If you are looking for a budget/older MacBook that I actually *would* recommend buying or using today, check out the 2015 MacBook Air video I did a little while ago! bit.ly/3ZnVa29
Just watched your video on my 2011 MacBook Pro! Yes, love this device and basically got my money's worth. Yes, I agree not built for music production. Not sure I would ever get rid of this laptop.
I love that!!! I can't believe these are so many years old but still holding on. I'm glad yours is working well for you, too!! Thank you for watching! 😁
I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro. At 1st, I was using High Sierra on a hdd (still have that with the OS and keeping it as a spare). I upgraded the memory from 8 gb to 16. From some of the videos on RUclips, they made it sound like the computer could handle the newer versions of the OS. Because of those, I had the OS upgraded from High Sierra to MacOS 12 Monterey. So far the software and computer is still a little laggy but bearable for the moment. Just have to replace the battery now..
Hey there you go! If you want a HUGE speed boost, an SSD instead of the HDD is the biggest single thing you can do to an older machine to help it feel more modern. But that is awesome that you got it onto Monterey!!
The downfall of the older 13-inch macbook pro is the mono audio speaker it has compared to the 15-inch or even the air with the stereo speakers. I love my 2011 macbook pro, this is the highest quality laptop I've ever owned. I also have a 2008 mac mini and 2 G4 PowerMac desktops from 1999 and 2003 for collection purposes.
That is awesome!!! I do have a lot of respect for these 2011 13" Pros - that machine is how I started both my video and music "careers" and without that machine I don't think I ever would have! Those G4 desktops look so neat - I had a G4 iMac for a little while and that was super cool!
This was my first laptop. But after awhile it developed a graphic issue and the trackpad gave in. Now I have the mid 2012 13 inch which I bought back in 2014 and still use to this day.
I'm still using it, to play Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, Counterstrike 2. Using it to do adobe photoshop as well. I installed a 16 gb ram so that i can design videos and program.. It's still a good solid computer, just be happy!
Just bought one with 1tb ssd for 80bucks. Next i will patch with opcl to upgrade to big sur. So far i'm amaze. More than 10 years and working. And for light work like using excel works great.
I watch all my RUclips videos on 2x speed (yup I'm a weirdo) so I heard your song at 2x speed and it sounds so upbeat like a legit commercial jingle at that speed haha. Great video 🔥🔥🔥
I just got this beast from fb market for $20. Owner told me it is so laggy hence selling to for a really low price, but I installed SSD and added extra ram that I got from my other old devices. I really like how upgradable the old macbook is!
NICE that is a steal for $20!! That is one thing I totally miss with newer Macs - machines like these were SO upgradeable and it was very accessible and easy to do as well!
I just purchased the 16inch recently, but I assure you my 2006 MacBook Pro was a insane beast. the only reason why I got rid of it was simply because I spilled WINE on the keyboard lolololol.. I'm sure I would still own it, but the keys weren't functional after awhile ..
oooooo the bigger models of these ARE beasts!!! I love those things - the design is so nice. and upgrade-ability too!!! I hope it lasts you just as long as your '06!
I have the late 2011 13 inch and it's clearly showing its age, even with upgraded RAM and SSD. But for basic tasks it works just fine and is plenty fast. I've heard the 2012 is much better due to Metal support but i don't think that makes a difference with Linux which I primarily use.
That makes perfect sense!! I agree, I imagine on macOS the Metal support is wayyyyy nicer for the 2012s but on Linux I can't imagine it changes much either. It's shocking how much these decade-old machines can still do
@@elijahB I begrudgingly updated to High Sierra, was on Mavericks, and gained quite a bit of performance oddly enough. I got a cheap and barely working early 2011 for parts and after a few swapped I got it working too. HDD and 4gb RAM, even the text editor struggles. Now I have one that's pristine, one that looks war torn and I might get a great condition 2012 just for the heck of it.
@@freetobe3 I feel like any time I have an HDD instead of an SSD it is a MASSIVE difference; HDDs on those older machines feel so much slower. If you do get a nice 2012 let me know what you think! I've always heard things about graphics failures in the 2011s but I've never experienced anything with mine; but I have always heard that the 2012s were among the best of that generation of unibodys!
yes!! believe it or not - right now I'm using a 2011 Pro as my daily driver because I sold my M1 Air; I installed Monterey via OpenCore and have an SSD in and it's totally usable! I need a new battery so it lasts more than an hour but that is it!
@@weelebaseknowles4410 I wanted to keep it to be completely honest but I needed to sell it because I needed money for rent 💀😂 but yes it was a great machine, I hope to get one again when I have a bit more money!
do the fans kick on and the device heat up still? I still use mine and it gets so hot with after effects and fans are so obnoxiously loud lol but it gets the job done all the time.
Yes that definitely happens to me still - even if I'm barely doing anything on the machine those fans are almost ALWAYS full blast 😂 but! It does get the job done a lot!
Hello. I have this same MacBook Pro and I'm looking for Music software for High Sierra. Can you help me and tell me what you used and where to find the drivers you mentioned?
It will be able to run them, but not the latest versions! I don't think it will be super fast, but I'm sure for very light projects it could get the job done!
Aw thank you!! I got a case from Casetify; they had this cute cat pattern that I was a BIG fan of so I decided to spring for it. The case was kind of expensive but I really like it!
hi LIPBYTE! I haven't used FL Studio before so unfortunately I'm not sure how it would run on here; my prediction is that you could use it for very basic projects, but more complex things would struggle!
@@jayyyanth I'd agree with that! Definitely impressive since the machine is 12 years old and still even powers on correctly and holds a charge, nevermind all of this extra functioning stuff it can do. Thank you so much!! 😊
This Macbook comes with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and it SUCKS. My old i5 laptop from 2011 or 2010 has Intel HD Graphics 3000, my current i7 U-series CPU laptop comes with Intel UHD Graphics and along with the GeForce MX350 graphics card, and my newly-made Gaming PC doesn't have integrated graphics but has a discrete GPU which is the RTX 3060 (12GB variant) and it may look like a monster in comparison with Intel HD Graphics 3000. Even my little 8-year-old cousin's laptop is better than this shit. (comes with Intel Iris Xe Graphics)
Yeahhhh that's true - I definitely focused a lot more on the design/everyday feel versus the real grunt of the machine here. If I ever do a follow-up I will put more emphasis on the performance!
If you are looking for a budget/older MacBook that I actually *would* recommend buying or using today, check out the 2015 MacBook Air video I did a little while ago! bit.ly/3ZnVa29
Watching this on my 2011 mbp. I bought this in 2022 for 15 dollars in a thrift store and loved it ever since
That is a SWEET deal! I can't believe how these older Macs hold up all these years later. It is actually mad impressive.
Just watched your video on my 2011 MacBook Pro! Yes, love this device and basically got my money's worth. Yes, I agree not built for music production. Not sure I would ever get rid of this laptop.
I love that!!! I can't believe these are so many years old but still holding on. I'm glad yours is working well for you, too!! Thank you for watching! 😁
The really amusing part of it all is how Apple has come full circle and the new MacBook Pro looks very similar to the old one (sans optical drive)
that is SO true. and I'm so happy about it 😂
Same as the dang iPhone!
YES!!! iPhone 4 vibes are my favorite
still use this macbook pro in 2024 ^^
What I like about these is the ability to upgrade the internals seamlessly
I 100% agree with that! so nice to be able to upgrade your hard drive and your RAM with barely any work at all too
just upgrade the ram to 16 gb and pop in a SSD plus upgarde the OS or run win 10 with parallels. It is good as new.
I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro. At 1st, I was using High Sierra on a hdd (still have that with the OS and keeping it as a spare). I upgraded the memory from 8 gb to 16. From some of the videos on RUclips, they made it sound like the computer could handle the newer versions of the OS. Because of those, I had the OS upgraded from High Sierra to MacOS 12 Monterey. So far the software and computer is still a little laggy but bearable for the moment. Just have to replace the battery now..
Hey there you go! If you want a HUGE speed boost, an SSD instead of the HDD is the biggest single thing you can do to an older machine to help it feel more modern. But that is awesome that you got it onto Monterey!!
The downfall of the older 13-inch macbook pro is the mono audio speaker it has compared to the 15-inch or even the air with the stereo speakers.
I love my 2011 macbook pro, this is the highest quality laptop I've ever owned. I also have a 2008 mac mini and 2 G4 PowerMac desktops from 1999 and 2003 for collection purposes.
That is awesome!!! I do have a lot of respect for these 2011 13" Pros - that machine is how I started both my video and music "careers" and without that machine I don't think I ever would have! Those G4 desktops look so neat - I had a G4 iMac for a little while and that was super cool!
This was my first laptop. But after awhile it developed a graphic issue and the trackpad gave in. Now I have the mid 2012 13 inch which I bought back in 2014 and still use to this day.
I heard that the graphics issue is a pretty common one with the 2011s - that's awesome that your 2012 is alive and kicking!!
I'm still using it, to play Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, Counterstrike 2. Using it to do adobe photoshop as well. I installed a 16 gb ram so that i can design videos and program.. It's still a good solid computer, just be happy!
NICE I love that!!! We love long-lasting tech!
Just bought one with 1tb ssd for 80bucks. Next i will patch with opcl to upgrade to big sur. So far i'm amaze. More than 10 years and working.
And for light work like using excel works great.
NICEEEE that is awesome!! The SSD makes a HUUUUGE difference like once you have that, it feels almost like new
I watch all my RUclips videos on 2x speed (yup I'm a weirdo) so I heard your song at 2x speed and it sounds so upbeat like a legit commercial jingle at that speed haha. Great video 🔥🔥🔥
Oh my gosh that is so funny 😂 now I'm going to go back and listen to it on 2x too haha; hey thank you so much!!!
I bought mine for 100$, just so i can learn Swift, but im impressed with this one, love it
That is awesome!!! A perfect machine to learn and practice on!
I just got this beast from fb market for $20. Owner told me it is so laggy hence selling to for a really low price, but I installed SSD and added extra ram that I got from my other old devices. I really like how upgradable the old macbook is!
NICE that is a steal for $20!! That is one thing I totally miss with newer Macs - machines like these were SO upgradeable and it was very accessible and easy to do as well!
Still use mine on the daily. It’s actually insane how long MacBooks last if you look after them.
SO true!! These hold up so much better than most PCs of this vintage!
Great video!, subscribed
Thank you!!! 🫶🏻
2011 MacBook Pro was first ever laptop i own
No way!!! Same here - this was our first laptop too!
looking to this video on a macbook pro 2011. it is awesome!!!!!
Yay I am so glad!!!!
I like that we got to hear snippets of your music in this tech review! Tech and Music - very ELIJAH! 💓🌟
💛💛💛
The 2012 15 inch i7 Quad core would be the best choice from this era. It has metal graphics supprt and can run Ventura with OCLP.
Having Metal graphics is hugeeeee, same with quad-core!
Clicked bcoz of the macbook thumbnail but subscribed coz of that Passenger song. 😌❤️
Such a nice soothing and meaningful song ❤
Aww thank you so much!! That is so kind, have a nice day!! 🌞
@@elijahBThanks ❤🥺 This is the first time I got a reply from a creator on YT.
Is it okay if I do a cover song of this??
That is the best!!! 💞 Yes, absolutely feel free to make a cover! If you do, definitely send it my way and I will give it a listen when you're done! 😁
@@elijahBYess sir. I have exams this month after that I'll definitely send it
I just purchased the 16inch recently, but I assure you my 2006 MacBook Pro was a insane beast. the only reason why I got rid of it was simply because I spilled WINE on the keyboard lolololol.. I'm sure I would still own it, but the keys weren't functional after awhile ..
oooooo the bigger models of these ARE beasts!!! I love those things - the design is so nice. and upgrade-ability too!!! I hope it lasts you just as long as your '06!
You can probably find replacement parts still or at least decent condition spares.
I just did a huge rebuild and restoration of my 2011.
i have a mbp 2011 rn and i made it run on big sur i gave it a tb ssd and a 16gb ram
that is SICK!!! Talk about upgradability!!
a lot has definetly changed since then.
SO true
i same one you have i add ssd 1tb its faster
I have the late 2011 13 inch and it's clearly showing its age, even with upgraded RAM and SSD. But for basic tasks it works just fine and is plenty fast. I've heard the 2012 is much better due to Metal support but i don't think that makes a difference with Linux which I primarily use.
That makes perfect sense!! I agree, I imagine on macOS the Metal support is wayyyyy nicer for the 2012s but on Linux I can't imagine it changes much either. It's shocking how much these decade-old machines can still do
@@elijahB I begrudgingly updated to High Sierra, was on Mavericks, and gained quite a bit of performance oddly enough.
I got a cheap and barely working early 2011 for parts and after a few swapped I got it working too. HDD and 4gb RAM, even the text editor struggles.
Now I have one that's pristine, one that looks war torn and I might get a great condition 2012 just for the heck of it.
@@freetobe3 I feel like any time I have an HDD instead of an SSD it is a MASSIVE difference; HDDs on those older machines feel so much slower. If you do get a nice 2012 let me know what you think! I've always heard things about graphics failures in the 2011s but I've never experienced anything with mine; but I have always heard that the 2012s were among the best of that generation of unibodys!
@@elijahB I'll never buy a 2011 or 2012 model with dedicated graphics, their days were numbered the moment they left the factory.
@@freetobe3 that is SO true
The prices of the 2011 is insanely good for 81 dollars as a email and word document mechina it looks good
$81 is sick. that's such a good deal!
@@elijahB with the open core hacks and a ssd it should be set
yes!! believe it or not - right now I'm using a 2011 Pro as my daily driver because I sold my M1 Air; I installed Monterey via OpenCore and have an SSD in and it's totally usable! I need a new battery so it lasts more than an hour but that is it!
@@elijahB why would u sell ur m1 air if I could afford that I would want to keep it
@@weelebaseknowles4410 I wanted to keep it to be completely honest but I needed to sell it because I needed money for rent 💀😂 but yes it was a great machine, I hope to get one again when I have a bit more money!
do the fans kick on and the device heat up still? I still use mine and it gets so hot with after effects and fans are so obnoxiously loud lol but it gets the job done all the time.
its only ever overheated on me one time, and I wasn't even running anything heavy just got hot lolll
Yes that definitely happens to me still - even if I'm barely doing anything on the machine those fans are almost ALWAYS full blast 😂 but! It does get the job done a lot!
Hello. I have this same MacBook Pro and I'm looking for Music software for High Sierra. Can you help me and tell me what you used and where to find the drivers you mentioned?
Hi! Yes, I used Logic Pro X. For most MIDI devices you would use, they are plug and play and no drivers are needed!
That thing could fly with Linux Mint 👌🏻
You're SO right - I haven't tried it on this machine before but that would be so cool!
Is this the early or late MacBook?
This is the early 2011 model, though I have a late 2011 one as well!!
@@elijahB okay nice! Is the camera the same on the late 2011? Or are they different?
I’m really interested in the early 2011 cam but I can’t find much reviews of either of them:(
@@Lysrodri the webcam is the exact same between the two models!!
Can this run some Adobe software like Photoshop and illustrator?
It will be able to run them, but not the latest versions! I don't think it will be super fast, but I'm sure for very light projects it could get the job done!
Have you upgraded the harddisk to SSD?
Yes!! This model actually came with an SSD when we first got it in 2011!
Also, what case do you have on your Pixel there? It's sick!
Aw thank you!! I got a case from Casetify; they had this cute cat pattern that I was a BIG fan of so I decided to spring for it. The case was kind of expensive but I really like it!
@@elijahB It looks good! Thanks for letting me know!
- Hello there
- General Kenobi
Your lightsaber will make a fine addition to my collection!
@@elijahB your move *makes a battle stance”
P.S. you rock bro
@@user-tv5yu7pz8k "so uncivilized" 😂
Hahaha you too man!
Is it still good for fl studio?
hi LIPBYTE! I haven't used FL Studio before so unfortunately I'm not sure how it would run on here; my prediction is that you could use it for very basic projects, but more complex things would struggle!
Is it still smooth?
I'd say with the lighter stuff it is like; usable, but not smooth. Same with the audio production, it's usable but definitely not smooth!
@@elijahB ahh but it being usable is still great (well apple) 😂 but a nice, aesthetic video!
@@jayyyanth I'd agree with that! Definitely impressive since the machine is 12 years old and still even powers on correctly and holds a charge, nevermind all of this extra functioning stuff it can do. Thank you so much!! 😊
#AmongUs :O
This Macbook comes with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and it SUCKS.
My old i5 laptop from 2011 or 2010 has Intel HD Graphics 3000, my current i7 U-series CPU laptop comes with Intel UHD Graphics and along with the GeForce MX350 graphics card, and my newly-made Gaming PC doesn't have integrated graphics but has a discrete GPU which is the RTX 3060 (12GB variant) and it may look like a monster in comparison with Intel HD Graphics 3000.
Even my little 8-year-old cousin's laptop is better than this shit. (comes with Intel Iris Xe Graphics)
Yeahhhh the HD Graphics are an L 😂
a lot of blah blah, instead of perfomance tests.
Yeahhhh that's true - I definitely focused a lot more on the design/everyday feel versus the real grunt of the machine here. If I ever do a follow-up I will put more emphasis on the performance!
@@elijahB Thanks. Most 'google' viewers are here to hear a simple yes or no. We already know how great the 17 inch machine WAS.