“dirt cheap” In this case, both literally and figuratively.

Luke restoring an old Mac is like watching vintage Miani! Love these vids!

@cornchild

2 ай бұрын

X2 love it!

4GB and soldered, oof. Maybe you can do another Dosdude collab and have him upgrade it to 8GB 😂

@DengueBurger

2 ай бұрын

That would be sick

@gustavotolentinodemendonca8590

2 ай бұрын

Maybe even 16gb

@bekim137

2 ай бұрын

Dosdude can do it with an i7 cpu upgrade too 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

@dylanlindsay1993

2 ай бұрын

@@bekim137 id love to see that!

@michvod

2 ай бұрын

I think it can't be upgraded as this is the 4GB only model that had different mainboard, with less memory chips. But perhaps dosdude gets it done

I am doing the same thing right now. My old early 2013 15" Retina Macbook Pro has seen better days, so I am replacing the battery, replacing the missing feet, replacing the thermal past and giving it a good (and long overdue) cleaning. I previously upgraded the SSD to 1TB, so storage is already covered. This is my daily driver and since it has a 2.8ghz i7 cpu and 16GB ram and I patched it up to Ventura, it still performs very well for my needs.

@Marick.

2 ай бұрын

Really interesting indeed! I recommend using Opencore Legacy Patcher to keep it updated with the latest MacOS updates.

@charliesretrocomputing

2 ай бұрын

nice!!

@benjihutch24

22 күн бұрын

Does you MacBook sleep properly now you've upgraded the SSD? I've heard the older Mac's dont sleep when you close the lid correctly with a third-party nvme. It's stopped me from upgrading my SSD so far as I like being able to just close the lid, leave it for a week and pick up where I left off lol

Yes, I would recommend living with it and making a video about your experience. There are a lot of average people out there with older machines that are still usable for document writing, Zooming, presentation making, light audio and video editing, etc. And thanks to OLP and lightweight Linux distros, they can remain solid daily drivers for years to come, even with paltry specs. Show the limits and capabilities of a machine like this, which is perfectly usable and obtainable for the average computing person working on a budget, someone who can't afford (and frankly doesn't need) the i9s, the M1/2/3s, the 32-64GBs of RAM, etc.

@asinglefrenchfry

2 ай бұрын

I agree with this sentiment under the condition that 8GB of RAM is still the bare minimum.

@Eddy_E.

2 ай бұрын

On intel machines I would recommend just install win with bootcamp as dualboot and you will mostly have all you need… Linux is still nothing for the average people, there are win and macOS still better and macOS is already pretty lightweight and efficient, works still best in the Apple eco system that mostly already there (HomePods, AirPods, AppleTV, iPad, iPhone, iPod aso.) and mostly still supported with security updates (oldest still support os is Monterey)… This device get its last security update end last year so for most things it’s still completely fine I would say and when it needs more security you could use Windows, it can easily handle latest version of windows 10 with ez so it’s already useable as it is now, just a couple of dollars more for a windows Lizenz and you have still all you need even when it willing be the fastest… For me it would more then just enough, still just use an iMac late 2009 and it’s still enough for that what it’s there for (so mostly main datamanagement for my NAS drives so just 1 or 2 times a year in use😅), so this MacBook would be so much more then enough…🤷‍♂ For daily use I highly prefer one of my 3 iPads (air 1, pro 9.7, air 4), cuz it’s 3 they are always quicker in hand, mostly faster and with that simply more often in use, a notebook wouldn’t change anything on that point so like I said the MacBook would be already more then enough for someone like me…

@johnlozauskas778

2 ай бұрын

@@asinglefrenchfry I like using Endeavour exactly for that reason. It's super light weight but robust and it usually has the WiFi drivers ready to go.

@user-qy5ij3oy8k

2 ай бұрын

Any Intel MacBook is junk landfill. Throw it out the window. This MacBook isn't even supported anymore, you can't use it for any working ecosystem with updated iPhones or iPads. This isn't a daily driver, it's daily landfill. An average computing person can just use their phone instead. It's like throwing $50 in the bin. Decade old rubbish. And no average computing person cares about Linux or hacking in OCLP.

@Larentuubi

2 ай бұрын

You need test how to upgrade memory to 8GB, if it is possible.

Vintage Luke Miani video. This is why I like you best from all of the Fruit Fly videographers - you don't just hyperventilate about what is coming (and then end up eating crow for being wrong), you repurpose and resurrect older macs and make them viable again. Kudos to you.

@charliesretrocomputing

2 ай бұрын

I've heard of double-spaces after periods but I've NEVER seen someone do 3 or 4!! lmao

97.6% sure that MacBook definitely lived in a smokers home! A very dirty, never washed their hands or wiped down that poor laptop a day of its life lol Great vid! These tear down / restore videos are like therapy lol

@hydrolifetech7911

2 ай бұрын

Smoker's home? How does smoking deposit gunk on a device? This is in most cases due to people not cleaning their hands after eating and proceeding to use these devices

@dayjeremy

2 ай бұрын

@@hydrolifetech7911 To0bacco smoke sticks to everything and leaves behind that same yellow residue that was all over this thing. If you ever look at a smokers fingers there's usually a yellow tint from the smoke. This also explains the smell. This MacBook 100% came from a smokers home. /Former smoker

@invinciblenowyt

2 ай бұрын

@@hydrolifetech7911 You've not seen many if not any computers from a smoking household, have you?

@mcbchannel7173

6 күн бұрын

@@invinciblenowyt i’m a heavy smoker, my dorm room’s wallpapers are yellowing because of that but always keep my macbook, ipad, iphone, and pretty much any gadget i owned pristine once a week. i think not all smokers have filthy gadgets you know

I like how you always promote using an older laptop

@Eddy_E.

2 ай бұрын

Cuz they are still just enough and will be it for a quit long time… We are at the end of Moores law so as long we didn’t find something new what could replace our actual processing Technologie we will don’t get that much faster in the next 10-20 years and with that all of those devices could still be used in years how it looks for now… So why waisting resources in new stuff when the old stuff still would be useable in years? Any computer of the last 10 years is already in the range of this state (at least the more powerfull once), the same goes for smartphones and tablets… Like I said in an comment above, I still use an iPad Air 1 gen (over 10 years old) and an iMac from late 2009 or an iPad Pro 9.7 and they are all still mostly usable… Of cuz they are kind of slow in loading apps and at least on the iPad Pro it could need a new battery in the next 2 years but they all still do what they should and this still in an exceptable time so even the battery change would sell out over time… Of cuz I have newer devices too (iPad air 4 and iPhone 11) when it comes to thing like onlinepayments and stuff like this but I love to use older devices cuz they cheap and still works great… Only quit of outdated device I use for security stuff like card payment is my Apple Watch 3 but in first it still gets security updates and second the carddatas are stored on this security chip, so no chance to get it without the device itself so for that it would be still secure enough for years s long as I keep an eye on my watch but that’s not a problem with a watch in my eyes…🤷‍♂

@igorturko3585

2 ай бұрын

I have two old MBPs, they are still fairly capable, love using older tech.

@emilsecker7881

2 ай бұрын

*An

@emilsecker7881

2 ай бұрын

@@igorturko3585hopefully you have a modern supported daily driver

@igorturko3585

2 ай бұрын

And?

I recently purchased a clean new looking 2015 13in retina MacBook Pro 8g 128 ssd for $150, put an $80 WD black 1tb ssd in it and it's more than I or most consumers would need for basic web browsing, email, media playing, and light gaming. These are still great laptops

@emilsecker7881

2 ай бұрын

Nah. That thing is trash. Time to upgrade. It’ll be unsupported later this year

@Artistikk

2 ай бұрын

@@emilsecker7881 The problem is you thinking something is trash because it's no longer "officially" supported. 😂😂😂 I have a quad-core 2012 Mini that my wife uses running Sonoma and it honestly blows my mind how well it runs. The difference in experience isn't massive compared to my M1 Mini, for simple tasks at least. It's sufficient enough for a decent amount of the population whose main use is just browsing, emailing, etc. As long as it has an SSD, even a SATA SSD, it will be a decent experience, depending on your needs of course. There's a community that puts a lot of work into making these older computers able to run the current OSes long after they've lost support from Apple. Without them, things would be as you say, and people would be forced to upgrade.

This 4gb ram got be through college and it was my first ever Mac. Still can’t believe it was only 4gb.

Love these restoring older mac videos, they're what got me into doing it a bit myself. Currently watching on my 13" 2015 which is still going strong. Thanks for inspiring me to take apart and restore older macs to give them a new life and save usable electronics from the landfill :)

Living with 4GB of RAM sounds fascinating lol, would love to see a video on that

@Testimony201

2 ай бұрын

😹😹 that’s gonna be one horrible experience. Well depends on the use case tho.

@-Jakob489-

2 ай бұрын

to be honest - absolutely no problem under big sur... writing this from the exact same macbook, and for normal daily stuff, its absolutely fine - just don´t open 10 tabs in chrome at once

@imixmuan9081

2 ай бұрын

My first mac, a Classic, had 4MB of RAM. My next mac, a Powerbook 520c, had 32 MB. With Connectix RAM doubler, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My next mac, a Bondi Blue imac, had 96 MB and I thought "I will never need more RAM." Hah.

I would definitely wear protective gloves while cleaning any foreign laptop.

Did something very similar recently. Picked up a 2013 15" i7 that was advertised as untested and absolutely festooned with warnings about not buying it if you were looking for a quick flip. Had to add an SSD (had one, just needed an adapter), an AC adapter and most of the bottom case screws, and it worked immediately. Battery, which was "untested" has 267 cycles. The only real cosmetics are a scratch on the top and the rubber gasket around the display almost entirely removed. $130 total invested and it's a great little daily driver.

Nice to see you post again! Let's see more soon! Adding the upgrades and fixes puts it over $100 bucks! It's too bad you couldn't upgrade the ram! But for the price you still got a good deal for the money! It's a good backup for your main MacBook!

I loved this Luke! I hope that people watch this and realize how good of a laptop can be made of these older, wonderfully built Apple computers. The biggest limitation is the RAM. However, smart use and being organized with what apps are open at any one time can overcome much of that challenge. I would love to see what you could come up with as far as using this for most everyday tasks. I am sure it work out great.

Nice job Luke! What products did you use for cleaning the screen and the top/bottom case?

Yes, please! I’d love to see you daily drive this resurrected MacBook. It’s incredible what you’ve done with just $50! 🙌🔥

I honestly enjoy the restoring videos!

Love to see Mac restoration videos make a comeback! Judging from the stickers on the lid, I’d say this was a laptop once belonged to a kid/teen, and the gunk on the keyboard could be something like oily fingers or food residue

These are always my favorite Luke videos. Classic Luke.

A part 2 would be great to see! Please do more restoration videos. They are my favorite.

OS X Mavericks was so iconic! On that particular laptop, it was so fast unlike macOS Big Sur which felt kinda slow. I had a Mid 2014 MacBook Pro 13-inch with 16 GB of Ram, and it felt fast all through its life but I think the best version was Mavericks and Catalina. Now I have a M2 MacBook Air and I miss when it had Monterey on it. I would love to see a video of you living with that MacBook.

Make up and hand lotion. That's the most common thing that causes that. 91% isopropyl will cut through it like a dream, but a bristle brush to get around the keys would be necessary, and I only recommend 70% isopropyl for the display.

Some people just don't take care of their computers.

@JohnDoe-wi7eb

2 ай бұрын

Their*

@joshuakolton9955

2 ай бұрын

I don’t know how people can just treat their stuff like crap. My electronic devices are always impeccable cause I don’t beat the crap out of them.

Love the video,thanks.

these are the best videos you make bro

Love that you are going back to the OG videos! Love it.

Restoring old Macs is my favorite thing to do. I have a MacBook Air Early 2008 that I got for 45 dollars. And, I got that thing up and running again! I love how you used all the tools from iFixit. I use all of those tools as well. Love this video! Great job!

@chrismatheson2561

Ай бұрын

I also have a 2009 MacBook Air but the OS isn't supported anymore so apps can't be updated( google youtube) and Apple won't let me upgrade the OS so it sits in the cupboard gathering dust sad😢

I love restoration videos!!

Good find and video Luke. I use a late 2013 13 inch Retina Mac Book Pro with 8Gb of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD as my daily driver, it is fast enough for my needs, and even though I run Windows 10 x64 on a 60 GB partition, I still have about 100GB of free space.

I got the 15 inch version of this laptop for $190 and take it with me to Japan every vacation. Works great and it even came with 8GB of ram and 500GB SSD included.

@emilsecker7881

2 ай бұрын

Time to upgrade that crap. It’ll be unsupported later this year

@charliesretrocomputing

2 ай бұрын

@@emilsecker7881 so? it's not "crap" - old tech is very usable. I have a PowerBook from 2004 that can still browse the web. I daily drove it a few years ago.

Lately ive been wanting an old 2008 Macbook and iPod just for web browsing, Music, and movies

@stage666

2 ай бұрын

Good idea

Yes. Definite a Part 2 with attempt at installing Sonoma with speed tests before & after. (Would Sonoma be an OCLP upgrade? If so would be amazing to see & if the hassle is worth it). 💻🤘

I love these videos Luke! Keep them coming once in a while! 😃

I paid $100 for a completely good and working 2015, 13 in mac to coinside with my windows gaming laptop since i was tired of dismantling it from my whole setup to go to class, and ive had it for almost 2 years now. it's got sonoma on it currently, still has an okay battery (1100 cycles) and it has become my productivity / school work computer of choice. With a little help from teamviewer as well, I can still (and actively do) just use my windows pc from my mac, if i need to. been one of my bast investments and do not regret it. it does everything I want it to.

If you can't upgrade the ram it's a solid "NOPE" from me. 😆

classic Luke, love this type of videos

Good job, and I suggest an USB Installer OCLP 1.4.3 then an install of macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 😊

@emilsecker7881

2 ай бұрын

Which will run like shit

I think the "gunk" on the display that you were removing was some gross dirt and residue combining with Apple's anti-reflective coating they have on the top of it. I'd guess the screen will look different from other laptops of the era now! But hey if it looks good, then its worth it for the price

YES PLEASE on the day to day video follow up for this machine, I actually thought that was coming next and then the video was over

You always have interesting content, but these “restore” videos are my favorite. By the way, I assume you took care of the artic paste and fan gunk. I have a 2013 11” MBA and a 2011 11” MBA in my stash and I installed Linux Mint XFCE on it. They are quick and very little stuttering as seen on OCL & Monterey. I do vote for you to go to part 2 with this unit.

what a great video, I am already very clean with my 1 year 14 pro but you make me want to be cleaner still, thank you for inspiring. I will clean it at least once every 2 days now.

Yo Luke I freaking love these kinda vids from you. You deserve a million subs easily. Keep it up 👍

Nice work. It looks so good now that you would never know that poor old laptop had been heavily encrusted with grime. In fact, the dirt on that Macbook was so thick that I'm wondering if it provided some kind of protective crust!

Thank you Luke, for another very nice video of taking an old Apple computer and making it look "new" again. What, I would like to see you do with this older MacBook is something "fun" such as connect it to a digital TV tuner and record over the air TV shows, or connect it to a science teacher Kit with a probe to measure temperature, etc. (smile...smile).

oh I just wish you could have walked through the process of upgrading the ram. Love the video!

These are my favorite videos of yours to watch. Would gladly pay you to find/fix one for myself! 💻

Yes! Please make a video on living exclusively with this "old," but solid, MacBook for at least a couple weeks. Seeing what software you use is of particular interest to me, as well as any other OS and hardware updates that you may make. Thanks!

Tip for paper stickers that sellers of vintage vinyl records use is to drop a bit of Zippo lighter fluid on them. The naptha soaks into the paper and breaks down the adhesive without ruining the cover, and will have the same benefits on a Mac. The stickers literally fall off.

Amazing work pal. I’d like to see you use this MacBook more

Great job. I rescued a late 2013/early 2014 15" macbook pro many years ago. Had to replace the logicboard and the I/O board and it seems to work fine, but only if the screen is disconnected otherwise it won't start. I have output on the hdmi port. That macbook stopped working because the previous owner spilled drink beside it. Not on it, but beside it so the logicboard and I/O board was damaged. Still thinking if i'm gonna keep the screen (replace it) or use it "headless". I haven't decided yet.

More laptop restoration videos please! And yes, let’s see you do a video on living with this Mac as your daily driver!

being an aluminium case, you can throw some isopropyl alcohol, let it sit for a minute or so and then start scrape with a guitar pick. It rips the adhesive out fairly nice.

yesss back to restoration coreluke vidssssssss

What a great find, clean up and upgrade !!!

Very satisfying to watch!

I would love to see a video of you using that Mac to see what it can and cannot do.

last greatest MBP was the 2012 version. you can get 16 gigs of ram into it, you can take out the disk drive and raid SSD's throwing open core legacy on it allows you to get the latest OSX and swap helps that 16 gigs of DDR3 not feel so bad. want to game? Throw G force now on it and plug in your ethernet cable and bam you got games. you want to have a bigger display for productivity? it can do that just fine. if you want to run a external graphics card I think you can do that too.

that was my first MacBook Pro. could handle anything. let's see what you do with it next.

It's not just gunk on the display, oleophobic coating is coming off with it😂

I'm watching this video on the exact mac. Bought used last summer for 250 Canadian. Upgraded storage to 512 as well. Running Big Sur. Hooked to a 21 inch monitor. Watch Apple TV plus, YT, IG, Netflix. This thing is.a a beast!

@emilsecker7881

2 ай бұрын

Get off Big Sur. It’s unsupported. Time to upgrade that shit to a more modern machine. That thing is junk

hey luke! i have that same spec macbook pro except with 8gb of ram! i did the same upgrade to it also! only difference is i paid 88$ and the display had delaminated a bit but i stuck a screen protector over it to hide it... i also replaced the battery with a KEYPOWER one off amazon! its been a great machine so far! i made sure that i went with one WITHOUT a dedicated gpu becuase i had a 2012 15 inch one and the gpu blew up almost exactly a year after i got it!

I have a MBP 13" Retina that I got for about 60 dollars. Unfortunately it had a bad screen, and a 128GB SSD. Now it has a good screen albeit with staingate issues, and a 500GB MVMe drive. It will make a good laptop for a Veteran in need!

Great minds! Working on my second MBP Retina. Both will go to long-time friend, (former gf) and her son. Replaced mechanical drives with SSD and results are super. Her son gets the one with a cd drive for games & movies. YOu mentioned something about upgrading the OS. I have another MBP 2015, running Monterey. Share the knowledge if you have time!

I repurposed my old rMBP mid2014 as a win7 retro gaming machine. Works great. Also handy for using old abandonware apps you can only get from sketchy sources.

I've been a die hard PC person since the introduction of Windows 95. I can take apart, repair, upgrade and reformat a PC running windows with my eyes closed. But as for Mac I know absolutely nothing about them. I've never owned one and It's somewhere that I just never ventured into. I have been watching your videos to get some ideas on Mac computers and it's looking like a older 2015 or so mac book or even a desktop might be a good place to start and learn all about Mac computers.

looking at that gunk on the keyboard made me itch LOL!

Bought a 2013 MacBook pro for £150 (Uk) a few years ago. Added SSD and memory and am still able to run Sonoma on it with Windows 12 in bootcamp. It's a second m/c for when I others are using (my!) iMac but does all the basic admin and office stuff really well and runs windows specific apps when needed including connection to esoteric glider hardware electronics. Brilliant machine. Yes please - love to see a second video...

Great video. There's a nice feeling in seeing a dirty laptop come out so clean. I'd be down for you using this macbook pro and another late 2012 mac mini as a "nas" with 2 internal SSDs and 2 external SSDs using USB, or something like that. Something easy to achieve while on a low budget.

Absolutely do the video trying to live with the 2013 Macbook! I would love to see how practical it would be in 2024

This video was really cool to watch. Luke you are a miracle worker........

I learned to code in swift on this model till 2020 and it made me appreciate managing storage and ram. Then I got a m1 mac book air.... and well I still do the same. Miss the ports especially the card reader which I added a 256gb transcend jet drive to upgrade the storage.

i just love a classic luke miani macbook restoration video!

I enjoy watching your videos you are so good at what you do. keep it up. and I learn a lot, from you.

This is what you need to remove troublesome stickers: Lighter fluid, the stuff to fill Zippo lighters. If its heavy adhesive residue your going to need something much more powerful. I found medical grade adhesive remover (the kind used for stoma's) is way more better for getting adhesive gloop of things. If you van get hold of some, do so. I would also advise getting hold of some make up removal cotton pads. Place the lighter fluid onto the pad and apply (you can put a small amount directly onto the sticker and let this soak in before removal. The medical stuff is to be used after you have got as much gunk off as you possibly can. This either product is safe on plastic. For getting that stuff that you has to scrape off, use windex (spray, leave for a bit and then clean small areas to see if it shifts easy. Final cleaning, use isopropyl alcohol (the higher the grade, the better). Glad that your recycling tech. Love the videos. Keep up the good work.

Please make more similar videos where you buy old/broken macbooks and restore them! Also, show us how you install the new MacOS on the new SSD!

amazing

Any of the Retina Macbook range are perfectly useable even now. You can get great deals on them and for basic tasks they work great. I have a 2013 13" like the one you had there Luke and I have Sonoma on it and use it when I'm out and about or travelling and it works like a champ. Battery life is not great but I usually find a plug anyway. I am sure if I needed to then replacing the battery would be cheap and easy enough also. My main Macbook then lives at home mostly as its a lot newer and is my daily driver.

I have one just like that as secondary computer. SSD, new thermal paste and ventura by open-patcher and it does a decent job. The battery is still very decent. Even better performance when I use ubuntu.

It is wonderful to see this MacBook get cleaned properly and upgraded. They can last a long time.

I believe you are one of the few that can bring back value to computers. 😎

my fav type of luke video!

Yes please more videos on this mac.

YES! I BELIEVE WE WOULD LOVE A 1 MONTH REVIEW USING AN OLD NOSTALGIC 2012 - 2015 Macbooks

Thank you for sharing this. A computer getting a second chance to run!

There is something oddly entertaining about watching someone else clean up a filthy mac. Great content as usual. After SSD install and memory upgrade, new battery, I'm about to attempt jumping to Monterey via OCLP on my 2009 17 inch MacBook Pro unibody. Wish me luck

Yes!! Live with it for a week!

Thanks Luke for this video! Until the Apple M1 was released, I used this MacBook Pro and for me it would be interesting, whether I could have continued to use the device.

Mac OS X Mavericks is my favorite Apple Operating System and specially the interface it's so beautiful❤

Excellent . Good job ..

You can do a lot with this MacBook Pro. I daily drive a mid 2010 base model iMac, it’s super reliable and the Gpu has only died once! But I am looking to upgrade it from the base spec.

The second hand market in the US is a gold mine. Where I live I recently payed the same for a 2011 13 inch macbook prod and the keyboard didn't work. Fortunately the battery and the charger where in pretty good shape and I used them for 2012 Macbook pro

absolutely i would want a new video for this mac!!

When everyone absolutely up in arms with Apple's decision to slap an 8GB on a M3 MBP, Apple in 2013 went even further and literally giving its flagship laptops literally the amounts of RAM you can find on the lower end MacBook Air😂😂😂😂

you'll be able to daily that MacBook. I'm currently on a 2009 MB polycarbonate with 2.4ghz core 2 duo. upgraded RAM and SSD and its great for genetal web browsing. I even have Lightroom installed on it. though I do keep an eye out for a $50 special like the one you just showed, they just don't seem to pop up here in Australia.

Great video and I say take it as far as you can! Why not. p.s. Are any of those battery cells starting to swell? They look like it to me at certain angles. Might want to replace them now.

Yes, live with it!

yes, I'm really curious to see you using that as a daily driver. I upgraded from M1 to M2 Max just for storage, ram and monitors, this is my daily driver today.

Furniture polish in a spray can will disolve both the paper of the stickers and the adhesive. Wait a few minutes then firmly wipe all the residue off. Voila!!!