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I have a tired mid 2010 MacBook Pro which I have upgraded as much as possible. I now need to look for something newer and larger ( 15” / 16”). Advise please
2012 13” or 15” (Standard screen or HR AG). Just make sure you change the hard drive cable when you get it (or shortly after) so it is ready for a SATA III SSD - the original SATA II cables in many of these systems are fine with the original drive, but once you replace it then it creates problems. They have no problems with SATA III drives unlike your 2010 13”, but the cable is the sour spot. With this, the MCP89 chipset (320M northbridge) is where the compatibility issue comes from. If you want something a bit newer, find a 2015 rMBP with 16GB of RAM (soldered; no upgrade path!), and preferably a 512GB SSD if possible - 256GB is fine. If you cannot afford the factory 512GB system, it can be upgraded. However, bear in mind the cost of the upgrade will bring you to a similar price point as if you just bought it that way and many of the 512GB machines have an i7 instead of an i5, which is common in 256GB systems. You also need to watch out for antiglare coating issues, since it’s a known problem on the rMBP 2012-2015 series with many of them being close to no longer being covered. Almost all of the 2014’s are in that category, which is why they’re hard to recommend unless you’re prepared to strip it yourself.
