Scott's Spot 5 - Tech Review - Mid-1012 uni-body MacBook pro
Date: 5/18/2020
Guests: None
Welcome and greetings
Recap of last episode
In the last episode, we discussed the various types of performance testing, how they are different, and some of the benefits that come from running a successful performance test.
Summary of this episode
You are in for a treat today…. I’m going to review the MacBook Pro that I bought off of Groupon. I’m going to talk about the reason why I chose this exact model, what it came with, and the upgrades that I had planned for it when I bought it.
What’s in it for you?
After listening to this episode, you will have a better understanding of this model of MacBook Pro so that you can determine if it is a project that you would want to undertake for yourself.
Episode Content
I have been watching a lot of youTube videos on several channels where the host buys and upgrades a mac (of some make or model).
It seemed like it was not that bad of a project to undertake if you had a little bit of handiness and chose the right model.
After watching what felt like 200-300 videos, I found on Groupon the model that I finally bought.
It was a mid-2012 uni-body MacBook Pro 13” model.
Besides the fact that the company that was fulfilling the order took forever to send me the laptop, it is a pretty good little machine.
I had a Dell before that and it was just too big to get in my backpack to take on trips.
I was looking for smaller laptop that I could take with me on trips so that I could record podcasts episodes from remote locations.
I unboxed the laptop and what was supposed to be a refurbished grade-A actually had a couple of tiny dents in the cover.
So I crank it up and it boots with no problem.
It took about 5 minutes to get to a login prompt.
Some of the specs that this thing came with: 4 GB RAM, core I5 processor, 500 GB 5400 RPM drive.
That is so not what I was hoping for.
Now comes the upgrades that I had planned.
So trash the RAM and upgrade to 16 GB.
Swap out the hard drive for an SSD.
I would love to swap out the processor but the board that came with it would not support a newer processor.
So back to YouTube to watch a couple dozen more videos on the best way to upgrade the macBook and I’m finally ready.
I pop it open and the ram upgrade goes pretty darn easily.
I then pulled the hard drive out and started to swap it for the SSD…….tada…...I don’t have the correct screwdriver to remove the posts that hold it in place.
So off to Amazon to order a complete set of micro tools which takes a week to arrive.
Then I try it again. Boom. I take the SSD where I had already copied the drive contents to and it popped right in.
Go figure. If you have the right tools, and follow the instructions, things just work.
So now I get the hardware straightened out and what do I find…..this sucker boots up in under 45 seconds.
From 5 minutes to 45 seconds. I like that improvement.
I tested it with a bunch of the core apps and it was pretty snappy.
Not stellar but not bad.
I ran the performance metrics and guess what I found out.
My expectations are pretty low apparently.
The benchmarks on this thing are really low.
But you know what….I’m not using it for gaming...I’m not a gamer….and I’m not doing 4K video editing on it….so for what I need it is what I’ll call sufficient.
If you choose to do this type of project yourself, you will need the following:
uni-body MacBook Pro (a model that is upgradable, check before you buy it)
A SCSI SSD transfer cable
A SSD drive
New memory cards (check the model you want to see what the main board memory capacity is)
A toolkit with specific screwdrivers.
This project only works because of the model of MacBook Pro that I selected. So buyer beware!
The mid-2012 uni-body MacBook Pro is the last model that is upgradable by the buyer.
All of the newer models have chipsets and memory that is soldered to the mainboard.
So…..you have to send your laptop to Apple to have it upgraded (for a cost).
Recap of this episode
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