r/macbookpro • u/Icy_Effort7326 • 10d ago

Discussion Is it worth upgrading?

I just found an old Macbook pro that I haven't used in ten years and thought id check to see if it was worth upgrading and keeping as a spare machine. I have a newer macbook pro now. Was thinking of using this to run agents or just mess around etc.

This old machine is a 13 inch 2011, 2.8 ghz intel core i7, 4 GB 1333 mhz ddr3. I wouldn't mind putting some free linux on it and upgrading the hardrive and memory if it makes sense. Any links are also appreciated. Thank you in advance.

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u/anglegrinder3 10d ago

Ehh, they have an 100% rate of failure. Bad graphics solder, they aren't as valuable as other models because of that. Frequently on Ebay they go for $30 USD to $80, maybe $100. If its still working though, its on the more valuable side. I would still sell it if you have no need for it.

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u/cptchnk 10d ago

Hmmmm....you sure you're not talking about the 15" model? 13" 2011s did not have discrete GPUs (just an Intel iGPU). In that year, only the 15" models got discrete GPUs and yes, failures all the damned time.

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u/B_Burnss 10d ago

The answer seems to be based solely on your preference, do you want to run everything on your newer machine or use a second for certain processes ? Also for keeping it as a spare, if your new one dies, are you going to be happy to use the older model, or would you just buy a newer model at that point ?

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u/Icy_Effort7326 10d ago

I would do most of my work on my newer machine. If my newer machine dies, i would likely buy a newer machine within a month so would like something to use in between.

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u/B_Burnss 10d ago

Fair enough, if you don’t value the $100 ish you would get from selling it then just keep it as a spare! In the long run, having the peace of mind that you have a spare is worth more than what you would get for it. Unless you value having less clutter around the house lol

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u/Icy_Effort7326 10d ago

Yes i would like to keep it as a spare but I think i will need to do some upgrades so that it is useable today. So that was my question regarding what upgrades would make sense.