What to do with a 2012 MacBook Pro?

jace_da_face

So I have recently upgraded to a new Macbook Pro. Yes they’re bloody expensive but as my title question demonstrates, I got 10 years out of the last one. It’s still a powerful machine but as it can not be updated beyond Catalina, it is a security vulnerability and I probably should have upgraded before now. And for the same reason, I don’t want to give it away and be responsible for a family members security.

So I’m looking for suggestions as to what job it could now be doing rather than be assigned to the scrap heap? I could maybe run the latest Linux and have it doing something useful like CCTV or something. Mining bitcoin obviously doesn’t pay. What about helping SETI find new planets or help machine learning initiatives find new cancer cures? Any suggestions?

chonix

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058239302/what-to-do-with-a-2012-macbook-pro

As you said, if you want to give it to a family member. Linux is the way. Any distro updated to last day should be fine. I think those are fine machines. Even with a SSD upgrade might be worth it.

But remember that we live in a world where you can still see Win XP into POS terminals.

scruff monkey

Have a mid 2009 macbook pro, was using it as a torrent box until my vpn provider's software required a newer than can be installed version of MacOS.

Now it's just acting as a file server and media conversion box sat on local area wifi in the house, does nothing else but does it to the extent of my needs.

I remote into it with NoMachine when I need to do sommat but apart from that it just sits there, sharing.

FGR

Would you consider installing Windows 10 via bootcamp? If you put in an SSD that laptop will run pretty nicely until Windows 10 end of life in 2024/25.

/running an 11 year old Dell with Sandy Bridge i3 and still going strong on Win10.

jace_da_face

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118854135#Comment_118854135

It has an SSD already. I wouldn't consider Windows 10. I have a Windows laptop (work) anyway.

L1011

SETI etc are power drains, and laptops are not the most efficient way of doing it if you wanted to. Not the wisest idea with energy bills now.

It will still easily run up to date versions of Linux, OpenBSD or Haiku (if the wireless card has drivers for those - Apple's use of Broadcom chips back then causes poor driver support unfortunately)

jace_da_face

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118853914#Comment_118853914

I like that idea but these days I stream everything. But possibly could be used as a repository for personal photos/ videos which could be time machine backed up. We put nothing up to the cloud of that nature which is only asking for trouble.

scruff monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118855542#Comment_118855542

Stream everything now also but I ripped all my DVDs to MKV files which i store on a 4TB mybook duo raid thingy, we've multiple apple tv in the house running an app called Infuse which is pointed to the shared raid and it loads up all the artwork/metadata for the movies/tv shows i have (and I've a lot) and it's allowed me to dispense with having any physical media in the living / bed room.

I know it's small storage compared to some data hoarders but it's all I needed, anything "downloaded" lives on a 2tb external ssd also shared from the MacBook (and I've a backups of both on a pair of matching 2 1/2 inch portable hd). You should have backups of your backups, I keep everything of the photo type in Google Drive AND iCloud.

Had butchered it through the years, upped the ram, replaced the fans, battery swap, swapped hd for an ssd and also ripped out the optical for a 2nd hd which was running windows in bootcamp, may go back to that as it was handy.