2012 MBP...still effective?

[TLD1]

I'm looking to buy another used MacBook Pro...and a guy locally has a nice, very clean Mid-2012 MBP for $400. All I know is that it has 16gb of memory.

My question...is a MBP that old even worth looking at?

I'm not a power user. Mostly daily routines and surfing the web. But...I want a fast machine and one that's smooth.

Ideas, opinions?

 

[metllicamilitia]

I don’t know about the 2012 in particular but my base model late 2013 is still going as good as the day I got it, even on the High Sierra betas.

 

[Just_Me_D]

The 16 GB of RAM is worth the $400 alone, in my opinion, and if my old early 2009 MacBook with 4 GB of RAM could run El Capitan, that mid-2012 MBP w/16 GB RAM may be able to run macOS with ease. One things for certain, RAM won't be a problem....

 

[lusid1]

Thats not a lot to go on, but there have only been marginal gains in CPU performance since then, so from that standpoint it is probably a good deal. There have been significant gains in performance per watt, particularly going from ivy bridge to Haswell in late 2013. And SSD performance has improved dramatically. The ram is already maxed out. Depending on which model and how its equipped, you may want to build in some budget for an SSD upgrade and a new battery.

 

[dcoke22]

2012 is where the Retina models were introduced. Is this 2012 a retina or a non-retina display? And does that matter to you? Personally, I find it hard to go back to non-retina displays.

A 2012 MBP will run the latest MacOS. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP765?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

There are aftermarket storage upgrades for the 2012 MPB, so you're not stuck with whatever storage is in the machine.

All in all, it could be a decent machine for another couple years, although, far from the fastest, even after upgrades.

But, unless I needed it desperately, or was really cash limited, I might look for a newer model. Some of 2012 retina MPBs had ghosting problems. MacBook Pro with Retina Display Problems: Apple Faces Class Action Suit For ‘Ghosting’ Issue

 

[pablomdelgado]

I have a 2012 MBP, I love it. I enjoy it a lot I feel it’s worth it.

 

[calebt]

Funny this thread started I was looking for 2012 Macbook or a 2012 Mac Pro. Giving up on waiting for new Mac Mini.

 

[maflynn]

I'm still rocking with a 2012 rMBP, its a great laptop.

 

[Deleted member 488356]