Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessica Lares
Yeah, but in the 23 years I've used computers, I have never upgraded my RAM or replaced a hard drive. I don't understand why if people need the 8GB and bigger hard drive that they'd not move up to the next tier to begin with? It is also another option I'm interested in once the refurbs come in.
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The first thing I did after buying my 2012 MBP was to replace the 128GB SSD with a Samsung model with 7x the capacity (though I had to update the FM by using bootcamp first). A year later, I added RAM. I'm still trying to decide whether I want to replace the DVD drive with a second SSD (or hybrid drive) and use my USB burner when necessary.
The ability to upgrade an older mac to improve speed and flexibility has always been essential for me. Also: Those incremental upgrades are far, far cheaper than buying next year's model -- especially when prices fall (
cf. SSD drives). Additionally, if you were using a mac professionally for things like postproduction work, you might prefer to keep an older model that works with your array of expensive older hardware.
The other problem posed by current Macs is the difficulty and even impossibility of DIY repair.
If your SSD drive dies, are you going to be able to replace it? What about the display and the motherboard?
A friend of mine who creates games for a living recently bought a MBP with retina, discovered a problem with the SSD and realized he couldn't have done anything if it had failed when the machine ran out of warranty. He'd also wanted to buy more RAM eventually, only to learn from his local computer repair shop that they wouldn't be able to install it.
Ultimately, he returned the retina model and bought a refurbished 2012 MBP. His latest Apple purchase was the same model I bought over two years ago.
There was a reason for that. It's also the reason many veteran Mac professionals have been considering a move to the PC ever since Apple introduced the current-gen Mac Pro with locked hardware and discontinued the one MBP that users could still open themselves. Most people I know are still clinging to their old hardware. I wouldn't be surprised if that 2012 laptop became a tad difficult to find.