge the maga connected is cheap. If you need a new hard drive cable those aren’t too expensive. I replaced my logic board on my MacBook Pro. I got used one, air sprayed it to get the dust off and and now my MacBook Pro 2012 works.
Easy fix. Use a 1500 watt heat gun to re-flow the GPU. 3-4 minutes at 2-3 inches above the chip does the job. Fixed many 2011 and 2012 MPB doing this.
It’s still the GOAT. Got one running 16GB, 4TB SSD, and running Monterey via OCLP.
This is a pretty good Macbook, it is actually amazing when you're upgrading it. Being the last univody Macbook Pro makes it a good choice because it has a lot of ports and the date makes it more advanced than the other unibodies. It also has an easy to use trackpad, because the size and the stability gives it an easy way to use gestures. The retina Macbook Pro is fine, but it has quite less ports and the display isn't such a big difference (It is when you're recording with a camera). I have one running Os X Catalina with upgraded 1TB of storage, 16GB of ram and i5, and it's very adaptable for my needs.
its ram sucks tho, 3 beeps is stuck in my head now
I have had this mid 2012 MacBook Pro since new (probably spring of 2013). I initially upgraded the RAM to 8 gb... then later discovered I had some laying around that would take it up to 16. I have changed drives a couple times... first to a 1TB spinning drive, and later to a 1TB SSD. I use it everyday and twice on Sunday, so to speak. Battery still holds a decent charge... I may replace it soon. Currently running Mojave, only because I have an old version of MS office I want to keep using. This thing is a champ. Other than the 12 inch Aluminum Powerbook I had prior to the intel switch, I am not sure I have ever had such strong feelings about the quality and durability of a computer. Earlier this spring, in a meeting with a bunch of people relegated to using Windows machines, a director of a department looked over and asked how I had this machine (because I sort of run my own technology acquisition). I tried to downplay that it was really quite old... but the truth is, I wouldn't have traded for any other machine in the room.
how does this model compare to 2015 macbook pro retina? Am I amble to upgrade and fix the 2015 as easy as with the 2012 models?
@@happylifegrace4674 Absolutely not. Mid 2012 is the last version before Retina display came about which no longer allows you to easily upgrade.
LOVED my G4 12-inch Aluminum Powerbook!
2012 13" - It's King, Emperor, beloved - as you wish ;-)
2012 Retina was the king until 16" came out. Huge improvement.
Best I've ever had.
ua-cam.com/video/W5JR-xYWYfI/v-deo.html
but you can't fix it or take it apart!! :( that's a huge downside for me. my mbp2012 wouldn't be the amazing machine it is today if i hadn't been able to upgrade it. it just lasts so much longer when the company lets you do this kinda stuff. not just better for your wallet but also for the environment.
just bought one and i am already loving how it feels LOL
How does it do with video editing ?
@@BeinBryan i just do light editing so it's fine.
Watching on a 2010 MBP which until recently has ran like a champ for the last 10 years. I swear just in the last few months video playback has been lagging like crazy and overall performance has dropped. Not sure what is up but nice knowing I can always go crazy and spoil myself with a 2012 model!
Had a mid 2012, it started freezing, couldn’t fix it, so I bought a second one w/ 16gb Ram and put in a 1tb ssd. As soon as I did, I figured out what was wrong w/ the first one so now I have 2. I love’em both!
Can I ask you what was wrong and how did you fix it? My mid 2012's display turns off during booting but keyboard backlight turns on later.
Hi Juan, please post how did you fix the freezing issue. Thanks.
sungkoo huh he fix it with upgrading to a faster 1tb ssd. That is what he did.
11:50 - "Don't buy a 2011. The graphics will fail and you'll die." 😂
Brandon Nel that happened to mine lmao..
Same here. That quote hit different 😔 haha
@@danielalvarez7704 I could take advantage of Apple recall program, they replace the logic board for free
Gabriel Giannini however, even the replaced ones are also prone to failure.
@@GabrielGiannini yes, but not now, can you confirm it? Thank you
yo dude i have the mid 2012 15 and replaced the screen to the antiglare after watching your videos, totally worth it
How much did it cost you ?
@@luisfernando55 it was like $60 on ebay. serious game changer, I was about to get a 2015 15 because i was fed up with the shit screen quality but this is a serious revamp
Just bought one of these today in 2021. 2.3GHz i7, put in 16GB ram. 500GB ssd and 1TB hdd. It's usable but the age is really showing with the modern web and so forth. Display looks fine in my own opinion, not the best but it's still reasonable.
If you want a retina, but don’t want a new Mac, go for a Mid-2014 - 2015 MacBook Pro.
They do not have the aforementioned graphics/soldering issues.
I still use FireWire for my audio interfaces. These machines are still audio production powerhouses.
still have my mid-2012 13" MBP and it still runs like day 1 so far
Same. Until the new 16" there was simply no justifiable upgrade path.
Now I just wanna see how long it can go for, I may be buried with this machine.
Mine ran fast until I had to install Office to work from home with this Covid crisis.
Petra van Hoften That can’t be right, unless you have a low spec configuration when you bought your laptop. What are you specs and the OS you’re using?
@@MrIDGAF who are you asking?
Mr. IDGAF Core i7, 2.4 GHz (I think), 8Gb ram. Running Catalina which runs fine on the old mid 2012. But when I start using Word, excel or outlook it takes ages for the programs to open and I get a lot of rainbow spinning things (whatever those are called). The HD is still has plenty of space. I thought of doubling the ram.
You can put two SSD and make a FusionDrive and boot from it!
My mom found a MacBook Pro (unibody) 2012 thrown away, all I spent was $179 to upgrade to 500 SSD and 16gb Ram and replace the battery. It runs great and is perfect for my little sister who plays Roblox and browses UA-cam. The machine isn't perfect but it fits my needs.
This is one of my computers that is dusting out. This was my main computer once. Now It need a screen glass replacements. Hard disc replacement and no power. I am planing to bring this to life again and thank you for your video.
i'm still using a 2012 13" and I love it! I maxed, the ram, added an SSD and 1TB harddrive. I have an eGPU for it, RX570.
I edit photos and videos on it. With the egpu it can handle 4k footage on premier pro and final cut to.
nice try, i think this laptop can't handle eGPU
@@DhaniElfaraby u are wellcome
ua-cam.com/video/VjaBSviiIXY/v-deo.html
シDraco Dark of course it can! Thunderbolt 2 can handle ~20GBit ... It just cant use the full potential of the eGPU as on newer TB3 laptops. @Dániel Lukács does it use x2 or x4 PCIe Lanes from the CPU?
@@eyomarc3467 sorry man i don`t knkw. I'm new mac user. Where can i see it?
@@eyomarc3467 Actually it can use almost the same potential if you do not route video signal back to the laptop ... do some research (egpu.io)
I had a late 2011 15” with dual 120gb SSDs in raid 0. They just need to be APFS I think
Me Watching this on a 2012 13" unibody wondering if I should keep it or sell it: Hmm... Interesting
Yea good question is 13“ Mid 2012 same like 15” 2012 that i can Add some RAM .I’m interested in something for travel and 15” I already have from Lenovo is to big to take in bag and go for some trip.
@@heyst2802 it is the sane
I’m buying one next week hehehheee
I decided to keep it btw, it was a good choice. It works great as a family/general use pc and that battery is still goin strong.
@@pcmasterrace5990 and switching batteries is luckily very easy
Typing this on my 2012 MBP 15inch with 2 1TB SSD's (replacing optical drive) new keyboard, new battery and reapplied thermal paste and cleaned motherboard dust ducts, it runs faster and better than even when I got it new.
Upgraded 2 mid-2012 MacBook Pro machines to 1TB SS drives, 16MB RAM, & replaced batteries for less than $500.00. Just purchased 2 mid-2012 MacBook Pro machines for our grandchildren on eBay, and upgraded from 4MB Ram to 8MB using RAM from our machines, and replaced 1 battery. Purchase & upgrades less than $700.00. They now have good machines for school that I can work on and everyone is happy! Great laptops for our small business and kids school.
i use macbook pro 2012, i7, 16 gb ram, 1Tb ssd, 3 tb hdd, eGPU 1080ti, Tv 50" and 20" samsung monitor.
Can you give me more info on the epgu you're running? I have the exact Mac and wanted to get more info on that. Thanks!
I have just seen a 15 inch 2012 macbook for 900 with i7 quad core 3.6ghz, geforce 650m graphics card, 2tb SSD & 16gb or ram. I was thinking of getting this as I need something powerful/fast with a lot of storage for music pro, video editing, and graphic design. Is this a bad buy due to the price & age etc?
Does It Have IMovie???
Recomendation. Remove the DVD Drive and put a 250 GB SSD, then a 1 or 2 TB HDD in the HDD Bay. Combine both in a fusion drive. I think it is the best bang for the buck for that machine.
Raid 0 Is not more faster?
Pablo Cardelino maybe, it depends of what you use the computer for. A RAID 0 can reach 900 MB/s sequential reads and writes. It is useful for very large files. In everyday use, not professional, I rarely saturate the 550 of the single SSD. I also don’t need to transfer more than 4 GB at once.
With a 50$ 2TB HDD and a 50$ SSD you can have 2,25 TB storage and the SSD experience.
2 TB SSD costs ~ 200-230$
@@lucianoag999 excellent answer thnks
Hi. I don’t review videos like this but this video is obviously different. You really helped me to make the decision to purchase this MacBook Pro. Appreciate your content. It’s informative and helpful to know what you need to do.
I own this laptop. It was a very short debate at the time for Retina or, as how I saw it, an actual laptop still geared towards artists. I'd rather have the ports for in the field, and just hook it up to a 4k monitor back in my home office. This laptop served me well for years!
Short answer: yes
Long answer: non’t
ua-cam.com/video/W5JR-xYWYfI/v-deo.html
Bro stop self promos it’s annoying grow naturally like everyone else
Got a 2009 Pro that’s still chugging along.
Me too, Bimini Bob. I’m a web developer and I really need a faster modem but I bought a great machine in. 2009 and it has really held up. I did put in a 500 GB SSD and upgraded to high Sierra against Apple’s advice.
Dang it... I have a 2011... I just updated it to Catalina though and it works great for a 9 year old laptop! 🙂
It was a major pain to go from Yosemite to Catalina though. I had to dump a ton of patches just to get it to High Sierra then to Catalina but it works! 😁
I'm sure by adding a 1TB SSD and maxing our the RAM helped a couple years ago too. 👍🏼🙂
All this language is so foreign to me what MacBook do you think someone should get that may have the best deal
My 2012 MacBook is fantastic. Even after 8 years, it’s running like the day I got it. The best part, im able to keep repairing it myself.
Got a mid 2012 mbp with the core i5 running MacOS BigSur. I upgraded it to 16GB RAM, added a 256GB SSD and replaced the thermal compound. Runs perfectly fine and almost never goes above 85°C
My mom gave me her old 2012 MacBook Pro, it is currently getting me through university.
It’s an old beast.
Love my Mid 2012 13 inch! I have the 2.9ghz i7 model, with 16gb ram and a 2TB Evo 860 SSD. Catalina unfortunately has definitely slowed it down.. nervously awaiting to see if it will run 10.16.
I'm thinking of buying that same laptop and thinking the same approach as you mentioned, so I want to ask how does your computer work well with bigger file sized things as well as having multiple things open were it isn't super slow?
i'm using a late 2013 15" retina mbp, just bought it and i love it so far
2022 may - I found that this macbook for sealed box for 300 bucks and jumped it :) added samsung 500 gb ssd and 16 gb ram costs near 100 ( new ). The only problem is battery died when i opened the box because its never charged and can' charge . 0 cycle and died before use :) added another battery good condition for 15 bucks, installing oclp monterey and these machine running likes a beast. If anyone thinks to buy relatively cheap these macbook you can still usable for daily ısage, wathcing contents smoothly. Also you can install windows 10 and play games era of 2005 - 2015 thanks to gt650. Also I've got never m1 Ipad pro for another things but playing older games or wachting movies on big screen 2012 mid non retina is very good for the price. This is not a super computer in 2022 but still the king :)
I walked into the apple store in mid 2012 with 2500 dollars to spend. I was interested in the rentina version since I was coming from a 2007 17 inch MBP. I had my doubts about buying a new untested model and really liked the battery swapabilty of the 2007. The mid 2012 had the same guts without the retina display and I spent about 45 minutes debating with myself. I eventually asked one of the apple store dudes his straight up opinion and he kinda leaned in and said "I'm not supposed to say this, but definitely get the non retina".
Almost 10 years later after SSD/RAM upgrades and a precautionary battery replacement, this machine is still running strong. Never a blip, everything has always worked perfect, not one issue. The SSD upgrade a couple years ago made it whole new machine. Definitely the last great macbook. Should probably do a thermal paste refresh and give it a good clean soon, maybe remove the optical drive for some better thermals or another SDD.
I gave mine to my girlfriend and she uses it pretty heavily for school and general use. This thing just wont die.
Too bad they probably won't support it anymore soon since it is so repairable.
big sur and monterey run like a champ on these
Hhj😮
Thanks. I used your video to convince my wife that she really didn't need a new laptop.
I’ve now watched two of your videos and in neither of them have you mentioned battery life. That’s a huge deal bro. You need to talk about how these old batteries are holding up.
An hour or 3 / 4 Why the big deal its a 10 year old device
The 1680x1050 display was also available in glossy! I had one on my 2010 and it looked pretty damn good.
I'm living overseas. I have two. I have upgraded one to 2 terabytes and 16ram. The country I'm in doesn't have official Mac dealers. But there are official re-sellers here. A new Macbook would cost me $1,000 easily. So I'm sticking with this and parts replacements for a while longer. I do a lot of video editing, so I needed the extra terabyte boost. But basically it's still working. And if one gets funky I can take it out of the loop and replace parts. Thanks for the review.
Still using mine in 2022. In fact, it's the fourth one I've owned.
Great video. I've been contemplating an upgrade and this Literally answers all my questions.
Thanks, Luke! Just bought one for $300.00 which is more than I wanted to spend but it will be my "on the road" machine for work. If I break it or some jackass steals it I won't feel as bad as I would if they stole my new 2020 MBP!
So it still worth in 2021??
@@muhammadfaiz3890 I think so! It does what I want it to which is surf the net and watch movies while working out of town. I bumped up the ram to 16gb and put a 1tb ssd in it. If you're going to render videos it will still do it but just slower.
I still use my late 2011, how cool is that!!
Do you have issues with battery and slowness..
Mid 2015 is totally the way to go. All it needs is an ssd upgrade and everything just works.