Building the ultimate sleeper MacBook Pro! Complete restoration and max upgrades

[@lukemiani]

As with the last video, all revenue (including sponsorship money) for this video will be donated to support Black Lives Matter causes. Donations will be made to the ACLU, Black Visions Collective, and National Police Accountability Project. I encourage you guys to support as well, here are the donation links: secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2 action.aclu.org/give/aclu-response-covid-19 blacklivesmatters.carrd.co www.nlg-npap.org/donate/

[@technohc4939]

Shall do my sir. I'll donate a few racks to help the cause. Do you have any more other links I'm able to donate too?

[@lukemiani]

@@technohc4939 The blacklivesmatters.carrd.co link has a bunch of resources and donation links you can use, thanks for supporting the cause!

[@TAILSORANGEs]

@@lukemiani MacBook Air 2011 11 inch Vs 2008 MacBook Pro-> which is better

[@captainmorgan9066]

This time "Upgrading it to the max" really sounded like "Upgrading it to the Macs"

[@Garrettdx1988]

That’s really cool of you to do. I’m going to have to check out that police accountability organization

[@fuse.]

Luke is the type of guy that would create a LukeScore and rate the MacBooks

[@filippobriganti2615]

THIS! Is one great comment

[@Garrettdx1988]

THIS is something that should happen

[@nohandleid]

Doug...

[@HugoPerez]

Starting with the weekend category and styling, the MacBook Pro hasn’t aged terribly well. It has thick bezels at the front, but the styling is helped somewhat by the cool glowing apple logo in the rear and scores a 6 out of 10.

[@nihadasadli2642]

*Insert do it meme here*

[@joeschmeaux]

I've always had older macs. In 2012 I was still using a 2004 G5 at home and a 2005 12" iBook G4 on the road. Then I moved to a 2007 MacBook in 2016, which was just replaced two weeks ago by the same model 2012 MacBook pro you restored in this video. Even though people consider it to be old and slow, it feels very fast to me. It'll be even faster when I add an SSD and max out the RAM. It has a 3/4" crack in the glass that I didn't notice until the day after I bought it. But I was thrilled to find out from one of your videos that the glass is easily replaced for $12, so I'll do that when I upgrade the rest. When I'm done fixing it up, I expect it to be my main machine until it will no longer run up to date browsers. Perhaps in 2028 I'll pick up a cheap used 2020 16" MBP for the next leg of my computing life. Electronic gadgets are detrimental to the environment, so it's important not to waste them by replacing them when they still function well enough to fulfill their need. The longer a computer can be used, the later it will be recycled or sent to landfill. Few of us truly need the latest and greatest devices every two years. Eight years might be stretching it, but the longer, the better.

[@appletopic]

ya know that's a great essay LOL but seriously your right about not having to change a computer every 2 years I agree with everything in the comment !

[@cameronlovesevolve]

YES. Buy it for life. I was using an iBook G4 from 2008 to the fall of 2010 when i bought a brand new 15 inch Macbook Pro for school.. this laptop is still by my side and i traded my iBook to a guy in 2011 for an iPod Photo that i still use today!

[@gblan]

I bought a MBP new in 2015. 5 Years old and going strong. Don't see replacing it anytime soon.

[@mova_2020]

Bro 😂 there is something called live your life. Come on!! You never want to experience a brand new laptop feeling? Nothing comes close to it. I mean it’s your life and your choice anyways but the smell of a new laptop haha it’s amazing. Try it at least once in your life

[@joeschmeaux]

@@mova_2020 So just plunk down a few thou on the latest and greatest? I might consider that if I had the money, but I don't, so I won't. FWIW, us 2012 MBP owners just had a scare, when an apple security update killed webgl and lots of software and websites stopped working. But thankfully, a subsequent update fixed it and it's back to normal. A year and a half after getting this book that turns 10 this year, it's still going strong. Even if I get an M1 book, I'll find a use for this one at least until it's no longer receiving security updates. Hell, I recently saw a video about a project to spruce up Leopard in order to keep powerpc macs relevant -- there must be something for which I can use my old G5, which still feels fast to me! Be careful not to inhale too much of that new laptop smell -- it'll go right to your head!

[@aleksandarstojanovic9786]

“A terbyte is really not enough these days” All of my fellow 128gb MacBook owners: 😭🔫

[@Adrian34]

half of it is the system itself :.(

[@colariokratzcrazynacho5933]

500 GBs owner here

[@owenwhitelock4553]

i have a 256 and its too much

[@Adrian34]

Owen Whitelock not enough if you edit videos, pictures, or use other applications other than safari and google chrome

[@rochadhc]

mine is 2017 128gb :(

[@ChengTeoh]

I still love using my mid-2012 unibody 15" macbook pro! I did mostly what you did ( ie. increased to the max ram it could take and put in a 1tb ssd & 2 tb wd blue hard drive ) and couldn't be more happier. I can see myself using this forever, LOL.

[@godozo]

Not quite maxed out, but I did upgrade my mid-2012 15" MacBook Pro. I can see myself holding onto this as long as I can.

[@TheSteinbitt]

I got the same, 10gigs of ram and 512 ssd, but it won’t really play 4K from my DJI phantom at 60hz, so I also got a late 2013 iMac, top specked :)

[@alexyuan7271]

i have a late 2012 retina, so i can't upgrade :(

[@ChengTeoh]

@@alexyuan7271 Yeah, that's one of the reasons I haven't bought a newer Macbook, lol. Thankfully I'm still able to use the latest MacOS High Sierra. Eventually I'll have to bite the bullet and upgrade to a new model once the laptop isn't able to use to newest OS. Hopefully it'll be a couple more years from now.

[@yassienE4935]

@@ChengTeoh there are ways to bypass the system and get higher os systems

[@thecfamily5294]

I upgraded the wifi to an AC card - in addition to the other upgrades in this video. Just updated the OS to Ventura with Opencore Legacy Patcher. This machine on Ventura got a speed boost. It is very competent. As a graphics oriented driver (video production and more elaborate games) it isn't a great machine. But when used for common office uses (word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, email, etc.) it's incredible. Stage Manager makes this machine a beast as switching between apps keeps the screen clean and organized. The beauty with this machine over the later Retina is you have much greater control over components and you get to keep your storage new. Soldered on storage and RAM will eventually render newer machines vulnerable and soon landfill matter, while these unibodies can be extended further into the future with fresh and new components. That's the biggest advantage of these older and upgradable Macs. I bet my 2012 MBP will live a lot longer than my 2016 MBP.

[@cthart]

Which WiFi card did you get? Ventura faster than what?

[@michaels6090]

Very helpful. Thanks from my 2012 MacBook Pro

[@nascarandjeff123]

Not sure if a video or an ad for iFixIt. For everytime he says iFixIt, i took a drink now I am dead

[@scottyf8866]

well, it is a sponsored video, so it kinda is an ad for ifixit just spread across the course of the vid

[@queenoffaygo]

Bart I replaced just the glass on mine and the glass has been falling off so I don’t blame him for just getting the whole assembly

[@xidropkillzx3246]

It’s obviously sponsored content but he’s donating every penny of revenue which is more than you can even ask from much bigger you tubers

[@massimopraendi]

I laugh so hard with u comment XD

[@tamasbiro1364]

Lets restore this macbook Luke: Ight imma replace every single part

[@Nekesu]

As opposed to Austin Evans who just puts in some RAM.

[@tylerfrankel5374]

I was boutta say that was more or less just a complicated motherboard swap 😭 ig he technically kept the keyboard WiFi fan and speakers but that’s basically it lmao Fuck I just realized he says this at the end of the video

[@deanrobertnoble138]

It’s like Trigger’s broom! “I’ve had this broom for 15 years; it’s only had 3 new handles and 4 new heads”. 😆 Good job. Enjoyed it.

[@MikeEvans94]

We have a saying in our house. Look after your broom!

[@propjoe1060]

You win the Internet for today :D

[@GavinRoche]

Dean Robert Noble sorry dude I made the same comment bout the broom before looking down the list. Kiddos to you tho

[@pureretro5979]

I was literally just about to mention Trigger's broom. :-)

[@cv6941]

That was a funny line, Trigger got all the best lines

[@brandenmark1512]

Name her "Nebula" Cause like Thanos, you replaced just about every part of her

[@nandulalkrishna923]

This comment is underrated

[@mlthmp]

Best comment ever

[@smidgeondutchrabbit]

no it should just be named something of its technical info

[@Mr.Plant1994]

It’s honestly amazing that they sell so many cosmetic components to this old computer.

[@TJC450]

I’m surprised you didn’t refresh the thermal paste.

[@Ghvxddf]

It’s just an ad for iFixit he should have cleaned it and changed the thermal paste for better performance and cooling

[@asianflex]

i bet if he did and ramped up the fans, he might have reached over 700cb

[@isaiahsdead]

@@asianflex how can you ramp up fans is it just getting better ones or can make them run faster through software?

[@toolsplustech]

@@isaiahsdead I've had mixed experience with aftermarket fans, but applications such as smcfancontrol (by eidac, I believe) can reduce temps by 10-20 degrees celsius. Your laptop would sound like a jet engine, though, and I'm sure Apple didn't consider that a "Pro" feature.

[@darkchocolate4643]

I bought a mint condition 2012 MBP 15" and upgraded the RAM to 16Gb and installed a 500Gb SSD. Same 2.9Ghz i7 processor as this. Cost me 500 bucks in total. Cinebench score is 1228. That's better than the Quad Core 2020 MBA's score which is about 950.

[@pedrx_v9323]

That’s what I’m thinking to do just purchased a pre owned MacBook Pro 13

[@foufouselmi3334]

AYO????!!😳

[@benjaminboene8918]

I’m trynna do mine too but idk how 😂 help anyone ! I’ll buy

[@BobJacobson]

Super video! I applauded for $5.00 👏👏

[@yeetmeister4336]

I don’t remember exactly where but I saw that you can replace the WiFi board to allow better WiFi and Bluetooth and also AirPod software support

[@derijalhari7156]

Send me if you find the vid please, i need that, thaks!

[@Hunter-vz6ur]

They've been sold out for months, unfortunately. The 2012 already has Bluetooth 4.0 so unless you're running ridiculously high wifi speeds then the upgraded wifi card isn't really needed.

[@alex-k2h6g]

It already supports AirPods, the new wifi card just adds faster wifi and also allows you to use Apple Watch unlock.

[@alexalexandros3803]

Hunter Reece the seller makes them still. Snagged one a few weeks ago. Check the forum on MacRumors. You can see my screenshot of the installed card.

[@ThePaulcarter35]

You can upgrade its to ac wifi + bluetooth 4.2 if you're patient enough and wait for them to restock every 6 months or so. Still a serious upgrade

[@emiliognecco]

The best Macbook ever built. It's still my principal device on 2020 👌🏾

[@rubenyerkanyan]

Bro Same

[@Mshbl]

Only misses the retina display

[@danb392]

@Peter Mcdonald couldn't agree more.

[@emirsoyeder8082]

Peter Mcdonald are you saying it honestly?

[@saraleon97]

I agree, they are really great and built to last, I recently upgraded mine to a 500gb SSD and I honestly don’t see the point in buying a new one :’)

[@307skylake7]

YES! I was waiting for this! Glad to see Luke regarding his viewer's comments!! Edit: When luke says "The best MacBook in the world" it reminds me of Jeremy Clarkson saying "The fastest car in the world" in his Toyota Yaris...

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

whats your opinion on Iris Pro graphics, mr UHD

[@307skylake7]

@@NonsensicalSpudz Hm, they are my cousin and good internal graphics but I'm definitely better then HD graphics 😎

[@raymondgradzewicz]

Hey, have you heard of Intel GMA?

[@adamkija6895]

What do you think of the intergrated radeon graphics, mr uhd graphics

[@307skylake7]

@@adamkija6895 They are beating us for sure although my creator, intel needs to put us in competition 😡

[@YS_35]

Gotta love the old Macbooks - magsafe connector, battery indicator, upgradable RAM/HDD and LOTS OF PORTS!!!!

[@TheiTE]

Wow! Luke Just Built a MaxBook Pro 😍🤩

[@SantiagoSalse]

Thanks to you, I bought my first MacBook on March, a stock, almost new 2012 Corei5, upgraded it to 256SSD and 10GB of RAM and I can't be happier! My MacOS xperience so far has been AMAZING , thanks a lot

[@felixcmayr]

Name her „Cher“, an old star, that consists of more spare parts than original parts. :D

[@k033as9]

Good one

[@limecrime187]

💀

[@GustavoHernandez1]

German!!!

[@Mr_MisterretsiM]

He BELIEVED that he could fix Cher.

[@tman2damax]

A friend of mine was literally throwing out his 2012 unibody a couple years ago because it “didn’t work”, I took a look at it and it was just slow from year and years of use and updates, took it off his hands for $100, bough a 128gb ssd and 8gb ram kit for ~$50 and did a clean install of macOS. The thing felt just as snappy as my 2015 retina and I used it for a couple months just as my couch computer. I had no reason to be using it over my 2015 but something about it just felt so cool, that such an old computer can still feel like new. Ended up selling it for quite a bit more than I paid it for. But any new laptop you could get for the price I sold it for would have some bargain bin cpu, 4gb ram, and definitely not an ssd, not to mention it wouldn’t have MacBook’s legendary build quality or keyboard/trackpad feel.

[@haveaniceday7950]

How much did you sell it for?

[@Swinkels]

You should call it Lazarus or Phoenix because it came back from the grave!

[@MrGattor33]

I definitely would go with Phoenix honestly 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@yusof843]

Salute to you!..a real environmentalist not just recycle, they repair and reuse stuffs!.

[@RandomFandomOfficial]

Lazarus is perfect for this MacBook

[@Locky2701]

I have the same as yours and with OpenCore Legacy Patcher,I installed Sonoma/Sequoia on one SSD Samsung 1TB,I installed Linux Mint on second SSD From WD 500GB

[@OfficialBlueShirtGuy]

7:51 When the sax kicks in just right

[@JoeyVictorVideos]

I need that song name!

[@supremeicecreme1658]

I am a saxophonist and I agree!

[@supremeicecreme1658]

@@JoeyVictorVideos Oh and BTW the song is Particle Heaven - Just Like in the Movies.

[@DanielMunoz-cj9ik]

so right

[@jacosta5580]

I just got one like this for under 40 bucks with 96 battery cycles. in excellent condition with the box, cleaning cloth and stickers unopened. imma bump this bad boy up and have it as a solid little photoshop unit hooked up to a external monitor.

[@haveaniceday7950]

Where did you buy it?

[@Zebra_Paw]

9:06 the pitch shifted part made me die of laughter 😂😂😂 You picked a lot of storage. At least you can have a Time Machine inside the device LOL

[@NOSTALGILAK]

its been 4 years after this video published, and its been 9 years ive been using my MD101. upgraded to 16GB ram, 1x TB SSD and 1x 2TB HDD in dvd bay, replace the battery once, renewed the thermal paste, and everything is good to go, even in 2024 as a college laptop ( im on my 2nd degree atm ) still runs perfect for youtube, writing, editing in medium level, zoom, and any other office task.

[@OhHaiMahk]

iFixit: "So uh, how long do you think you will plug us in your new video?" Luke: "Yes." iFixit: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@zizlog_sound]

It would be the BEST/ Ultimate Unibody MBP if it had an anti glare display and maybe FHD resolution. Starting with the Retina models Apple went anti repair and anti upgradabilty. Ok you could still replace the SSD but that only lasted for another couple years.

[@radovankrstajic1146]

WHAT ARE YALL DOING WHEN 1TB IS SMALL

[@powerpc64]

video editing, photoshop, high res movies, images, videos, etc

[@connorjones3080]

Shut up

[@Shimeih]

@@powerpc64so 97% of people are ok with less right?

[@reimon5410]

​@@Shimeihyes

[@ammargaming9560]

True

[@patrickzeus6839]

Hi, do you think upgrading macbook pro 2012 or buying a new macbook pro?

[@NorthernForester]

Still using my mid 2012 as my main! Kinda bummed we aren't getting the update but there are ways around that. Upgraded to two SSD's and 8gm ram and a new battery but Didn't cost too much. Thinking I might get a new Macbook pro in the next couple years but for now, this tank has gotten me through my first bachelors and is getting me through my second running nursing virtual clinical software like a breeze.

[@23ofSeptember]

Love these sleeper builds. Pull up to a stop light next to a 2020 MacBook Air and bam! Doors blown!

[@ecmorgan69]

It's amazing how good you can make these MBPs when you replace literally everything but the logic board and fan. 😁 I say you should name it The Phoenix.

[@andre0baskin]

I'm watching this video on a mid 2012 MacBook that I bought new. It's on its' second keyboard, third battery, second charger, third HD and I just replaced the thermal paste. It still getting the job done and once it is no longer supported by the current OSX version it'll get passed down to one of the kids.

[@vivekmurthy1116]

hi i have a mid 2012 MacBook pro with i5 2.5 GHz, 4 GB 1600 Mhz DDR3, which is now old and slow. Can it be upgraded and if so what all can be changed to make it run faster

[@charliekuhn1544]

I have one of these MacBook Pros and have done the SSD/RAM upgrades as well as refresh the thermal paste on my logic board. It is still a great laptop to use when surfing the Internet and viewing KZbin videos. Great to see you make a video on this laptop to show others what they can do to their aging MacBooks 👌

[@leomoses3976]

This is truly the most underrated channel. Tech + comedy! 😗👌 (Italian hands)

[@pedrofelck]

Parents: our baby is sick, please, cure him Doctor: so, here is a new child from the orphanage, let me just transplant your kids brain into him

[@danielyaseen]

LOL

[@bballgod237]

I was rockin a 2009 white Macbook until about a year and a half ago. It served me well for years (I used it regularly and even recorded music on it...even a full band with 16 mics). Eventually I got sick of being stuck in the past so I went on ebay and found a 2012 Macbook Pro Retina with an i7 and upgraded RAM and SSD. Now this is my normal laptop for every day use. It is plenty powerful for every day use, watching videos, etc.

[@kokopelli5357]

I've been waiting for this video forever! There is one thing you forgot to do: The thermal paste should have been reapplied

[@renragged]

I put an SSD into my mid-2012 MacBook Pro and upgraded it to 16GB of RAM just last week. I love that thing. It's working great again.

[@TheiTE]

9:06 This is why I love Luke's Videos :D 😍😍

[@kuochenyi]

this one should go to museum be a collection, and I no doubt your comments, I got three macbooks, 2011 macbook air 11.6" with 4Gb ram (only 64Gb SSD)runs high sierra, 2015 macbook pro 13" with 8Gb ram runs Mojave and 2017 macbook pro 13" with 8Gb ram runs Catalina , they are all working well and no any issues , except 2011 one slept in my closet for collection, I love them all.

[@MarjaMariachi]

"We can rebuild it. We have the technology." Call it "The Six Million Dollar Mac"

[@charminbaer2323]

Did the same with an old 2009 13" MBP my sister dropped a couple years back. Instead of fixing it, she bought a 2014 13" MBP (really 2012) in near new condition with the box. It was so clean you'd swear it was brand new minus the plastic wrapping. The old 2009 sat in my drawer for months, listed on Craigslist for parts. I was about to trash it, when out of curiosity I looked up at how much the parts cost to get it running. New display assembly, new battery, new trackpad, new keyboard, new RAM, data doubler, all came out to ~$130 so I ordered the parts. I already had a spare 500GB SSD and 1TB HDD. Put it all together, created a fusion drive out of the SSD and HDD, installed Catalina on it via DosDude1 patch. Brought it back to life and gave it to my other sister. Its a great little machine for web browsing, social media, watching netflix, youtube, etc.. Now if only the Mac Pro 6,1 would drop in price significantly, I would totally do the same to a quad core and upgrade it to an 8 or 12 core. In the meantime, still got my 2013 15" MBP running strong, but getting ready to upgrade to a 16" MBP.

[@835tej]

8:54 M I the first one to notice that he mentioned "IT'S 12 YEARS OLD"? I guess we are still in 2020 😜 Great video though!

[@versa_media]

Unibody design started in 2008, even though this is a 2012 model

[@Frisbeegrl11]

Thank you so much for this video! I thought my old mid-2012 MacBook Pro was dead, but it turned out just to be a faulty HDD connector cable. I replaced the cable myself for about $14 and (after seeing this video) decided to do some upgrades. I installed 16gb ram, a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO HD, and a new battery. In total I spend about $270. My laptop is running great! I am so, so happy.

[@minhhang467]

Does it still good for video editing? After all upgrade like you did, i think i has one for long time no use anymore

[@fortimusprime]

MacBook Pro 2012... Maxed out...MacBook 12 Pro Max?

[@Aiden-vj2tg]

Maxbook pro

[@gedeon6290]

Is it possible to make one of these unibody macbooks blue ray compatible by changing the drive to another module instead of making it more storage? or are there no fitting modules 😅

[@AllenZrust]

Oof, Luke it’s “Extreme Makeover: MacBook Edition” not “Home Makeover: MacBook Edition.” I’m disappointed I noticed this right away.

[@djxhoni]

Luke,where buy this body for macbook pro 13 inch 2012?Can I send link please where buy

[@JULIOSTEVEN]

7:54 Oh Baby!! you look like a sexy brand new macbook pro.

[@jameswaters5133]

Bought a Unibody 15" 2012 couple of weeks ago for good price. Put an SSD in it, 16GB RAM, and a 1680 x 1050 screen off an old 2011 with failed mainboard. It's working beautifully. I actually bought it for the kids to use at the school where I work, but I'm using it a lot myself as well. My main machine is a base M1 Air, but I prefer the 15" screen of the 2012. And the Unibody Macs are just so cool!

[@_DeanHolt]

Thanks for this video to show old hardware can still be usable! Regarding my computer, I'm still using my 8-year old 2012 13" Retina MacBook Pro (A1425) 2.5 GHz Dual Core i5 w/8GB RAM. The OEM battery is sitting on 85% health with 1395 cycles (as at today). I've used this computer every day since I purchased it from being at University to my daily docked-desktop with Dual Screen setup. Originally a 128GB SSD, I upgraded to the OWC 256GB in 2016, thinking I would get a new MacBook Pro soon after, however after suffering the Retina Display delamination issue, I wasnt about to jump into a keyboard problem even if it was recognised in a replacement scheme. So for holding onto my computer a little longer. I added an additional 256Mb MiniSD Nifty Drive in the SDXC slot. Even though the memory is minimal and slow by today's standards, and the graphics is integrated Intel HD 4000, I'm able to play some Steam & Origin games quite happily on lower settings without the fans ramping up too much. To be honest, I had intended to upgrade to the 15" MBP in 2018 but the ongoing keyboard issues kept me away from that model also. Since 2019 of course with the screen being 16" in the same form factor and the keyboard issue being "fixed" should have me jumping at 2019, but right now i'm holding out for WWDC as to what I will do.

[@JuanesChiwirosky]

Actually right now I'm working on a 2006 MacBook 1,1 White Unibody, I bought it last week because my main iMac was damaged and I have no money right now, so I bought that first MacBook for $70 and it's working fine for all the things I need which are producing music with Logic Pro 9 running Snow Leopard, and it might not be my main workstation for my whole life but I'm happy with it and that cheap MacBook saved my life :)

[@smanjik]

just revived a 2012 Macbook pro that had the "question mark file". 3 years ago I thought the computer was toast. Glad I found your youtube page and glad I never got rid of the unit. With a new SSD and 16GB of RAM the machine is as good as new. thanks.

[@michellefernandez3155]

A benchmark before and after would have been nice.

[@Anne6621]

the DVD player is the best part about these 2012 MacBooks , a shame they no longer offer dvd players in laptops

[@theoneandonlybosable]

Off all the things to miss, DVD sure as hell isn't one for 99% of people

[@Anne6621]

@@theoneandonlybosable show me your proof where you come up with 99% , you can't

[@Aros138]

This channel is super underrated! This guy deserves 3 million subscribers!!!

[@pgomez]

Epic video man. A note to the viewers, this is completely possible to do as well on a 2011 unibody if you upgrade the motherboard to a 2012 as well. Like Luke said, it’s not the most practical thing but it’s the fact that your technology is still a functioning piece of equipment.

[@Dave_Hunter]

Love your work Luke, this mac has to be called Phoenix because its risen from the ashes

[@Garrettdx1988]

I would love to see a 15” 2012 completely restored and upgraded. I know it’s not getting updates anymore, but it’s still a great computer.

[@NormanF62]

Luke’s next project: upgrading the 2012 unibody MacBook Pro to Big Sur. Its not officially supported by Apple but it can be done with patchers that modify the Big Sur installer to allow it to install where its not natively possible. You can still run the latest operating system even though Apple dropped support for it. It will still be the best unibody MacBook Pro in existence.

[@rachelhagins1401]

I’m still using a 2011 unibody MacBook Pro and this is one of the best looking MacBooks I’ve seen so far

[@TLVAGA]

Do you think its possible to remplace the screen for a newer version ? Better resolution? Border less ? This design is lovey! Max storage, cd, all the ports….

[@gregory891]

Did exactly the same with a 15" Macbook Pro. 1TB Samsung SSD, 2 x 8G RAM (everything else was in very good shape). Clean install of Catalina. Cinebench was 1200-1400 from memory, power on to password request in 10-15 seconds. Excellent all around machine as you say for a reasonable budget. As there are plenty f machines to consider, I pick machines that will support Catalina (2011/2012, check the model) without a patch or hack, which may be beneficial for future updates.

[@That8One4Dude]

Just did this exact same project this past April as a “quarantine project” then flipped it and bought another 13” MacBook 2012 upgraded it max and restored it to new and I’m keeping it this time to keep wear off my new 16”

[@ArturFriedrich27]

I have the 2011 Unibody MacBook Pro ( 13 inch ), and it is quite in perfect condition. I upgraded the RAM and I replaced the 1 TB HDD with a 256 GB SSD, the battery is also brand new. This laptop works perfectly, and it is easy to upgrade.

[@alex-k2h6g]

I've got that exact model MacBook Pro with an interesting story. I bought it in 2016 for £600 refurbished, a few years of light use later it stopped charging and eventually died completely with no power at all. A few months ago due to bordem in lockdown I decided to try do a Louis Rossman on it, I found that one of the ppbus rails was dead and soldered a bench power supply onto the rail. Then I poured water on the logic board, pumped some power through it and found a capacitor was getting very hot (it was shorting that rail to ground) so I got my iron out and took it off. The system still works fine today even without that capacitor (which is for CPU power management) and is really a very nice machine to use day to day and soon I'll be taking it to college. Edit: I put an SSD in it, 8GB of RAM and moved the HDD to the disk drive slot with one of them adaptors Luke used in this video. With the 5400RPM HDD it was useless.

[@GarthGoldberg]

I just upgraded my mid-2012 MacBook Pro with 16Gb of RAM for $21. Well worth it. This took it from being unusable, with endless spinning beach ball, to quite usable and snappy. And it's now 12 years old.

[@mikebjammin93]

I put 16 gigs of RAM, 1 TB SSD, and new battery from OWC into my Mid 2012 15 inch MBP. It runs better than the better I bought it new! Even if I get a new MBP I would totally keep this around as a beater computer.

[@MaxingOutTech]

Imagine giving this unibody to a friend, not mentioning that you have replaced the Optical drive with an SSD trying to insert a CD in the "DVD slot"... RIP CD!😂😂😂

[@monsieurx9381]

I have the same macbook, I just changed the hard drive to a SSD and thing is super quick! (boots up in 25/30 sec; wakes up in 5 seconds). A very good performer

[@cmykimberly]

I was in the process yesterday of swapping out the optical drive for a HD caddy but the black screws at 6:50 on my macbook are too hard to get out. My ph screw keeps slipping and won't catch a grip on them, i had to stop before i stripped the screw head 😠 so annoying.

[@moviemogul83]

Just upgraded my Early 2011 17” to a Samsung 860 SSD and 16gb Corsair Vengeance RAM. It’s so much fun to Max these systems out

[@YoungThrilla1]

11:07 why tf Yeen say that at the beginning

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

Just did this. Very happy with it.

[@pavolporubsky5173]

Have 2011 17 inch macbook pro. I put in a 16gb of ram 256gb ssd, i disabled gpu and installed macos catalina, it runs really great, even for photo editing!

[@Beristic]

i found a late 2013 13" Macbook Pro with a dual core processor as well as 16 gb ram for $320 but managed to negotiate down to $240. Thinking of upgrading a few things

[@WillieWilson99]

MaxBook Pro!!!

[@neomartian5243]

Brilliant video, Luke! Should have mentioned that the upgrade was worth it due to all the ports that can still be utilised and are not present on the newer MacBook Pros. I sort of did the same last year to my late-2012 MacBook Pro by upgrading its HDD to an SDD and maxing RAM to 16GB. Now it runs with lighting speed!

[@meka854]

I have this exact model, bought new when it came out & It's still my daily laptop today. Overtime I did the SSD and ram upgrades myself but my screen has lost its color accuracy and the battery barely lasts. Now I have confidence that I may squeeze more life out of it so Thank you for this video!

[@AtomicBoo]

I had the i5 2011 model 13 inch pro, it served me well, Used it for 9 years and i finally changed laptop in 2020 for a gaming one, i maxed it out with 16 gb of ram, new thermal paste, new battery and a 512 gb SSD (didnt need more, i use mostly cloud for documents and stuff) i gave it to my dad which he still uses to this day. This unibody design was buit to last, havent used a modern mac yet so i cant talk about the new ones but some apple products last!! (My mom is still rocking my partner's old iphone 6s and shes super happy with it)

[@cameronlovesevolve]

my 15 inch mid 2010 macbook pro is probably one of the better 'investments' ive made in technology. Im on my second battery, 3rd magsafe and i just upgraded the ram to 8 gigs in march ... when i suddenly found myself using it a lot more than i usually do. oh and ive replaced one fan. I love every dent every scratch and even the melted bits on my 'g' and 'command' keys from careless smoking over the years. Its been a reliable bit of kit!

[@kenny10776]

Luke the type of guy to replace every single component on the MacBook, except thermal paste

[@2dambad806]

i have a mid 2012 MBP 13 inch that is in A1 perfect condition. It has no scratches or scuff marks , the screen is absolutely perfect. I upgraded the mem to 16GB and installed a 500Gb SSD disk and run Windows 11 in VMware. I wouldnt take anything for it. Its my secondary machine. My main MBP is a 2020 13 in. I love them both.

[@bigmankz]

I did just the same with my late 2011 "13 macbook pro core i7 in January. The most significant gain in speed was installation of the SSD instead of HDD. I reused the HDD for the secondary drive making the build even cheaper. Computer started loading up in 30-40 seconds instead of 5 minutes or so. Spent like 150 dollars for this and the computer is still good for another 3-5 years at least. Apple used to make very reliable machines back then. :)

[@catloveracapulco]

I have one those similar 2008 unibody macbook i upgrate the caddy ssd and 8 gb ram its grate whit pach run catalina

[@maxemilianpavlovic2297]

Can somebody please tell me the name of the song starting at 7:49?

[@EdCayo]

i´m watching this on my 2010 13" macbook pro, which was a gift from my brother in law, he tried to sell it but he wouldn't even get 30$, asked if I wanted it, I upgraded it to an ssd, added 8gb of ram and a new battery, I always want one of these and was not disappointed

[@steventechno]

I wonder if they have any higher-res displays for these? 1280x800 feels retro these days.

[@Dreadtothink]

What i would like to see is. The late 2013 macbook pro has limited upgradability. Is it possible to install a logicboard from a later machine at the end of the model line?

[@christopherschiffiano2082]

have you ever thought about if you could put a 2012 macbook pro internals into a newer macbook pro (2016+) and have it still work

[@candhgtlight854]

What were the benchmark before the update u should have done that

[@thomhoff1431]

I upgraded the ram and battery in my 2008 unibody and gave it to my step daughter recently and it works perfectly. Might go back and upgrade to an SSD.

[@MsAjax409]

I was given a 15" mid-2012 MacBook Pro by a friend who upgraded to a MacBook Air recently. It laid around for a over a year unused until the other day I was thinking about buying a new laptop to replace my DELL XPS 13" Intel Core i5-5200U Dual-core which I bought new in 2013. It has 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. It's been a reliable machine for me, and although I've been using a Windows 8 and 10 laptop for over a decade, I wondered if switching over to a MacBook Pro would be a better choice. I got on KZbin to check it out and stumbled on your channel. I found out that an old mid-2012 MacBook Pro could be easily upgraded to 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD drive for about $150. What the heck, for that price I went for it. Then I installed MacOS 13.1 (Ventura) on the machine using the Open Core Legacy Patcher. I've been using my "new" Mac for a couple of weeks now and loving it. Thanks for showing how an old uni-body MacBook Pro can have an extended life at very little cost.

[@윤성준-m7d]

I bought this for my first mac couple months ago. The biggest downpoint of this laptop is weight. My main laptop/portable computer is 13 inch windows laptop which is under 1kg. of course I'm not expecting light weight for 8 year old macbook pro but still, when I carry around this heavy computer it makes me to wish newer macbook although I, as a college student don't have enough money to afford 2015 macbook pro...

[@mosadik9755]

Where do you get your music selection to make this video ?!

[@mattevans7884]

I have the 2.5ghz model and I maxed it 5 years ago.......And it still runs like a dream. Using it at this minute