Help regarding macbook replacement

[baz83]

Hi! First post so apologise if I'm posting this in the wrong place but here we go:

I have a 2017 Macbook Pro 13 with 8 GB RAM and essentially it's slowing down to the point it's sometimes unusable, especially since I am studying electrical engineering and it plain struggles.

I probably should get a replacement but I already have a fully capable PC recently built and don't wanna shell too much on another device which would most likely be only used in at university, because most things I can just use my PC for. I tried the whole remote desktop thing but I don't wanna keep my whole PC on all the time and wake on Lan doesn't consistently work. I could go for a refurbished or cheap new, and no idea if it should be windows or mac, as I like having a mac just in case i need to do mac stuff and I have an iPad so some ecosystem stuff is nice. Ideally, I just want something of good value that will last a bit. Would appreciate any opinions!

[Donut417]

17 minutes ago, baz83 said:

Would appreciate any opinions!

Well one thing about Mac's. Apple eventually will want to kill support on the Intel models. So Id probably not recommend an Intel Mac. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

39 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Well one thing about Mac's. Apple eventually will want to kill support on the Intel models. So Id probably not recommend an Intel Mac. 

Still worth mentioning and noting that Sonoma, the latest macOS version to release, is still supported by 2019 Intel-based Macs. Not sure about 2018 and lower, but 2015 Intel Macs can still run Ventura.

 

@baz83: how long do you need your next laptop to last? Intel-based MacBooks have dropped a ton in price on the used market since M1 released, and you can still get quite a bit of bang for buck buying a slightly older 2019 MacBook Pro.

[baz83]

5 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

@baz83: how long do you need your next laptop to last? Intel-based MacBooks have dropped a ton in price on the used market since M1 released, and you can still get quite a bit of bang for buck buying a slightly older 2019 MacBook Pro.

Well ideally as long as possible, but I fear the Intel Mac would not run for long, as my MacBook had started slowing roughly a year ago, hence why I had gotten a PC, though that may be due to me pushing it. I would hope it would last even when I push a device of such price. I got my 2017 Mac in 2018 actually, hence the worry. Thanks for the idea though!

[Donut417]

11 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Still worth mentioning and noting that Sonoma, the latest macOS version to release, is still supported by 2019 Intel-based Macs.

How long is that support going to last? They discussed this on the latest video on MAC address. The way Apple was bringing up Intel based Mac in their event. Apple really wants Intel Macs gone. I would be very wary of running an unsupported machine in this day and age. Too much hacking, ID Theft, etc. 

[RabbidEwok]

21 hours ago, baz83 said:

Hi! First post so apologise if I'm posting this in the wrong place but here we go:

I have a 2017 Macbook Pro 13 with 8 GB RAM and essentially it's slowing down to the point it's sometimes unusable, especially since I am studying electrical engineering and it plain struggles.

I probably should get a replacement but I already have a fully capable PC recently built and don't wanna shell too much on another device which would most likely be only used in at university, because most things I can just use my PC for. I tried the whole remote desktop thing but I don't wanna keep my whole PC on all the time and wake on Lan doesn't consistently work. I could go for a refurbished or cheap new, and no idea if it should be windows or mac, as I like having a mac just in case i need to do mac stuff and I have an iPad so some ecosystem stuff is nice. Ideally, I just want something of good value that will last a bit. Would appreciate any opinions!

Does the software you use run on Apple Silicon or compatible with parallels? Also what is your budget? 

[baz83]

14 hours ago, RabbidEwok said:

Does the software you use run on Apple Silicon or compatible with parallels? Also what is your budget? 

Well truthfully I would be better off with a Windows machine as on my current Macbook, I had boot camp running for some software, but I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world as I have a pc and most software I use so far has mac counterparts, or if not i could always run a VM or, yea parallels, and I do believe it works fine with those methods. As for budget, to be honest it's very rough, ideally sub £1000 - I'm in the UK. I am still looking mainly around the used £500-750 mark but it's value I'm looking for.

[RabbidEwok]

11 hours ago, baz83 said:

Well truthfully I would be better off with a Windows machine as on my current Macbook, I had boot camp running for some software, but I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world as I have a pc and most software I use so far has mac counterparts, or if not i could always run a VM or, yea parallels, and I do believe it works fine with those methods. As for budget, to be honest it's very rough, ideally sub £1000 - I'm in the UK. I am still looking mainly around the used £500-750 mark but it's value I'm looking for.

Maybe look around eBay for some M1 14” see if any are around 1000?

[baz83]

19 hours ago, RabbidEwok said:

Maybe look around eBay for some M1 14” see if any are around 1000?

Thanks for that! That's what I have been eyeing for as I know their greatness. In terms of Windows machines, would you or anyone have any recommendations to look out for in terms of used laptops?

[Jmtzaguirre]

On 11/6/2023 at 1:32 AM, baz83 said:

don't wanna shell too much on another device which would most likely be only used in at university, because most things I can just use my PC for

Since cost is a concern, what about replacing MacOS with W10/11 (or even Linux) altogether? If the battery still holds up maybe you can stretch its useful life for a bit longer...