Which 15' Macbook Pro should I buy?

Question

Which 15' Macbook Pro should I buy?

I currently have a late 2009 13' Macbook Pro. I am running Mavericks, have upgraded the memory as much as possible, use an external hard drive, but my computer is out of space, and it is slow (I can't even upgrade to Yosemite, if I even wanted to). When I originally was buying this, I was talked out of upgrading it to the biggest hard drive and faster speed by the Apple store, which I obviously regret now.

So I am looking to get the new 15' Pro with the 1 TB hard drive, but as far as processor speeds, should I go for a faster one? I mainly will be loading up the computer with hundreds of fonts, pictures, and graphics, mainly in creating powerpoints. I will not be using it for any gaming or video editing or anything like that, so I am assuming I really don't need this? - AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB GDDR5 memory. Or do I?

. I just want to make sure that it will last me for a longer time, especially with the fast pace of changing needs for speeds of systems, as well as the fact that I believe it cannot be upgraded at all, right?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Jennifer

iPhone 5s, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on May 25, 2015 10:41 AM

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Answer 1

Phil0124

Level 10

217,556 points

May 25, 2015 10:48 AM in response to twilitefirefly

Have you considered upgrading the Hard drive on your current MBP?

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/

If all you lack is actual storage space, a new hard drive can solve that easily and much more cheaply than a new Mac.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Hard+Drive+Rep lacement/1337

With that said however, if you don't plan on doing any heavy video editing or 3d rendering or games that would require it, you can stick with the lower end processor, and the lower end graphics card option.

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Answer 2

May 25, 2015 11:03 AM in response to Phil0124

Here are my stats:

Processor 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Storage 160 GB

Memory 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB

I have thought about just upgrading the hard drive, but I only have 8 GB of memory, and my system certainly isn't fast. I suppose the graphics card will suppose for what I do, though a faster processor and larger screen would be great. Perhaps I should try the hard drive first, though that still won't help with the Memory issue....decisions, decisions.

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Answer 3

Phil0124

Level 10

217,556 points

May 25, 2015 11:21 AM in response to twilitefirefly

8GB RAM should be plenty to run Mavericks and even Yosemite quite smoothly.

If it truly is very slow, there may be other causes at work here. Like running processes or resource intensive apps.

I would suggest running EtreCheck and posting the report here so we may take a look.

As to the new Macbook Pro, seeing as though pumping up the low end 15 inch MBP to 1TB storage, and 2.5Ghz i7 is $100 less expensive than the top of the line 15inch MBP with the dual graphics card, and 1Tb drive and the same 2.5Ghz i7, I'd say there's very little reason to not just go for the top of the line and keep the slightly slower Cpu speed. For 100 bucks you get the extra GPU. And the speed difference will not be noticeable at all since you are not doing any head video editing or graphic intensive video games.

2.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics + AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB GDDR5 memory

$2,999.00

2.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

$2,899.00

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Answer 4

May 25, 2015 6:53 PM in response to Phil0124

OKay, here are the Etrecheck results.

Hardware Information: ℹ️

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) (Technical Specifications)

MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,5

1 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

8 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 274 - SN = W093004CR77ZA

Video Information: ℹ️

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB

Color LCD 1280 x 800

System Software: ℹ️

OS X 10.9.5 (13F34) - Time since boot: 10:2:58

Disk Information: ℹ️

Hitachi HTS545016B9SA02 disk0 : (160.04 GB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 159.18 GB (1.35 GB free) (Low!)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

MATSHITADVD-R UJ-868

USB Information: ℹ️

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

Logitech USB Receiver

Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Gatekeeper: ℹ️

Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.FTDI.driver.FTDIUSBSerialDriver (2.2.14) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.bodymedia.codelessAB185.kext (1) [Click for support]

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.fitbit.galileod.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]

[failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.iLike.Agent.plist [Click for support]

User Login Items: ℹ️

SpeechSynthesisServer Application (/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks /SpeechSynthesis.framework/Versions/A/SpeechSynthesisServer.app)

iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper Application (/Applications/Fitbit Connect.app/Contents/MacOS/Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper.app)

HP Scheduler Application (/Library/Application Support/Hewlett-Packard/Software Update/HP Scheduler.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 17.0.0.169 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.11 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.11 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Flash Player: Version: 17.0.0.169 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update

LogitechHarmony: Version: 1.0.0.1 [Click for support]

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.1.0 [Click for support]

GarminGpsControl: Version: 2.9.2.0 Release [Click for support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

Move-Media-Player: Version: npmnqmp 071505000006 [Click for support]

fbplugin_1_0_1: Version: Unknown [Click for support]

fbplugin_1_0_3: Version: Unknown [Click for support]

Safari Extensions: ℹ️

AdBlock

GMail Counter

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

BodyMedia SYNC [Click for support]

Flash Player [Click for support]

Time Machine: ℹ️

Skip System Files: NO

Auto backup: YES

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 159.18 GB Disk used: 157.83 GB

Destinations:

Time Machine Backups [Local]

Total size: 1.50 TB

Total number of backups: 7

Oldest backup: 2013-03-13 01:36:17 +0000

Last backup: 2015-01-06 03:41:58 +0000

Size of backup disk: Excellent

Backup size 1.50 TB > (Disk size 159.18 GB X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

6% WindowServer

1% fontd

0% Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper

0% galileod

0% aosnotifyd

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

958 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(5)

681 MB kernel_task

311 MB iTunes

229 MB Safari

156 MB mds_stores

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

3.16 GB Free RAM

4.84 GB Used RAM

0 B Swap Used

Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

May 25, 2015, 04:52:25 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.WebKit.Plugin.64_201 5-05-25-165225_[redacted].crash

May 25, 2015, 10:10:20 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/usbmuxd_2015-05-25-101020_[redacted].crash

May 25, 2015, 08:43:34 AM Self test - passed

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Answer 5

Phil0124

Level 10

217,556 points

May 25, 2015 8:05 PM in response to twilitefirefly

Mostly your slowness issues stem from lack of storage space.

Your RAM is about half used, and you have no swap, which means you aren't running out of memory.

Its just the fact that there's not enough storage space to do anything at all. so any saving and file management would be tremendously slowed.

A new larger hard drive would likely cure that for the most part.

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Answer 6

Ziatron

Level 5

4,214 points

May 25, 2015 10:05 PM in response to twilitefirefly

I would only consider a laptop computer with a built-in optical SuperDrive. However, Apple only makes this in the 13 inch model.

When traveling, I like to grab a few DVDs on the way out the door for watching on my trip.

I've seen other travelers with an external DVD drive duct taped to the bottom of their MacBooks. Not very elegant.

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Answer 7

dwb

Level 7

33,256 points

May 25, 2015 11:00 PM in response to twilitefirefly

Looking at your EtreCheck report two things stand out - your hard drive is way over full. We tend to recommend that something like 15-25GB of free space so there's room for the system and applications to make temporary cache files. Being so full, your computer is being strangled. Check out OWC for internal drives and look at their tech support to find a video showing how to replace the drive. It is an easy upgrade. The other thing I notice is that you aren't close to using the full 8GB of RAM and had no swap file so if you'd been using the computer as usual before running EtreCheck how much RAM you haven't isn't an issue.

I just replaced my 2009 MBP with the same specs as yours with one exception: I'd replaced the hard drive with an SSD which reduced my hard drive space from 512GB to 256GB but which increased my computer's speed tremendously. You have a 6 year old computer and that's a darn good run for a notebook - or any computer for that matter. Upgrading to a larger hard drive, as you'll see, isn't that expensive a proposition and could give that computer a bit more life. But, as the owner of a new 2015 MBPr, I am very glad I upgraded.

To answer your original question: Apple always tends to offer 3-4 variations of the same model and I always go with the middle one. In the past I've upgraded RAM and hard drive as needed. These days I still go with the middle but then consider upgrading the drive and RAM immediately since later isn't an option. I've never believed upgrading the CPU was worth the extra money.

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Answer 8

kaz-k

Level 9

51,108 points

May 25, 2015 11:18 PM in response to twilitefirefly

I think replacing HDD or SSD for current MacBook Pro is the best solution for you now.

I'm using more old MacBook 5,1 with 8GB RAM on Yosemite and it run smoothly.

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Answer 9

May 28, 2015 9:33 PM in response to twilitefirefly

So I just got my hard drive delivered. I downloaded the instructions for installation. What I am worried about is being able to 'copy' my old drive onto my new drive. I have only done time machine backups onto an external USB drive. Also, my Snow Leopard CD is missing. Am I screwed? I am afraid to run super duper as the free version will erase all my TM backups, and I don't have any other backup option at this point.

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Answer 10

Phil0124

Level 10

217,556 points

May 29, 2015 11:02 AM in response to twilitefirefly

NVM

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Answer 11

Phil0124

Level 10

217,556 points

May 29, 2015 11:24 AM in response to Phil0124

You can use TimeMachine to make an entire copy of your System to your backup drive as long as it fits on it.

Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac - Apple Support

With Time Machine, you can go "back in time" to restore files, versions of files, or your entire system.

OS X Yosemite: Recover your entire system

Once you;ve made a backup of your existing system, remove your current HD and put it in a safe place to avoid any issues. Then you can restore the backup you made onto the SSD.

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Answer 12

dwb

Level 7

33,256 points

May 29, 2015 11:27 AM in response to twilitefirefly

Several options but the most convenient is probably getting an enclosure to put the old drive in after you've swapped them. Then you can boot with the external drive and then use CarbonCopyCloner to clone the old to the new. CCC will create a recovery partition on the new drive which Super duper won't. The other solutions. Would be to install the drive, boot into Internet Recovery and download the OS, then migrate from TimeMachine. The downside to that is a potentially long download followed by a long install and then a long restore. The advantage of getting the new enclosure is that you now have a second external drive.

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Answer 13

May 30, 2015 11:03 AM in response to dwb

I thought that I read that my model (mid-2009) does not support Internet Recovery?

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Answer 14

dwb

Level 7

33,256 points

May 30, 2015 11:08 AM in response to twilitefirefly

I had to check my notes…you’re right, it doesn’t. I keep forgetting because mine was the only 2009 MBP I had to deal with after Internet Recovery was introduced (everything at work is 2011 or newer) and I never needed to use it. I’ve always kept a cloned backup external drive so I could quickly get back up and running if disaster struck.

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Answer 15

May 30, 2015 11:23 AM in response to dwb

Okay, so I have an enclosure that came with the new hard drive, but I also ordered one like the link you sent (because its sturdier). So let me get this straight 1 final time before I swap:

-I can install the new hard drive and then use time machine to migrate everything over and wait forever- though it will work, or use CCC to make it faster.

-I am running Mavericks, not Yosemite, but still should be able to get the OS up without having a boot disk (since I can't find mine) by following these directions:

OS X Mavericks: Recover your entire system

Thanks for being so helpful! I've never had do do this before - just a poor teacher trying to figure this out and save a few (thousand) bucks, so sorry if my ?'s are repetitive. Just can't really afford to screw this up. 🙂

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