The 6 BEST value used MacBooks going into 2024

Sorry about the gap in uploads. VERY busy month, but lots more content coming soon!
Obviously this is a subjective list, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of these.
I make videos about older tech - mostly Macs, almost every week. Subscribe and I’ll see you in the next one!
Thanks for watching.
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[@Oyinscorner]

1) RETINA MACBOOK PRO 2012 2) 2020 M1 MACBOOK AIR 3) MACBOOK PRO 2015 15” 4) MACBOOK PRO 2019 16” 5) Macbook pro 2012 Unibody

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Cheers mate. Saved me watching that boring 10 minute video the dude made

[@VerticleGravity]

@@montaguebarnabasltdLmfaoo you got a sense of humour on you 😭

[@naruhyy]

Lmao sorry man but this comment really helps 😅especially cuz i can only watch on mute and the writing on ur vid dosnt stay for long

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

WOYS Discord! discord.gg/NWrG556T

[@amysbees6686]

Thank you for delving i to a subject dear to many hearts! Not all of us can affor a new (or Apple refurbished) MacBook. Congratulations and Happy New Year!

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thank you for the lovely comments! All the best.

[@DMTCOMPOSER]

Thank you for this video! A great help! Blessings

[@fragsie]

great selection - its good to see someone else keeping the old Macs relevant.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thanks for the comment! Much appreciated.

[@antares2323]

I've just got a 2015 15" MBP with the i7 2.5, R9 370X & 16GB RAM, can't wait for it to arrive, I think it's going to serve me well.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Hell yeah. Should be a great machine

[@Guido.Fawkes.1]

I got the same MBP about a year ago! Excellent choice! You’ll love it. I recommend side loading the current Mac OS for the best experience. It can be found for free online and works amazingly.

[@arseniyromanovich799]

​@@Guido.Fawkes.1 how about fans working? Are they still during some light or semi-light load?

[@user-we9hu6hb8e]

Same just got one of the same specs just for extra side work as a spare. I have a m1 pro 14" TB and just upgraded my wife's 2012 to a 13" 2015.

[@itsMiguelPro]

For how much? Im just looking between macbook 2019 16” or 2015 15”, can't choose between this two beast xd

[@christianholmcidlik]

Just found your channel last week and i was happy to see a new upload from you. Love your video style!

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Lovely to hear! Thank you.

[@KindaAverageTech]

Been watching through all your videos recently - Keep up the great work.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Really means a lot to hear. Thank you! Of course I will.

[@deralfenderson]

I run two of the 2012 MBPs with all of the upgrading available. Had to for the Firewire port. Love these guys. Does what I need.

[@andrespereira7874]

Love your content congrats for the 1k subscribers, would appreciate a comparison between m1 max and m3 pro since both models are around the same price rn

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thanks for the lovely comment! To be completely honest, both of those macs are far out of my budget right now. I’ll likely do a comparison between Apple silicon models in the future, but my channel focuses on the older Macs most of the time.

[@kikoferraz4363]

Really nice content. Thanks from southern Brazil.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Means a lot. Thanks!

[@marcoconceicao6206]

Honest review, thanks

[@jaimembjesus]

Great content, Glad to see your channel growing. As for content ideas maybe you could try upgrading those older models through opencore to see how they cope with more modern versions of macos than the ones oficially suported. Keep up the great work. :)

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thanks for a lovely comment! Yeah, good idea. Over the next few months I do hope to get some Macs I haven’t done videos about yet, and I’ll definitely be showcasing their performance on Ventura/Sonoma.

[@jaimembjesus]

It's really good and informative content and cheap if you have access to some older macs. :)

[@Morrow420]

I also want to see this! I couldn't get open core to work.

[@Morrow420]

I love my 2013 13' MacBook Pro. It's a bit heavy but the screen is better than any laptop I can find. I only use it for the news and watching 2k footage, so I never have any lag.

[@todormentol]

Great video, keep up the good work! I need your advice tho. What's your opinion on MacBook Pro 15" 2019 2,4GHz Intel i9 32GB 1TB, would you recommend buying it? I really got a good offer, but people scare me with butterfly keyboard failures. Is Late 2019 16'' really different? Thanks a lot.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

I would be worried more about the heat issues. Never had a problem with the butterfly keyboard. It’s just not a good time to buy Intel, to be honest. Thanks for the nice words!

[@richardczafik7134]

Super video thanks brother

[@kylekitzman3374]

In the video, are they in any particular order? Is there a particular used model that’s the best bang for buck overall if I can’t afford a brand new one, but have the funds for a good used one? (I’d be using it mainly for creating music in logic)

[@MischaGielen]

Just wondering if one of the numbers 1, 2 and 3 after upgrading can keep up with a 2019 Dell Latitude 5490 (i5-8350, 16GB DDR4 Ram, 512GB HD and Intel UHD Graphics 620? I'm not wanting to prove the Dell to be faster or question your analysis. I just want to know if one of these machines (according your numbering) would be an improvement. The use of my laptop is mainly office-based and some light programming (Arduino, Rpi and similar). Sometimes some photo processing.

[@Kingsborothrough]

Now I can start my search for a refurbished Mac book. Wonderful

[@TOOFUTURETV]

Great video, very handy. 👍🏼😎

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thanks for watching!

[@MBAgamesforall]

wow your vid enlightened me I just bought the MacBook Pro intel i7 2020 and at first I started to rethink a bit but now while I'm typing this I'm so grateful I bought it and also for 700 dollars this was cheaper than the MacBook Air m1

[@maesl69]

I'm looking for a mobile editing powerhouse capable of flawlessly handling 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 footage. It can be damaged, refurbished, or just used (I know how to do repairs). My budget is under $500, and I don't mind whether it's a Mac Mini or a MacBook. What would you recommend for good repairability and upgradability? PS: I've never used a MacBook before, only repaired them. My current editing setup is an RX 7800XT with a 7800X3D. How will the editing performance compare if I switch to a Mac as my primary/secondary mobile editing rig?

[@tberger950]

Love your vids, keep it up! Quick question, I bought the MacBook Pro 13 inch M1 a couple years ago, but since the M2 chip came out not much later, I’ve been wondering if I made the right choice by buying the M1 chip one, and essentially whether the M2 chip is worth it?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thanks for the comment. Your MacBook is gonna last at least another half decade, I can almost promise you. The big leap came between Intel and Apple Silicon, a leap which you’re luckily on the right side of alongside the M2 chip!

[@tberger950]

@@montaguebarnabasltd alright, you’ve eased my mind, thank you man!

[@Notinuse664]

Great vid 💯

[@bramvandenbroeck5060]

I have a 2012 macbook pro mid 2012 which is more than capable for me! I only do light work on my mac, as i use it mainly to interact with my other deviceq

[@robinfuijk]

The no-force touch trackpad would be a dealbreaker for me. Ever since I got a MacBook Pro M1 at work I got an M1 Air for private use and I have to say, the trackpad is the best I've ever had. I like it so much that I replaced my Logitech mouse for an external Magic Trackpad 2.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Not a lot of people talk about this, but you’re right. It’s not a bad accessory separate from a laptop.

[@theunknownneighbour9802]

Just bought a 2017 13“ MacBook Pro Touchbar, 512GB SSD and 16GB ram for 200€. Havent had my hands on it yet but I‘m pretty excited

[@claudiodaniel1397]

What do you recomend. Macbook pro 13" i5 2015 - $200 Or Huawei d14 i5 10th gen - $300 What can i choose for office and personal use.

[@nbanbsh]

Thanks a lot! I just got a job and I’m looking for a cheap Macbook for a reasonable price. I tryna find a Pro 2015 though

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Hell yeah, best of luck!

[@aliframadhan1202]

I'm still using a mid 2012 Macbook Pro in 2024. The performance is still pretty good. It's just that I can't use the latest operating system and the battery drains very quickly. My Macbook has fallen from tables, beds, etc. but it wasn't damaged at all, just a little dented. I think older Macbooks have pretty good durability, especially the screen. The latest Macbooks have very fragile screen glass and flexible screen cables that are easily torn

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

I do worry about the screen and cables on my 2020 one. Glad to hear you’re getting use out of the 2012 still!

[@hahayeahbaby]

My 2012 shuts off if i play roblox on it for long periods of time

[@marshlanderdumarais264]

My only computer these days is the same (mid 2012 MacBook Pro). Despite being completely non-techie I bought the magic screwdriver to upgrade the memory and swap the hdd for more storage on ssd. The battery no longer holds any charge and I’m told replacements are no longer available. I run mine off the mains, which rather defeats the object of a laptop, but I tend to use my iPhone and iPad much more often. I encountered a problem a few days ago where it refused to start up and I thought that was it. Completely by chance it bonged back to life when I was absent-mindedly pressing the power button before switching on the mains power. It has been fine since then. I’ve never had a Mac last less than a decade.

[@hahayeahbaby]

I’m currently looking at a 2019 pro 16 inch like you recommended, but some of the touchbars’ escape and finerprint keys aren’t seperate from the touchbar like yours. Should I stay away from these ones or are they equally as good as yours shown?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

The ones that aren’t separated will be 15 inch machines from earlier in the year. Those are worse, yep, so I’d stay away. Thanks for watching!

[@hahayeahbaby]

@@montaguebarnabasltd thank you so much for replying. Though they are cheaper I’ll keep looking. People from my country don’t use macs as much as in the US so it’s a bit harder to find one.

[@bluebaaron748]

I love my 2012 MBP. Do you run unsupported or supported OS?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Ventura, patched.

[@lenm2857]

I just started using iMovie on a 2012 15" 2.6 GHz MBP and it makes a lot of heat and fan noise, afraid I'm going to kill it! Would the 2015 15" have enough power for minor iMovie use (mostly just trimming clips)?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

It would. Should be fine!

[@sscwala2205]

thanks

[@medleysa]

I have a 2012 15-inch MBP with a 1GB 650m GPU. It’s cheap to upgrade it to an SSD and 16 GB of RAM, and batteries are cheap as well. It can absolutely still edit 1080p60 video (from an iPhone 13) in iMovie. You can’t add too many effects, but for basic video editing, it’s fine.

[@Scorpio.Iamher.]

would this laptop be a good one to buy...Apple MacBook Pro 15" MJLQ2LL/A (Core i7 - 4770 - 2.2Ghz - 16GB Ram - 256GB SSD)

[@DJPaulDiddy]

Which used Mac Pro you recommend for running dj software and music production?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

I wouldn’t really recommend Mac Pros. The 5,1 is too old, 6,1 is old and weak GPU’d. The 7,1 is new, but already showing age against M1 machines. I’d say go for an M1 Mac mini, or a 2018 Intel Mac mini if you prefer Intel and want to pay a little less!

[@torpidfella293]

I’m looking for MacBook Pro 15 inch 2015 with graphics for under 250$. Will it suffice for entry level coding and programming?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Absolutely. Will be fine for that. Best of luck finding one.

[@murshed12]

Have u found it?

[@michaellakeman4208]

I was wondering if any 3rd party suppliers make a replacement battery that offers anything like the longevity of the original. My replacement for an early 2015 MB Pro lasted just a year. The MacBook however still provides all I need.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

I’d aim for an OWC or ifixit battery if they deliver to your area. Not sure they’re the the absolute best, but they should be the most dependable brands on paper.

[@murshed12]

How about video editing? Have u ever done yet

[@prabinbishokarma2863]

Macbook 2019 i9 16/512. Worth for 720$? Or i should go for macbook air m1 8/256 gb for video editing?....which is better?

[@ArielGonzalez1]

maybe save some more and get more ram with an m1 or m2 (and more storage too)

[@BigRick324]

How about the 2015 mac book pro 13 inch retina I am thinking buying one

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Pretty good buy. I would obviously recommend M1 much more highly, but it’s not a waste of money if you’re only spending a couple hundred bucks.

[@one_step_sideways]

I think the best Macbook is a ThinkPad T480 Hackintosh. Need I tell you about its legendary upgradability and great performance for the $200 it sells for?

[@Domenzain31]

Still rocking a fully loaded Unibody Macbook Pro 2012 15” (i7 2.6 GHz, Nvidia GT650M 1gb gpu, 16 ram, 512gb Kingston SSD) with the high resolution screen upgrade, patched to Monterey with OCLP. Sufficient performance for multitasking, 4k 30fps KZbin playback and even light programming (engineering student here). However, the drawbacks are the poor quality in webcam, speakers and battery, heavy weight and high temperatures, even after a fresh application of thermal paste and a thorough cleaning. When I get my first job, I will upgrade to an refurbished M1 MBA with 16gb ram, for the sake of battery life, portability and quality of speakers and screen, together with that sweet Apple Silicon performance.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

I think you’ve got the right idea. There comes a time for us all to upgrade. Best of luck when you do, and I hope you get to keep the old machine ;)

[@stevenlancaster5594]

I can’t seem to find the 2015 pro 15” with 2.5ghz. Is the 15.4” model considered a 15 Inch?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Yes it is! They round to the nearest 1”

[@iamsokyut]

is $600 a good deal for a 2019 macbook pro with core i9 and 32gb of ram? i just saw one on facebook marketplace.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

It’s a good deal right now, but their value has long been and is dropping fast

[@1519Lovely]

Should I get a MacBook Pro 2017 13 inch for college?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

That’s not a particularly great model for the price. Get a 2015, or save for a 2020 air. You won’t regret it.

[@user-pp3dl8id7r]

Sensible choices. I was able to install a new Ninja battery and 2TB OWC memory in a 2015 2.8 gHz model. There is no question in my mind that this laptop could run Sonoma as smoothly as any 2018 mac mini (which are Sonoma enabled). It is a shame that Apple does not offer that upgrade as this laptop is still remarkable.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thanks! Yeah it’s unfortunate the Intel macs got this treatment. I’m sure the 2015s will be feasible to use for a few years yet.

[@pavelshlyak8385]

Try OCLP

[@user-pp3dl8id7r]

Thanks for the suggestion

[@7hx89]

A few additional hidden gems. Mac mini 2014 for audiophile. Hires digital out with internal/external dac, upgradable nvme ssd + Sata ssd/hdd. Even the base model 4gb works. And for 3d rendering and machine learning, Mac mini 2018 with egpu. Powerful cpu, upgradable ram up to 64g, and external usb ssd support for dual/tri boot including win11. Finally, a 2013 MacBook Air, i7/8G, with upgradable ssd. All three models are very cheap now starting from maybe $100 or less. All can be upgraded to OS Sonoma via OCLP, to support interoperability such as sidecar, airplay to Mac or UC with iOS devices. Two more honorable mentions: the smallest Mac to date: 2016/17 MacBook 12”, stunning display with a beautiful and tiny footprint like an iPad. Still good for note taking and content consumption. And, final final is 2012 Mac mini, best for a NAS or home server, and/or a FireWire DAC host/hifi player.

[@7hx89]

Ps 2013 Mba is no diff from 2015 Mba and close to 2017 Mba but much cheaper. 2018 mini natively supports Sonoma.

[@7hx89]

You can have 2 2.5 Sata ssd/hdd inside 2012 mini, along with a few usb3/Thunderbolt external HDDs. And the ram can be upgraded very cheaply to 16G.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Really good additions, to be honest. All of these Macs will get a mention in the future on my channel, no doubt. I’m especially fond of the 2018 for being the last properly upgradeable consumer grade Mac. I believe the 2014’s SSD is flash based, though, not PCIE. This held a lot of the macs of that era back from being true storage greats.

[@johnphamlore8073]

Someone help me with the logic of an egpu. Isn't the cost of any decent egpu so great, it completely dwarfs any savings one gets with a used 2018 Mac Mini regardless of price?

[@7hx89]

@@johnphamlore8073if you want to do Ai/machine learning locally, egpu helps and might be the only way to do it, with RTX40xx in a dual boot Mac with Linux or Win10/11. Some eGPU has Sata ports for an extra SSD.

[@maciello4321]

Is it worth to buy a macbook air 13 from 2017 now? i5, 8 gb of ram. (for 200$)

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

If you want to do video editing or 3d stuff, or indeed gaming, no. If you’re just after it for an everyday laptop for university or work on documents, go for it!

[@maciello4321]

@@montaguebarnabasltd what about MacBook air 13 from 2015 with i5 for 150$, yea I need only dor studying etc

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@maciello4321 The 2015 will suffice. Save the money and when you need a new one on a few years, get an M1. You won’t regret it!

[@dirtisdope]

i got a 2016 12' macbook. do you think thats a good value?

[@dirtisdope]

for 150$ btw

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Pretty good deal. I’d be happy with that.

[@juggernaut8647]

If i get a 2012 can it actually support and run all websites platforms without issues?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Should be fine yes. Safari and Chrome will run almost everything on Catalina. If something doesn’t run you can always install Monterey or something newer with OCLP. It’s pretty simple to do.

[@juggernaut8647]

@@montaguebarnabasltd im not too savy with computers so forgive me but what exactly is OCLP LOL?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@juggernaut8647 no probs. It’s basically a tool you download from the internet to patch a newer version of MacOS onto your unsupported mac.

[@juggernaut8647]

@@montaguebarnabasltd please tell me you have a video of this magical spell you speak of

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@juggernaut8647 I love the enthusiasm lol but I don’t yet. It’s probably a good idea. I can assure you I’ll do one in the next couple of months

[@ianchung8906]

how about macbook pro 13" intel i5 128gb, year 2019 selling for £340 plus shipping

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Wouldn’t recommend. Apologies for the late reply. It’s a decent machine for that price, but for a hair above it you can get a 256GB M1 air. It will absolutely blow the socks off any Intel 13”.

[@murshed12]

From where?

[@bigbodybywyl]

How about the APPLE MACBOOK PRO INTEL I7 3.3GHZ 16GB RAM 13" WITH TOUCH BAR (LATE 2016) 512GB SSD

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Could do without the caps lad Anyway, that sounds like one to avoid. The 2016 Touch Bar models were basically 2015s but with worse ports, worse thermals, an unpopular Touch Bar, and were far more expensive to buy and service.

[@bigbodybywyl]

@@montaguebarnabasltd hmmm what about the 2020 MacBook Pro retina 13.3 inch core i7 16gb ram

[@bigbodybywyl]

@@montaguebarnabasltd or a 2020 MacBook air m1

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@bigbodybywyl I don’t mean to be a pain, but you’re obviously not getting much from my videos, or aren’t watching them at all. I go over these things very often.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@bigbodybywyl a 2020 M1 is the ideal machine I would recommend!

[@afinpgn]

Buying a 2017 Mac book pro 15 inch i7 intel 512 ssd 16 gb 150 battery cycle Is worth in 2024 Plz reply 😭❤

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

If the price is GREAT then buy it. If not, the 2015 15 inch is just as good basically.

[@murshed12]

​@@montaguebarnabasltd2015 15 inch does worth for video editing and a bit heavy work? (I also commented somewhere else reply me once)

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@murshed12 it does. It’s the best Intel MacBook to buy in 2024 I’d say. I have two dedicated videos on it if you’re interested…

[@murshed12]

@@montaguebarnabasltd does it worth $500

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@murshed12 my brother in Christ watch the videos No, in my opinion, get an M1 air if you have a $500 budget.

[@joshsepticpie6253]

What about a 2017 MacBook Air for 100 Canadian?

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Now that is a bargain. If you don’t wanna use it, sell it on.

[@ArielGonzalez1]

bad time to have a mid 2017 13'' MBP for 160$ :/// hahahahah good video

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Thank you! That is unfortunately true though lol

[@ArielGonzalez1]

@@montaguebarnabasltd i mean still is good, specially for the price (for my country second hand market, this is one of a kind deal), cause for the same you barely had i5s MBP 13'' mid 2012. outside of some thing that i have seen that are ingrained in the model, i think its really good if you can find it. now i just need to save money to buy more storage (yeah, this is the last one to have upgradeable SSDs)

[@Koplinjp]

There are 15 inch 2015 MacBook Pro with 2.5ghz cpu with Intel graphics only.

[@Koplinjp]

I have 2 iMac 5K 2017, did get both for a good price, used. For homework (due to COVID-19) they were pretty good macines, very confortable for the eyes… Also have a 15 inch 2015 MacBook Pro, and, my youngest son haves a Mac Pro 2013 (trash can) with D700 and a Apple Thunderbolt Display. Before the iMacs 5k, I had 2 iMac 27 from 2011, with modded graphic cards, one nvidia GTX 780m, other with quadro K2100m… sold them to get the 5k’s… 👍

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

You’re absolutely right. I mention that in my 2015 MacBook Pro video, which I should’ve linked. Those machines are very rare from what I’ve found, though. Cool Mac collection! The 5k iMacs are really decent value considering the excellent screens they come with, yeah.

[@Koplinjp]

@@montaguebarnabasltd also, the 5k’s have 2 discs: 1 nvme drive (macOS), 1 ssd sata drive (Windows 11) 😁

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

@@Koplinjpsweet! I may look into getting an iMac at some point.

[@Coolie-ds4tu]

Can't imagine using anything less than the latest os. So 2018 minimum. 2012 models are for recycling

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Patched OSes my driller

[@travis1044]

Linux my guy

[@oakmen4604]

There's a bigger difference between CPUs besides core count and gigahertz. A modern i3 will destroy an older i7. Smaller lithography and current instruction sets. That's why generation is more important than model name.

[@RohanSinghPatel-ly1pg]

Should i buy macbook pro 2019 in 2024

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

My latest video is about that bruvva

[@FailSonOfAnarchy]

3:27 You're old fashioned.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

LMAOOO I forgot what I said, but once I opened the video I laughed so hard man

[@redwind3475]

Mini display port on a 2015 MBP? 2012 MBPs are far from the most upgradable? Bro, you buggin'.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Yeah, the Thunderbolt ports on the 2015s doubled as native Mini DisplayPort ports. I’m not sure what point in the video you’re referring to, but I was probably talking about the 2012 Retina not being upgradeable…

[@GRFan632]

Why don’t you buy from Apple refurbished instead.

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Expensive and they tend to sell the models they’re struggling to shift, which invariably are the poor ones.

[@Martin_from_SC]

I'm not sure how you can recommend anyone buy an Intel Mac at this stage. 5 years left? no chance. the current Sonoma is likely the last to support Intel. That means only 2 years of security updates. used M1 have come down in price a lot.

[@ZhuJo99]

Macbook Air M1 is best value you can get for used laptop. Then, aby M1 Pro or Max model, both great. Just say no to Intel versions. Especially those made between 2016-2020. Those are crappy, overheating, failing laptops with very very bad value.