THE MACBOOK PRO 13" 2012 IS THE BEST BUDGET LAPTOP YOU CAN BUY IN 2024!!!

[@mrmartywaring]

This is my favorite MacBook. I upgraded the HDD to a 1TB SSD, the RAM to 16GB & replaced the battery. Since I'm not a creator or video editor, this handles a great amount of my daily tasks and my workflow.

[@cynonexus]

Still pretty decent with normal task, though that screen is the only caveat

[@mrmartywaring]

@@cynonexusI agree. I'm not even gonna attempt to replace the screen 😂 I'm glad to live about 10 minutes from MicroCenter (where I got my upgrade parts)

[@BryanBuenaobra]

Have you tried to use thunderbolt to HDMI, mine doesn't work

[@mrmartywaring]

@@BryanBuenaobra mine works fine. I use a second monitor sometimes

[@BryanBuenaobra]

@@mrmartywaring Actually i upgraded via Opencore to Ventura, and its not working, i tried to use two HDMI to thunderbolt but still didn’t work

[@lewislane1143]

This is my everyday laptop. Totally useable.

[@DerRechen]

Do you know the feeling of wanting something you know you don't need and probably won't use...

[@xashwty]

MacBooks from 2012 - 2015 were so good, I have a MacBook Air 2015 and it’s still working perfectly fine! I expect these laptops to last till 2027, to be honest

[@cynonexus]

100%

[@VedSTiwari]

i expect it to last till eternity 😎

[@AllTimeTech12]

If you install Linux make sure its a Debian derivative like Ubuntu not direct Debian cause it can be pretty difficult to use direct debian, also if you install Ubuntu which I recommend make sure its an LTS release I recommend 22.04 instead of 24.04 mainly due to stability and support.

[@ultraviolettp3446]

I have two of these that I bought several years ago and upgraded both to a 1tb ssd as a main and then both have a second 1 tb drive for data in the media bay as well as 16gigs of ram. Both are amazing machines and I will state these are the best ever laptops ever made. The quality of the hardware is superb and I have both hooked up to 27 inch external monitors and are showing full HD - it is like having an iMac (along with external hard drive and mouse). I am blown away by how good these are for basic tasks including viewing videos in HD. I have Catalina running on both and there is no need to change. I have both laptops with lids closed and on a power supply as well.

[@cynonexus]

That’s good to know! Still an amazing legacy device

[@Locky2701]

I gave to my kid mine, i7 2.9 ghz and 16 gigs of ram,SSD 1 tera running Ventura and second SSD 500GB replacing the DVD player running Linux Mint,still rock

[@cynonexus]

That’s the way to do it!

[@RandomFandomOfficial]

Yep, I’ll have a 1TB SSD with Mojave… and a 500GB SSD with Linux after today. :)

[@xedde25]

watching this on this amazing laptop! thanks for helping me choose this great device!

[@cynonexus]

Glad I could help! Apart from being on the thicker side and heavy, it’s still a wonderful laptop

[@burrito_bobby]

Love my mid 2012 MacBook Pro. Bought it from the original owner with the original box for $60 🤙🏼

[@cynonexus]

Oh wow! Looking to land those types of deals one day

[@Ryzobyte]

I got 2 for €90 today, looking to flip one for some profit, as they are both working (1 has a loose hinge and a worn trackpad+battery). Will be keeping the one in better condition, though

[@SimplengKristyano]

what i love about this machine is its repairability. i have one macbook air 2014 which i got from fb marketplace… but i still want to have this specific model of mbp. thanks

[@cynonexus]

2014 MacBook airs are still wonderful

[@aliaulman]

I have the very same machine I bought secondhand earlier this year. The previous owner told he bought it in 2015 so still pretty newer than most devices. Maximize the ssd and ram. And could agree with you, it runs best on Big Sur for me. Tried Ventura as well but felt Big Sur a bit smoother. I even upgrade to Big Sur via OCLP because my chrome and spotify app keep asking about newer OS. If not, I'd stay on Catalina. I actually uses this only for Chrome it still run pretty smooth

[@stevenwymor1398]

If OCLP is installed and you use Software Update to do a MacOS update, OCLP will automatically detect that it needs to write to the EFI partition and it will launch after the update is installed. The only thing the user has to do after that is to do the post install root patching in OCLP. And that step is fully automated. The end user can easily do it if OCLP is on the SSD, which it should be. Also, the end user should know how to update to the latest version of the OS for security updates.

[@tbjinvestments]

I've got a 2012 upgraded to Ventura with OCLP, and a 2011 Running Linux Mint Cinamon Virginia. Both run extremely well, and the Linux laptop runs so much faster it's become my go to machine. Both of these are i5's. If I see an i7 out there, I'm tempted to grab it as well.

[@Acer_Real]

I got mine with an i5 and 16gb of ram and 512gb if ssd storage the biggest down is just the heat and just a bit slow because of the dual core and the i7‘s are 290€ here 😂

[@cynonexus]

i7s barely have any performance gains from the i5 anyway 😂

[@johnmarchant160]

Another fantastic video! I do love my 2012 13" MBPs, I have three at the moment (one without an internal SATA cable rip). Few thoughts/questions. Macs Fan Control and OCLP breathe new life into them on the software side and 8GB RAM and an SSD on the hardware side. I usually run Monterey or Ventura as I've found Sonoma to have issues that make them not very useful. Have you ran into the bad RAM slot issue that's common on these? Often flexing the board will cause crashes. All three of mine have the issue so I'm limited to 8GB on each. Easy fix is only using one slot for ram. As far as the old HDDs, I find they're great backup drives for the computers I use more often. An iMac and a few 2.5" SATA USB enclosures make for a great Time Machine backup server over my local area network.

[@cynonexus]

not having any issues regarding the ram aspect of it but I agree Monterey is the sweet spot for these MacBooks unless you really need maximum compatibility

[@TazzSmk]

still got one of those occasionally used - 2.9GHz i7, 16GB ram, 1TB HDD, optical drive replaced with 500GB SSD (as system drive)

[@samdavidh]

Intel nailed it with the Core chips for these kinds of applications. In many ways they perform similar to how they always did, adjusted for the extra inflation of software and websites etc. SSDs are an absolute must, my friend has this exact 2012 MBP, and it takes minutes to load single apps on Ventura purely because of that spinning drive.

[@cynonexus]

Technology in general has been a gradual increase in comparison to the early 2000s so in other words, computers are lasting longer and longer!

[@Shimeih]

I agree. I use mine for graphic design and mainly use the affinity suite of apps and adobe sometimes. It still runs pretty fast without any hiccups. I have a 1tb hdd and another 500gb in a caddy, 10gb ram and running Big Sur on it but will be upgrading soon so I guess it's gonna be even faster.

[@ipankadhipradana1595]

It's around 200$ in Indonesia still expensive for me

[@cynonexus]

Import taxes unfortunately does that to a lot of countries like the ph

[@jaspercas]

same here in the Philippines, I even saw one for 300usd with a stock slow hard drive😂😂

[@iMischaa]

Same in Brazil I actually saw someone selling for USD$500 lol

[@ibrahimMorteza]

3 jutaan bang pasaranya tergantung kondisi

[@kentabrahamsson]

Watching your video on MBP 12 with 16 GB RAM and 480 GB SSD running OCLP MacOS Sequoia 15.0 flawlessly and smooth without problems, so I can confirm that your feeling about dual core i5 and HD Graphics 4000 wouldn't cut it for Sequoia is actually not true. It's even smoother than running previous OS versions. So don't stay on any ancient OS just because you anticipate something without actually checking.

[@Xtreme25]

What's the battery runtime.....?

[@kentabrahamsson]

@Xtreme25 Same as under previous operating system versions. I haven't clocked it, but it works for my limited use (I have other PCs as well). It still lasts for some hours use (battery in good shape). It hasn't been a constraint.

[@unitedastronomer]

the condition looks pristine

[@cynonexus]

@@unitedastronomer couple of dings here and there but it’s in good workable condition!

[@aliaulman]

One thing about this MacBook (or almost all MacBook in my experiences) always looks pristine ON the inside. It looks brand new even though the outside shows some scratch and dent. That's one thing I have to admit how geniuses Apple to keep their internals so clean, not much dust can go in there

[@oldipodee]

I use one of these for tasks when I'm traveling. I use a 2012 21.5" iMac for everything and it's a good computer, under older macOS versions and Windows 11. Apparently my iMac is slow with macOS Sonoma, even with an SSD and 16GB of RAM.

[@cynonexus]

Honestly anything 2012 era is starting to show its age with Sonoma! But an i7 is still good with my 15” 2012

[@rizqiput_x]

even in 2024 this machine is still an option for budget laptop. remind me of biggest apple insanity for removing the capability to replace basically everything from their laptop

[@iMischaa]

This one is pretty hard to find it here, some people say it still the best

[@cynonexus]

still the best!

[@iMischaa]

​@@cynonexusyeah I saw in your on your video, way faster than the 2011 model, the metal api definitely changes a lot

[@Jessesboi]

Omg I wish my fiancé wants one so bad but with expenses can’t afford any wants and her laptop is going out which she uses for her job

[@Alexander_l322]

You know there are places that throw out their older laptops. Schools and universities especially. They can be taken for free, I have so many and average people throw out their old laptops when they buy new and you can get them from the trash and they mostly work and are very useable

[@ryegamboa911]

Whats the most latest OS we can upgrade? What type of ssd? Can we change the processor? Are the apps still usable or just for browsing? Thank you for answering!

[@cynonexus]

OpenCore legacy patcher will be your best friend when it comes to the latest macOS update I have a link in the description for my ssd recommendation And no you can’t change the processor It’s good for a lot of things, occasional editing and if you’re a student, it will handle pretty much all school related things, that being said, it is an old machine so some programs won’t run as well

[@Henderson101]

I have this with Ventura and it is fine. 16gb, ssd.

[@cynonexus]

Ventura is a good sweet spot

[@capitancapitan2841]

Is it true that it will run smoother without getting too hot using ddr3l and not ddr3?

[@cynonexus]

ddr3l is the laptop version of ddr3, you might want to check the speed instead there's 1066mhz 1333mhz and 1600mhz

[@Jordan-RW]

Do you mind sharing where you can get a good quality battery replacement? Thank you!

[@cynonexus]

I normally get it at my local microcenter but personally that’s a challenging task, I suggest just looking at Amazon batteries with lots of reviews

[@pierreinthavong181]

Nice mac video!😁

[@cynonexus]

@@pierreinthavong181 thank you

[@pierreinthavong181]

@@cynonexus @7:30 - Why did you burp, are you okay?

[@ImInterestedInApathyII]

are you sure the 15'' one isnt better? it literally has an i7

[@cynonexus]

15” is better by far but it’s a big machine compared to the 13” nowadays people prefer portability

[@Sidenseen1]

Cane someone direct me of a good spot to get one of these that have been upgraded? Thanks!!

[@cynonexus]

eBay might be the place to go but conditions may vary

[@alijahakers3053]

how are the speakers

[@cynonexus]

Pretty good! Overtime it gets less reliable once dirt and dust gets into them so cleaning it once in a while will be a good idea

[@BluebirdVision116]

I found mine on eBay for $75 and it will arrive in a couple of days

[@cynonexus]

@@BluebirdVision116 still worth it! Good buy!

[@BluebirdVision116]

@@cynonexus thanks, sequoia will be installed on mine with a 500gb HDD, 240GB SSD, 16GB Ram and new Thermal Paste The 240GB SSD will be for the OS The 500GB HDD (original drive) will be for storage

[@cynonexus]

@ smart! Wish you the best, as far as I know Sonoma still works fine so hopefully it’s the same for sequoia

[@BluebirdVision116]

@ thank you so much

[@BluebirdVision116]

@@cynonexus update: I just got an m.2 adapter and had a 512gb m.2 SSD laying around and I decided to use that instead of the original drive

[@VedSTiwari]

8:25 macbook's macbook pro, did anybody notice?

[@cynonexus]

That’s what happens when I have a MacBook clone drive on a MacBook clone drive 😂

[@HowYouMove]

I’m a new beginner doing music & I had recently brought one for $300 & it’s like brand new without a single scratch on it & has macOS Catalina version 10.15.7 2.9 GHz Dual-Core intel Core i7 Processor 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB with a 500 GB Solid State SATA Drive & I have a Samsung 2TB External SSD. As a new beginner I wanted to ask if you think that I should do any upgrades? because I had ordered the BENFEI Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Mini DP Display Port to VGA (Thunderbolt Compatible) Male to Female Adapter from Amazon to go with my silver HP 22”er monitor but unfortunately I won’t have the adapter until Wednesday

[@cynonexus]

First thing is most definitely the thermal paste! It’s a bit tricky to disassemble if it’s your first time but even if it’s brand new like, I highly recommend replacing as these are relatively on the older side!

[@WekaDigitalMediaNZ]

I'm using the 2012 15 inch and have had it since new for making youtube videos for my channel. I have the 16gb RAM and 1tb SSD and can edit 1hr 30m vids in 4k on it okay. I have to now upgrade the OS and was looking at Sonoma, so you say it's no good for this macbook?

[@otegwupero2890]

wow what NLE ,do you use to edit cause my videos lag alot with premeire pro although I am still using an 8gb hopefully the difference will be dramatic when i upgrade to 16gb

[@tyrek78]

for the 15 inch, it has a quad core and dedicated graphics, it should be fine on sonoma, but maybe ventura is a better choice

[@cynonexus]

Sonoma is totally fine on the 15inch 2012 since it has the 650M graphics. Perfectly usable!

[@kuyzbry3520]

13” sonoma no wifi, how to install fresh os thru bootable usb with os?

[@formerlycringe]

@@kuyzbry3520 hold option+r while the PC is turning on

[@whatmust8146]

This is true!!!!!!

[@poblacionnorte7408]

I have this with monterey running on it..

[@SimplengKristyano]

sir how did you installed sonoma directly to this unsupported mac from that external drive? is that a standard install? or OCLP?

[@cynonexus]

It’s open core legacy patcher! It’s just a bootable recovery Sonoma with oclp patched to it

[@reiyiesnasir6460]

hi, Do you recommend i run my 2012 MacBook pro with the Sierra OS or Sonoma Os?

[@cynonexus]

Sierra for maximum performance but Sonoma is great if you want the most compatibility with apps

[@reiyiesnasir6460]

@@cynonexus Thank you, am about to fix my mac on my own but how can i put Sonoma in a new SSD?

[@cynonexus]

@@reiyiesnasir6460 make sure you follow how to create a bootable oclp flash drive, ideally usb is better, you can't just run sonoma straight from an SSD without patching it

[@AGuyChillin]

Hi, i found this one with i5, 16gb and 500gb HDD/SSD for 150, do you think its worth it? Or is an 2015/13" i7/16/1tb better for 350, thanks!

[@cynonexus]

2015 if you don't mind less upgradability! its better in every category. Also I wouldn't get a 2012 for 350 even if it's maxed out

[@AGuyChillin]

@@cynonexus Hi! Got the 2012 maxed out for 180, mint condition! Thanks for the response!

[@ITZMEUNV31]

I have a late 2011 with 2 ssd's and 16gb ram. I wiped the drives and installed linux mint since mac os was terribly slow. Ive been trying to get OCLP on it with no luck. Any ideas how to get it installed?

[@TazzSmk]

you need to make OCLP bootable usb stick, maybe make MacOS VM in VirtualBox on Linux and do it from there?

[@ITZMEUNV31]

@@TazzSmk I'll take a look, I kinda gave up on the project lol

[@cynonexus]

@@ITZMEUNV31well is it a 15” because if so you won’t have any luck getting oclp on it

[@ITZMEUNV31]

@cynonexus it's a 13

[@andylee7862]

I brought the macbook pro 13" retina early 2015 in dec 2023 for only 93€ incl. Shipping. Only if the macbook pro 13" 2012 is 50€ it's a bargain

[@cynonexus]

Need to grab some sort of retina MacBook one of these days, prices are just outrageous when you can get a similarly priced cheap m1

[@andylee7862]

@@cynonexus macbook air m1 basemodel für 400€

[@tyrek78]

@@cynonexus a

[@sojattech]

Bro action camera 4K video editing you

[@realFBGD]

its a good laptop until you try and do anything other then web browsing on it, the graphics chip on it lowkey sucks

[@cynonexus]

Sums it up pretty much

[@megatronskneecap]

They're perfectly usable but the display sucks and the battery life is terrible

[@cynonexus]

Unfortunately and there’s no replacing that too

[@rodneymarkestrella6639]

Is this Retina Display?

[@cynonexus]

No

[@unitedastronomer]

the sonoma wallpaper looks hideous

[@cynonexus]

@@unitedastronomer it does on the 1280x800 display 😂

[@NoahLorano]

Buy a 2019 laptop, you would be able to buy it fairly cheaply.

[@cynonexus]

@@NoahLorano you can but you won’t be able to work on it or upgrade it as easily as this computer

[@iMischaa]

How much does a 2019 model cost in America?

[@NoahLorano]

@@iMischaa I'm in Canada, I just got it at a great price for $250 CAD. But I got lucky. I would think you'd be able to find a good one for $500 USD.

[@NoahLorano]

@@cynonexus True, but I have a 2014 macbook pro as well. The sound doesn't quite work on it, but I can see a fairly decent speed difference between that and the 2019.

[@JayfkProductions876]

Nope 😂 😂 😂 think this is The Definition of Long In The Tooth 😂

[@cynonexus]

😂😂 low end low end

[@daegrun]

I am loving mine still after upgrades. 😊 Sad about Windows 10 support going away next year since cannot support Windows 11 update.