I'm a senior app developer and still use my 2015 15" with dedicated graphics + Opencore as my daily driver. I can run a linux virtual machine, an iOS simulator and Windows 10 SIMULTANEOUSLY if I need to. They are still perfectly competent machines in 2025
I wanted to get into Macs after using Windows for over 30 years. Just for the basic tasks and easier handling with my iPhone. So it got myself a late 2015 Macbook Pro with an i7, 16 gigs of Ram and a 256 gig ssd for just 120€ used. I love that thing, it's snappy, can do all loads a throw at it. That thing is worth every Euro i Spend on it
Latest macOS uses almost all RAM, roughly 10 of 16 GB just to run Catalina. You cannot upgrade past that system on 2014 model, but what is great about 2015 and prior is you can upgrade to 2 TB SSD. You cannot upgrade anything on the new models. You are probably going to do better with an Intel iMac, as you can go all the way to 128 GB of memory. It's much cheaper, and the display is actually the same as the new 24" iMac. Yes, the 2020 27" iMac display is a steal in itself; the kind of clarity it delivers against the competition makes it quite cheap. Many complain about Apple's pricing. I disagree with that. What I agree is, you cannot upgrade anything M-chip, and even if you could, it is not easy and warranty is voided. Yes, the display from MacBook Pro a decade ago, the newer displays are brighter and have wider color gamut. Quality wise, they are better than most Windows computers. Acer, for instance, are washed out, but they're more on the budget tier, so that is that.
I'm a senior app developer and still use my 2015 15" with dedicated graphics + Opencore as my daily driver. I can run a linux virtual machine, an iOS simulator and Windows 10 SIMULTANEOUSLY if I need to. They are still perfectly competent machines in 2025
Use mid-2014 with integrated graphics and for basic tasks it's worth it
A friend of mine just game be a 2015 that's in pretty rough shape. I might try fully restoring it and using it daily
I wanted to get into Macs after using Windows for over 30 years. Just for the basic tasks and easier handling with my iPhone. So it got myself a late 2015 Macbook Pro with an i7, 16 gigs of Ram and a 256 gig ssd for just 120€ used. I love that thing, it's snappy, can do all loads a throw at it. That thing is worth every Euro i Spend on it
Latest macOS uses almost all RAM, roughly 10 of 16 GB just to run Catalina. You cannot upgrade past that system on 2014 model, but what is great about 2015 and prior is you can upgrade to 2 TB SSD. You cannot upgrade anything on the new models. You are probably going to do better with an Intel iMac, as you can go all the way to 128 GB of memory. It's much cheaper, and the display is actually the same as the new 24" iMac. Yes, the 2020 27" iMac display is a steal in itself; the kind of clarity it delivers against the competition makes it quite cheap. Many complain about Apple's pricing. I disagree with that. What I agree is, you cannot upgrade anything M-chip, and even if you could, it is not easy and warranty is voided. Yes, the display from MacBook Pro a decade ago, the newer displays are brighter and have wider color gamut. Quality wise, they are better than most Windows computers. Acer, for instance, are washed out, but they're more on the budget tier, so that is that.
nice
Can it run Windows 11 smoothly? And how long the battery last on browsing?