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Question of the Day: What is your non-negotiable item, device, or app for international travel?
How Long Will My Macbook Pro Last?
- Thread starter Pooky
- Start date
spiderz
Honorary Master
Laptop lifetime is about 1-2 years, PC 6-12 months.
Apple Laptop might get you 2-3 years.
Apple Laptop might get you 2-3 years.
Seems a bit of a waste then to spend that much money.
scud
Expert Member
You should get at least 5 years out of a Macbook Pro.
I bought mine in 2006, and it will do me for a few more years.
I bought mine in 2006, and it will do me for a few more years.
Inprogress
Member
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
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I have a HP530...been running for 2 years now without problems...sure my battery is dead, and I run Ubuntu...but I use my laptop like a desktop...they last as long as you take care of them.
The_Unbeliever
Honorary Master
Depends on how you treat it.
Hey Pooky...
You getting the 2.8GHZ ??
It should last you a number of years... depending on how you look after it AND if there are no manufacturing wobblies (like with the NVidia issues of older models)... at least Apple seems to acknowledge their snafus, unlike HP, and make ammends.
You getting the 2.8GHZ ??
It should last you a number of years... depending on how you look after it AND if there are no manufacturing wobblies (like with the NVidia issues of older models)... at least Apple seems to acknowledge their snafus, unlike HP, and make ammends.
Guantanamo
Expert Member
In terms of build quality, if you treat it well it should last till the next ice age. Components obviously have a much different lifespan but as far as I know they are all pretty solid in the MBP (I have a 13" model) You might need to upgrade RAM or something sometime in the future but they are mostly solid.
My macbook is on its last legs. Screen hinge is giving way, cooling is pathetic, and the gloss is fading where I rest my palm.
I bought it in April 2007, so that makes it about 3 and a half years old. I should add that it goes with me everywhere and gets about 8 hours of use a day.
I bought it in April 2007, so that makes it about 3 and a half years old. I should add that it goes with me everywhere and gets about 8 hours of use a day.
Correct
Realistically the only thing that curtailed the PPC Powerbooks longevity was the switch to intel and even then Apple only dropped support at 10.6. I've got a Powerbook 1400cs c1997 that still works.
The main reason people upgrade is because they think they have to stay at, or close to, the bleeding edge of technology.
nano
Member
My MacBook Pro is 3 years old now. Want to upgrade to 4GB RAM and also buy a new battery. Myne was one of those with NVIDIA problems, so had the grpahics card replaced a while back.
But still runs good, can do all the work on it I want, watch movies and play the odd game. Should hold up for about two more years...
But still runs good, can do all the work on it I want, watch movies and play the odd game. Should hold up for about two more years...
copacetic
King of the Hippies
If it only lasts for two years, then you are basically renting a computer for nearly a grand a month. :erm:
!!!
I dropped my early 2007 17" MBP earlier this year. The case got a bit beat up and the latch doesn't work so I gave it to the missus to use and replaced it with a 13" unibody (which has already survived a cricket-ball strike).
The_Unbeliever
Honorary Master
Got laptops from 2004 at company that's still running just fine.
And these do get abused... but they're still fine.
dj_jyno
Executive Member
My Fujitsu is 4 years old already, and other than one or two minor cosmetic issues it's still working perfectly. Battery at 75% health and still lasts as long as some new laptops.
Exactly.
Pooky, your Macbook will last as long as you want it to. If there isn't a hardware failure out of warranty, you'll see at least 4 years. If you need something more powerful in the meanwhile, get a desktop.
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That question is difficult to quantify. It depends how close you want to be to the leading edge of technology, and technology changes at a huge speed. If you are referring to how long it will last physically, well if you get the aluminium unibody it will last you until you check into a retirement home (obviously if you look after it) The pastic white MacBook won't last near as long.
But, if you want to stay moderately close to the leading edge of technology, I would guess that 5 - 7 years would be good (obviously with a RAM upgrade and a new battery after about 3 years)
A good thing about anything Apple, is that if you ever wanted to sell it at any stage, you will recover way more of your outlay, than if you had bought another brand and tried to sell it. I have 4 Sony Vaio laptops that I owned before going Mac, and there is nothing I can do with them - maybe I can give them away to a school for free, but they are piled on one another ATM
But, if you want to stay moderately close to the leading edge of technology, I would guess that 5 - 7 years would be good (obviously with a RAM upgrade and a new battery after about 3 years)
A good thing about anything Apple, is that if you ever wanted to sell it at any stage, you will recover way more of your outlay, than if you had bought another brand and tried to sell it. I have 4 Sony Vaio laptops that I owned before going Mac, and there is nothing I can do with them - maybe I can give them away to a school for free, but they are piled on one another ATM
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koffiejunkie
Executive Member
I suppose it depends on the meaning of "last" - for a lot of people, especially more technical minded folks who hang out on these forums, hardware only lasts until there's a newer faster shinier model available. What do you intend to use it for?
I just sold my 2002 vintage Compaq Evo n410c. It was still working perfectly but I wanted something small and light in its place that could run OSX. It was still good for browsing, e-mail, MS office, skype, watching movies (except 720 and 1080, of course). The one thing it didn't cope with was the raw file from my camera. Well it coped, but too slowly. So how long it lasts really depends on your use.
My MBP is about three years old. I use it for everything, including photography, and it's still good for that. When I do replace it, it will probably be because my RAM needs have exceeded the 4GB this one can provide (6GB unofficially - I'll know later this week). Aside from a dent it got on the side when I droped my backpack, it is in like-new condition.
I just sold my 2002 vintage Compaq Evo n410c. It was still working perfectly but I wanted something small and light in its place that could run OSX. It was still good for browsing, e-mail, MS office, skype, watching movies (except 720 and 1080, of course). The one thing it didn't cope with was the raw file from my camera. Well it coped, but too slowly. So how long it lasts really depends on your use.
My MBP is about three years old. I use it for everything, including photography, and it's still good for that. When I do replace it, it will probably be because my RAM needs have exceeded the 4GB this one can provide (6GB unofficially - I'll know later this week). Aside from a dent it got on the side when I droped my backpack, it is in like-new condition.