[UserAccessDenied]

I currently have a late 2008 aluminum body Macbook.
Everything is basically stock on it besides the RAM that I upgraded to 4GB.

I'm currently running Yosemite OS

My laptop is very slow at times, but it still has a great image and does the job.
I'm basically only using it to upload my pictures from my K-30, use Google Chrome, and occasionally type a document using Microsoft Word.


I need your opinions...
Would you upgrade the Macbook? Buy an SSD and bump up the RAM to 8GB, maybe even a new battery??
This would cost about $200-300 and would give me a little more life to my machine.
or
Would you wipe the HDD and sell it (on eBay or the likes) while it is still worth something?

I just worry that even after upgrading I may not have much life left in this. It's almost 8 years old... How much longer could I honestly expect to get out of this machine, even after upgrading hardware components?


These machines are selling on eBay at around $300+/-
I figured the cost of upgrading hardware would run me close to $300.
I see it like putting a $3000 engine into a car that's worth only $3000... I guess it's worth it if you can't afford to replace the car, but not an ideal situation.


So if anyone would like to chime in and suggest what they would do, I'm interested to hear!
I know I can get a decent machine at $600 (cost of upgrade+value of Macbook in current state)
If you know of anything worth looking into, let me know!

Thanks for reading!

[boriscleto]

I have a 2009 Mac mini, so basically the same CPU & GPU. You will get better performance with 8GB of RAM. I never had any issues with files from the K-5. But with K-3 files it is starting to bog down a bit. I do have a small SSD that I boot from, but my storage is on USB 2 drives. I probably won't be updating the OS again. Even if Apple supports 10.11 on this machine I'm running Aperture, and that won't be supported by 10.11.

[UserAccessDenied]

I have a 2009 Mac mini, so basically the same CPU & GPU. You will get better performance with 8GB of RAM. I never had any issues with files from the K-5. But with K-3 files it is starting to bog down a bit. I do have a small SSD that I boot from, but my storage is on USB 2 drives. I probably won't be updating the OS again. Even if Apple supports 10.11 on this machine I'm running Aperture, and that won't be supported by 10.11.

Do you post process with any particular software?
Preference?

I'm using the new app Photos that took over iPhoto. It's great for importing files, but it's not exactly software for processing anything.
I'm really not trying to pay for software, but that seems unlikely at this point

EDIT: I just noticed you said you used Aperture... Is that all or do you also use LR or PS?

[i_trax]

I would go for a new one, we can not expect them to last more than 5 years, if they do , it is a bonus and erase your Macbook and sell it.
I have 2.5 years old 15" MacBook Pro with Retina, 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, still fast and I love it, great for traveling, battery lasts forever.
I still have 17" ( purchased used ), nearly 5 years old, my main workhorse at home but you can not buy new 17" ones any more.
My previous 17" ( purchased new ) lasted only 4 years, possibly I cooked it, I was running 2x 22" LCD screens with it.
Yes Yosemite OS is a very fast and uses much less resources.
I still have my old 15" MacBook Pro ( ~ 7 years old, purchased used) , it became much too slow to do anything with it ,after upgrading to OS X 10.10.3 is usable again, still bit slow , power supply runs very hot but it works.

[UserAccessDenied]

I would go for a new one, we can not expect them to last more than 5 years, if they do , it is a bonus and erase your Macbook and sell it.
I have 2.5 years old 15" MacBook Pro with Retina, 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, still fast and I love it, great for traveling, battery lasts forever.
I still have 17" ( purchased used ), nearly 5 years old, my main workhorse at home but you can not buy new 17" ones any more.
My previous 17" ( purchased new ) lasted only 4 years, possibly I cooked it, I was running 2x 22" LCD screens with it.
Yes Yosemite OS is a very fast and uses much less resources.
I still have my old 15" MacBook Pro ( ~ 7 years old, purchased used) , it became much too slow to do anything with it ,after upgrading to OS X 10.10.3 is usable again, still bit slow , power supply runs very hot but it works.

Thanks for the advice!
I'm seriously considering selling it while I still can...
I might move to PC though as it would help for work. But I've had a Mac for so long, I just don't know what PCs are good/ reputable anymore.


BTW, you have quite the collection between the multiple macbooks you own as well as the camera collection listed in your signature.
I'd love to see a photo of it all in a neat little collage!
I'm envious!

[Stavri]

I'm Mac illiterate, for photo editing (and general Arch/Design work) I use a bulky 17.3" Del Precision M6600 customized (the 240W power brick alone is the size of some laptops). I think it's about time you treat yourself to a new laptop...

[lightbox]

With my desktop PC, which is easy enough to work on, I'm inclined to keep it running for years before springing for a new system. However with a laptop you know that eventually (even if all the electrical circuitry keeps working) you will need a new battery or a new cooling fan, guaranteed.

The new breed of ultrathin laptops and tablets are a mixed bag, in my view. On the one hand they are progressing toward fanless designs (+), but on the other hand the batteries are not user-serviceable (-). Seems like the trend is toward disposable devices, at not-so-disposable prices. Hopefully over time the prices start to match the service life. I'm starting to rant, aren't I?

Anyway, my point is, there are hidden costs to keeping a laptop too long because batteries *will* fail (as will fans) and they won't be necessarily cheap or easy to fix due to the age and proprietary nature of the laptop.

[reeftool]

No offense intended and I know Mac's are fine machines but I wouldn't invest very much into upgrading a 7 year old laptop. Some extra memory and a new HD or SSD might speed it up but know that components could fail at any time. You can't really compare repairing a laptop to repairing a car. Cars are mechanical and the components and body can be inspected for wear and rust. Putting an engine into a car with a good, solid body can be a good decision since new cars will cost over $20K and even a decent used one will be over $10K these days. You can't tell when a motherboard is going to fail and laptops aren't all that expensive. One of the things that are likely to fail are USB ports and wireless adapters and on laptops aren't repairable.

[Stavri]

It's true what lightbox said about desktops, its still the best investment you can make in terms of performance for the money, easy to work on and upgrade. My i7 (920) desktop rig is 7 years old and still crushes anything that's thrown at it. Laptops on the other hand are closed systems, unyielding to upgrades apart from RAM and HDD (unless you have a Precision or one of those cool $2000+ gaming laptops.. ) I bought a Dell precision because I knew i could upgrade almost everything (and I eventually did cpu, gpu, ssd-msata), 16gb or Ram, two HDDs (DIY RGB LED screen with 98% Adobe RGB color gamut). You can only upgrade certain laptops (with dedicated GPUs that aren't printed on the mobo) and although I haven't crunched the numbers I think I've saved money in the long run (as opposed to chucking laptops every 2-3 years due to obsolescence)

[UserAccessDenied]

No offense intended and I know Mac's are fine machines but I wouldn't invest very much into upgrading a 7 year old laptop. Some extra memory and a new HD or SSD might speed it up but know that components could fail at any time. You can't really compare repairing a laptop to repairing a car. Cars are mechanical and the components and body can be inspected for wear and rust. Putting an engine into a car with a good, solid body can be a good decision since new cars will cost over $20K and even a decent used one will be over $10K these days. You can't tell when a motherboard is going to fail and laptops aren't all that expensive. One of the things that are likely to fail are USB ports and wireless adapters and on laptops aren't repairable.

Agreed, and no offense taken.

However my first car was in excellent condition and there was no rust or any indication that it was going to have issues... I needed a hew head gasket, but gut instinct told me to call it quits and sell it as is.
Ended up needing a new transmission, has serious electrical issues, and needed new ball bearings and a timing belt. My car sold for $700 and was not worth a penny more at this point. Would have been about a $5000 total fix to get everything replaced.

Moral of the story, I'm okay with parting with the Macbook at this point. I know, especially with technology such as a laptop, that 7 years of use is more than what most expect to get out of it.
I think I will sell it as is and move on to something new.

Any suggestions?!

[Stavri]

Agreed, and no offense taken.

However my first car was in excellent condition and there was no rust or any indication that it was going to have issues... I needed a hew head gasket, but gut instinct told me to call it quits and sell it as is.
Ended up needing a new transmission, has serious electrical issues, and needed new ball bearings and a timing belt. My car sold for $700 and was not worth a penny more at this point. Would have been about a $5000 total fix to get everything replaced.

Moral of the story, I'm okay with parting with the Macbook at this point. I know, especially with technology such as a laptop, that 7 years of use is more than what most expect to get out of it.
I think I will sell it as is and move on to something new.

Any suggestions?!

Do you want to stick to iOS or go to Windows 8.1?

[UserAccessDenied]

It's true what lightbox said about desktops, its still the best investment you can make in terms of performance for the money, easy to work on and upgrade. My i7 (920) desktop rig is 7 years old and still crushes anything that's thrown at it. Laptops on the other hand are closed systems, unyielding to upgrades apart from RAM and HDD (unless you have a Precision or one of those cool $2000+ gaming laptops.. ) I bought a Dell precision because I knew i could upgrade almost everything (and I eventually did cpu, gpu, ssd-msata), 16gb or Ram, two HDDs (DIY RGB LED screen with 98% Adobe RGB color gamut). You can only upgrade certain laptops (with dedicated GPUs that aren't printed on the mobo) and although I haven't crunched the numbers I think I've saved money in the long run (as opposed to chucking laptops every 2-3 years due to obsolescence)

Yes, but how much did your i7 desktop cost 7 years ago?

What would one equivalent in quality cost today?


I agree that those $2000+ laptops are a sweet thing. But I just don't need it.
I basically need a portable piece of hardware that has USB ports and can access the internet.
I know there are tablets out there that would server my function, but like you said they are the most closed system out there. Cannot even upgrade RAM or HDD, not to mention battery...

I'm worried I have two options:
1. Spend under $1000 for a device that is already obsolete the minute it hits the showroom and is so static that I will never be able to upgrade anything unless I invest a dumb amount of money in Cloud Services ()
2. Spend $1000 over my budget and have the capacity to upgrade components in the future, but also have a machine that well exceeds my needs.

I'm out of college now and no longer need that capacity.

In a perfect world I would find a $500 laptop that will last me another 7 years...
not likely?

---------- Post added 05-07-15 at 09:26 AM ----------

Do you want to stick to iOS or go to Windows 8.1?

I'm done with iOS... lol

I liked it for a while, but if you can't keep up with their 18 month product life cycle then you're really SOL.


I actually prefer Windows 7, but in order to downgrade a machine I heard there are strange license agreements and some laptops can't even go back at this point...
The expensive ones can of course, or I buy into a system that's a few years old. I prefer not buying old hardware.
Though most things that hit the showroom are obsolete anyways.

[Stavri]

I actually prefer Windows 7, but in order to downgrade a machine I heard there are strange license agreements and some laptops can't even go back at this point...
The expensive ones can of course, or I buy into a system that's a few years old. I prefer not buying old hardware.
Though most things that hit the showroom are obsolete anyways.

In the spectrum of laptop performance....WordProcessing<-----------------------------> Gaming I think your needs fall somewhere in the mid-low spectrum: Multimedia laptop
Here's a useful list of best performing multimedia laptops priced $1000-$1800
Notebookcheck's Top 10 Multimedia Notebooks - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

[reeftool]

There's certainly nothing wrong with the new Macbooks although some of the new ones aren't upgradeable because the memory is soldered. They can be pricey compared to Windows laptops. Actually, a lot of cheap Windows laptops are upgradeable, at least as far as adding a memory stick or changing a drive. If you're used to Mac though, switching to Windows might not be something you would want to do. I'm primarily a tower guy. My portable solution in an iPad and an HP laptop. I'll let the others chime in on suggestions.

I tend to forget sometimes, being the redneck that I am, that not everyone repairs their own cars. If I need an engine or transmission, it's a few hundred at the junkyard and a couple of days work although as I've grown older, I kind of shy away from that stuff now. Up here, rust is the car killer so most cars aren't worth major repairs after they are 7 or 8 years old.

[UserAccessDenied]

There's certainly nothing wrong with the new Macbooks although some of the new ones aren't upgradeable because the memory is soldered. They can be pricey compared to Windows laptops. Actually, a lot of cheap Windows laptops are upgradeable, at least as far as adding a memory stick or changing a drive. If you're used to Mac though, switching to Windows might not be something you would want to do. I'm primarily a tower guy. My portable solution in an iPad and an HP laptop. I'll let the others chime in on suggestions.

I tend to forget sometimes, being the redneck that I am, that not everyone repairs their own cars. If I need an engine or transmission, it's a few hundred at the junkyard and a couple of days work although as I've grown older, I kind of shy away from that stuff now. Up here, rust is the car killer so most cars aren't worth major repairs after they are 7 or 8 years old.

I use Windows at work and am very comfortable working with Windows 7
My macbook I get lost in sometimes when I'm just trying to find the folder that my photos are saved to.

I'm definitely moving to PC.

I just gave up on my iphone as well and bought a droid turbo... I'm never going back!
I just can't do it anymore.
The only thing I may invest in Apply is the iPad.
Seems like that's one thing they got right.

Only thing is it's easy to shop for a macbook...
When shopping for a windows laptop there are so many brands and models and options... I get overwhelmed easily lol

And I prefer something compact, like to stay around 13''.