Chosen Solution
I would like to upgrade my MacBook Pro to be able to run Catalina and eventually MacOS Big Sur. I am trying to upgrade the logic board and CPU and GPU as-well as RAM and the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards and an SSD. But I am unsure if I am actually able to do that. Can someone help me?
If you’re okay with the age, the 2015 Retina is actually still quite good. It doesn’t have M1’s all-around performance credentials, but the 15" HQ variants (all 16GB for 2014/15) still holds up against the M1 in many situations with a modular SSD, but soldered RAM. The 2014 isn’t a bad machine if you already own it, but unless you’re getting a good price break stick to 2015. I still run Catalina on mine (High Sierra on SATA based), rather than Big Sur - I don’t like the AirPrint requirement which is my primary objection. For 32-bit SW, that died with Mojave so that reason is throughly expired. I realize for many the 15” rMBP is the equivalent of buying a AMG vs a Honda but if you can afford to take the AMG, BMW M or a Maserati home with you can afford both, which one would you want?
Today Apple showed off their new 13” MacBook Air, 13” MacBook Pro and Mac Mini all with the new Apple silicon M1 chip! While some of the details will need to be flushed out. From the presentation they don’t look bad from a performance and price standpoint! I would seriously look at the Apple - MacBook Air as its less that what it would cost you to max out your system and even then you won’t be able to run Catalina on it.
The latest OS this model supports is Mac OS X 10.6.8. As far as I know, there are no logic board upgrades which can change this. You may be able to find a firmware patch/hack that allows you to install Catalina, but I wouldn’t recommend doing this because Catalina is not designed to run on any logic board designed for your system and a patched installation would likely lead to poor performance or glitchy behavior. Unfortunately Dan is right - if you need to run the later OS’s trying to upgrade this machine just doesn’t make sense, from both a cost and effectiveness perspective.
Is the new macbook worth it? I desperately need a new laptop. I was thinking apple would be my choice, never had a apple laptop. But i’ve heard that a lot of people dont like the m1 chip. Any suggestion for what laptop is really good aka will last a long time etc. Thanks! Update (05/02/2021) Okay just wondering your thoughts on this one as i may purchase if its a good one that will last. MacBook Pro 13.3" – Apple M1 Chip 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD – Space Gray
Android = Upgrade memory size Apple = have to buy a new one, no way to add memory
