MacBook pro 2015

[DadEH]

I'd like to get a MacBook pro 2015 or 14, apple doesn't support them any more, can I wipe macos and do a fresh win 10 install with no issues, fully functional? Is there a Linux OS that'll work no issues?

[JoHeJo06]

6 minutes ago, DadEH said:

I'd like to get a MacBook pro 2015 or 14, apple doesn't support them any more, can I wipe macos and do a fresh win 10 install with no issues, fully functional? Is there a Linux OS that'll work no issues?

if you check out everymac.com, you will see what operating systems are officially supported by a given model Mac.

i dont know the excact model so you should take a look!

[jaslion]

Dont get the 2015 with butterfly keyboard its not a if they break but when they break scenario.

 

You can install windows but keep in mind that they do not support 11.

[DadEH]

3 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Dont get the 2015 with butterfly keyboard its not a if they break but when they break scenario.

 

You can install windows but keep in mind that they do not support 11.

Didnt butterfly keyboard start with 2016?

[JoHeJo06]

Just now, DadEH said:

Didnt butterfly keyboard start with 2016?

i dont know, i dont really follow mac hardware that close and im only 16 so my interest for computers is younger then the butterfly keyboard:)

[AndreiArgeanu]

2 minutes ago, DadEH said:

Didnt butterfly keyboard start with 2016?

No. There is the 2015 12 inch macbook which has the butterfly keyboard. Apple has the full list on their service site. I'm assumming that apple serviced every macbook with a butterfly keyboard.

[Light-Yagami]

26 minutes ago, DadEH said:

I'd like to get a MacBook pro 2015 or 14, apple doesn't support them any more, can I wipe macos and do a fresh win 10 install with no issues, fully functional? Is there a Linux OS that'll work no issues?

Keep in mind that you'd be buying a laptop that runs on Haswell, an 8 year old architecture that precedes skylake and its improved iGPU with quicksync, hardware encoding and so on.. I had a laptop with i7-4710HQ and its iGPU can not handle todays standards like VP9/AV1/HEVC through hardware, you're pretty much limited to 1080p playback if you don't want to peg the CPU.

 

GPU is also ancient, and apart from some light 3D work like CAD or photo editing.. it's dead weight. 

If you can live with the fact that a 2015 macbook has the power of todays lowest end i3 CPUs and that its dedicated GPU is as fast as todays integrated GPUs.. go for it. 

 

I'll say something though. If you want to buy used, at least buy something that came out after the CPU boom that came with Ryzen in 2017. Even better if you can get a laptop with intel 11th gen hybrid or ryzen 4000 series and up.. 

 

 

If you choose to go ahead and buy the 2015 macbook, change the battery and undervolt the CPU once you've installed Windows on it. In any case, you might be spending 3 times less for it once you've replaced the battery.. but you're also getting 4 times less performance, 7 years of usage already on it, no software support, poor battery life due to inefficient hardware.. do what you think it's best.

 

 

 

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

I used a few of those laptops, and windows 10 and linux should work with realtivity little hassle.

 

But Id probably skip it. If your not using mac os, get a windows laptop and you will probably get better hardware for cheaper, and won't have the issues of having a macbook running windows/linux.

[DadEH]

I have a win 11 gaming laptop with a 3060, but I want to get rid of it, because I have a switch and Xbox I don't play, and my kid plays consoles only, so just getting something for browsing, YouTube, and gamepass. So I can concentrate on consoles with my kid.

I used to have a 2012 MacBook pro and it was the laptop I've enjoyed most, and 2015 is the last year of the glowing apple.  Will stay away from the 12"

I've seen 2 MBP I'd like, one was a 2014 with a quad core and Nvidia 750, and a quad 2015.  

[Imbadatnames]

5 hours ago, DadEH said:

I have a win 11 gaming laptop with a 3060, but I want to get rid of it, because I have a switch and Xbox I don't play, and my kid plays consoles only, so just getting something for browsing, YouTube, and gamepass. So I can concentrate on consoles with my kid.

I used to have a 2012 MacBook pro and it was the laptop I've enjoyed most, and 2015 is the last year of the glowing apple.  Will stay away from the 12"

I've seen 2 MBP I'd like, one was a 2014 with a quad core and Nvidia 750, and a quad 2015.  

Just because it doesn’t have the latest OS doesn’t make the OS it has bad 

 

Must be out of the loop, the 16” MBP was widely praised as were the M1 Macs, M2 not so much as they’re a little bit pointless 

[rikitikitavi]

You should be able to install Linux distros on any Intel Macs. If you go with really old ones, then you might need to dig for drivers, but a given distro might actually have em already. For example, my 2009 MBP: PopOS! worked with my wireless card from the get go, while Ubuntu needed some extra downloads (or the other way around, I don't remember).

 

Windows10 should work, some older ones might need extra googling. You can even install ChromeOS Flex (if you spend all your time in Chrome anyway lol)

 

As for Apple Silicon (M1, M2) Macs, afaik Asahi Linux is the only supporting distro atm.

 

Anyway, you will always be better off using macOS (most probably). Also you are not buying an ancient MBP, so you'll be running a (somewhat) supported macOS.

 

Afaik, macOS Catalina is the oldest 'officially supported' version - so a rare security patch might come out. Mid-2012 MBP is the oldest that officially supports it. However, it doesn't mean that you can not install the latest macOS on an unsupported device. You can 'hackintosh' unsupported macOS with an OpenCore Legacy Patcher and run macOS Ventura (current).

 

Buy old mac for build quality, not performance. My old macs (MBP 2009 and MBA 2012) still look awesome and work great as a home media server and a fancy typewriter/browser.

 

Try to avoid dGPU and go for the integrated graphics.

 

TouchBar generation's main problem: dust accumulation, so if a button is not working - just blow, although some cases might not be solved as easy as that, if at all. Sometime in 2019/2020 they dropped Butterfly kbs - a TouchBar with separate ESC and fingerprint sensor is the telltale sign. I've been daily driving 2017 MBP 15" for 5y now, and I had to clean my keyboard only twice (CMD and E were acting funny). Battery is the only thing I changed (they changed the whole top assembly with the battery at AppleStore, included kb, touchPad, touchBar/fingerSensor and speakers for CAD 260).

 

However, if possible, go for a used/refurbished M1 Air (or Pro if a better deal) - a great little machine, with probably the best representation of what Mac is all about.

 

If you are trying to avoid macOS at all costs and Windows10 is top priority, then as suggested before - cheaper to buy a non-Apple.