Updating your Mac OS installation.
Updating your Mac OS installation.
Apple seems to build their notebooks with overheating in mind, so you might have to pay a hefty price at the 'Genius' shop to get them fixed. I’m leaning toward Mojave, especially if it comes with a Metal-powered GPU. An RX480 looks like a good pick since a few are available at lower prices nearby. I’m pretty sure they’ve been repurposed for mining, but that doesn’t really worry me.
I’ve been a bit sloppy with my 2010 MacBook Pro, but I just changed the thermal paste and cleaned everything out. It’s idling at 39*c, which is great! I’ve set up the fan controls to keep things cool. Used Arctic Silver 5 paste. To be honest, this old machine is still solid—it’s a first-gen i5 and it functions fine. They’ve apparently fixed the keyboard issue soon, so maybe I’ll get a new one next year.
Those early i5 models run smoothly but can feel sluggish on macOS, especially with heavier systems. For your 2011 13" MacBook Pro, expect a balanced experience—light enough for portability but capable of handling basic tasks without lag.
They aren't bad little machines, cheap these days due to the age, when getting a 2011 machine you've got to test it's GPU as the 2011 machines are more notorious than the 2010 machines for this happening. No real lag around the system as long as it has an SSD in there, got to fix mine as the SSD has decided to go on strike.
I've finally fixed El Capitan and it runs much better now. I'm a bit surprised by how smooth it feels, especially with just 2GB of RAM. The OS installation was tricky—my installer kept saying it was damaged, so I even went to Poundland to buy blank DVDs just in case. Eventually, I managed it with a USB drive. Now I'm planning to create a recovery disk so I won't have to go through all this trouble again. Now I just need to learn how to use Mac OS, which I haven't done since Snow Leopard.
I'm referring to a 13" model released in late 2011 that features Intel graphics. I know the GPU in my 15" model from 2011 tends to fail, but I'm using fan control tools to maintain temperature and an app that shows the active GPU. The previous owner mentioned repairs for GPU issues in 2017, so the motherboard is about a year old. These dual-core i5 processors shouldn't cause performance drops.
They didn't truly resolve the issue; instead of fixing it, they swapped out the entire logic board with a new one, which means you'll likely face GPU failure eventually.
Honestly, breaking down the machine would likely yield more value than a MacBook if it were still functional. It's surprising how much used components sell on eBay. The previous owner of my Mac Pro had three hard drive trays, so I checked eBay thinking they'd be inexpensive, but people were paying around £15 each. Replacing them would have cost more than I spent on the whole setup, though I did manage to get the machine for a bargain. The Apple GT 120 in the Mac Pro costs at least £50, while the standard GT 120 is priced between £20 and £30.