MacBook Pro plus a monitor - what spec?

the_jaffa

I’ve just had a call from my insurance with a payout on my 13” MBP that was damaged by a tea spill. 

I know need to find a new laptop and I’d like to add a monitor so I can use it for working at home better. Something comparable to my 27” work iMac would be ideal. 

I know there are those in the know on here so wondering if anyone can suggest specs of what to look for and where to buy. 

Cheers

Danny1969

It's not an easy thing to buy nowadays. The last good Macbook Pro's were made around 2012 to 2015. After this they are all bad in design. The keyboards went over to a new design that failed constantly, they uprated them with a membrane but they still failed. The LCD cables went faulty after a few years on 2016 to 2018 models. All went over to USB C with all the ports you need for everyday life removed. The USBMUXD chips go bad for no apparent reason. The LVDS connector goes faulty with the slightest hint of damp .... just a big list of design faults really. 
I haven't seen any 2019 onwards 16" models though so can't comment on them as they are all under warranty at the mo. 

So if buying 2nd hand go for something like a 2014 A1398 Retina ... quad i7 with 16Gb  ... be very careful about buying anything past 2015 like a touchbar ...it will fail in one way or another

If buying new get what you want but get 3 years Applecare. 

I own and run 4 Macbook Pro's, the very first G4 frame one, a 2012 15" Retina, a 2015 13" Retina and a 2017 Touchbar. Unfortunately as time went on the quality went down and I don't think people will be using their newish Macbook Pro's in 10 years time like I'm still using my 2006 model. 

monquixote

If you get one of the modern Macs with USB C then get a monitor which works with USB C.

That way you can have the monitor charge the mac and only have one cable which is really handy.

the_jaffa

Yeah, I’d gathered that there was a cut off for not so good ones. Just wasn’t sure on when the cutoff was. Thanks for that info.

Mine was a 2011 which was still working well until the tea spill. 

Do you know about external monitors too?

Axe_meister

2019 16" Macbook pro is better than the 2018 version that thermal throttles like mad.

Danny1969

the_jaffa said:

Yeah, I’d gathered that there was a cut off for not so good ones. Just wasn’t sure on when the cutoff was. Thanks for that info.

Mine was a 2011 which was still working well until the tea spill. 

Do you know about external monitors too?

Not so much as i tend to use iMacs. As @monquixote said with a modern MPB you need the monitor to work with USBC / TB but there are adapters to convert that to HDMA, Display port etc. The official Apple ones are pricey at £37 ish but I have found a decent aftermarket type that works for £15
 

monquixote

Danny1969 said:

the_jaffa said:

Yeah, I’d gathered that there was a cut off for not so good ones. Just wasn’t sure on when the cutoff was. Thanks for that info.

Mine was a 2011 which was still working well until the tea spill. 

Do you know about external monitors too?

Not so much as i tend to use iMacs. As @monquixote said with a modern MPB you need the monitor to work with USBC / TB but there are adapters to convert that to HDMA, Display port etc. The official Apple ones are pricey at £37 ish but I have found a decent aftermarket type that works for £15
 

The adapters are perfectly fine it's just cool to not have to get your power adapter out of the bag.

the_jaffa

Nice one, thanks for the info. I’ll have a look at options

ArchtopDave

May be my daughter and I have been lucky. I bought my daughter a MacBook Pro in 2014 when she went to Uni, and another in 2018 when she did a Masters Degree. I took the first one off her as part of buying the second one. Both have functioned fine with one caveat. They need to be opened up, and have the dust cleared out from time to time. My daughter's become expert at doing this. It makes me wonder why are not laptops built like tumble dryers with easily removable air filters. It wouldn't be rocket science to make them like this.

Danny1969

ArchtopDave said:

May be my daughter and I have been lucky. I bought my daughter a MacBook Pro in 2014 when she went to Uni, and another in 2018 when she did a Masters Degree. I took the first one off her as part of buying the second one. Both have functioned fine with one caveat. They need to be opened up, and have the dust cleared out from time to time. My daughter's become expert at doing this. It makes me wonder why are not laptops built like tumble dryers with easily removable air filters. It wouldn't be rocket science to make them like this.

I suspect the 2014 one will outlast the 2018 But you may be lucky. Apple finally accepted there was a design fault in the 2016 and 2017 models and the LCD cable on the 2018 model onwards is 2mm longer .... doesn't sound much but it's enough to stop the cable stretching which results in it going open circuit on the backlight. 

That issue is called Flexgate and is very widely know. My own 2017 model is a victim of this but as I paid £100 for it from a very dissopinted repair customer who didn't want to fork out £320 for a new top assembly (the LCD cable is manufactured into the LCD panel and not replaceable ) 

I also like the fact the whole bottom of the laptop can be unscrewed but then again why the special pentalobe screws when almost no one owns a suitable driver  ... oh and the 2016 models onwards have hidden clips as well before the bottom can be removed which foxes a lot of people

That tumble dryer thing you mentioned, there was a lot of Dell  laptop designed like that ... The Dell Inspiron 9100 made around 2004, then the Inspiron 8500 and 8600 / Latitudes D800 and D810 






 

ArchtopDave

My daughter is a very practical person. When her MacBook fan first kept staying on for a long time, she bought herself a set of special screwdrivers and a wee jobbie to release the clips off Amazon very cheaply, and they're very useful.

Kittyfrisk

' a wee jobbie to release the clips '  don't think that would be a recommended practice north of the border 
Jokes aside, good for her, great attitude.

joneve

Danny1969 said:

It's not an easy thing to buy nowadays. The last good Macbook Pro's were made around 2012 to 2015. After this they are all bad in design. The keyboards went over to a new design that failed constantly, they uprated them with a membrane but they still failed. The LCD cables went faulty after a few years on 2016 to 2018 models. All went over to USB C with all the ports you need for everyday life removed. The USBMUXD chips go bad for no apparent reason. The LVDS connector goes faulty with the slightest hint of damp .... just a big list of design faults really. 
I haven't seen any 2019 onwards 16" models though so can't comment on them as they are all under warranty at the mo. 

So if buying 2nd hand go for something like a 2014 A1398 Retina ... quad i7 with 16Gb  ... be very careful about buying anything past 2015 like a touchbar ...it will fail in one way or another

If buying new get what you want but get 3 years Applecare. 

I own and run 4 Macbook Pro's, the very first G4 frame one, a 2012 15" Retina, a 2015 13" Retina and a 2017 Touchbar. Unfortunately as time went on the quality went down and I don't think people will be using their newish Macbook Pro's in 10 years time like I'm still using my 2006 model. 

Can I buy AppleCare retrospectively if I’m still within the first year of purchase? 

Danny1969

It differs from country to country but you can find out here I think 

https://mysupport.apple.com/add-coverage?productTypeId=SG001

DefaultM

I've got the 2014 one that @Danny1969 recommends and its still going strong after 6 years daily use.

the_jaffa

I’ve managed to find a boxed 2014 i5 with 16gb of ram and a 512gb SSD on eBay for a decent price. Should be decent I think