Best Macbook with standard 2.5" HDD and upgradable RAM?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm looking into possible getting a Mac laptop for coding and processing video and photos.

Due to these requirements, I really need to be able to upgrade the SSD and RAM. And have discrete graphics for CUDA support in Premiere.

So I need a Macbook that takes a standard 2.5" SATA drive and at least one RAM slot. Ideally I would like it to be 13" for portability.

 

[TheStu]

Then you want the old, un-updated 13" MacBook Pro. All other MacBooks (Air or Pro), have blade SSDs (that are upgradeable, but are a non-standard form factor right now), and soldered RAM.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I see. The older Macbooks are... Which year? 2013?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Hmmm... are there any of the older 13" MacBooks with discrete nVidia graphics? I really need CUDA cores for Adobe Premiere and Intel Iris doesn't have them.

 

[TheStu]

Hmmm... are there any of the older 13" MacBooks with discrete nVidia graphics? I really need CUDA cores for Adobe Premiere and Intel Iris doesn't have them.

I don't think the 13" MBP ever had discrete graphics.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I don't think the 13" MBP ever had discrete graphics.

Seriously? So basically I'm forced to buy a heavier, larger 15'?

I'm coming from a 13", 3 lb, Asus ultrabook with discrete nVidia graphics, standard hard drive (512GB SSD), and a free RAM slot (12GB total).

 

[cronos]

Yes, 15" or 17" for discrete graphics (although I don't think they make the 17" anymore, for years now).

 

[n0x1ous]

late 2009 white macbook has integrated nvidia 9400m......I have one that I swapped in a new battery, sammy 830, and more RAM a couple years ago. Runs yosemite like a champ still.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Ok, so basically it looks like Macs don't meet my requirements. I'm going to have to make VirtualBox work then.

 

[Rakehellion]

Premiere can use OpenCL for video acceleration, which the Intel GPU supports.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Hmmm... is it true that none of the 13" Retina Display MacBooks have standard RAM and HDD?

If I want upgradeble HDD and RAM I have to go with an older non-Retina display?

 

[wilds]

I have the last cMPB model for the 15". I LOVE how all the parts for this machine are on eBay/Amazon and easy to repair/replace.

Just last week, I had to replace the keyboard because I accidentally scratched the ribbon cable. It took about 2 hours, but the part was only $20, far cheaper than the $1400 Apple wanted.....

I put an SSD where the HDD was, and removed the CD Drive to add the stock 750gb HDD. The GT 650m is pretty good for gaming, but it isn't a powerhouse.

Its got the matte 1680x1050 display which I think looks pretty great. The battery life is around 6-7 hours, and I mainly use the HD 4000 graphics. The 13" does lose out on a dGPU and higher res screen, but is still very easy to repair (the older unibody).

The biggest con for this notebook compared to the newer retina models is definitely the bulk. I personally don't mind the weight, but comparing this machine to the 13" retina makes it looks very fat.

The 13" retina is a great notebook, it just lacks user upgradability and repairability.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Yeah. I just want something that's more future-proof than the current rMBP. My current 13" Asus UX32VD is great - the RAM is maxed out at 12GB, the SSD can be continually upgraded, has 3 USB 3.0 ports, good IPS display, and is really light and portable. And games decently. The battery only gets about 2 hours but that can be replaced easily.

An upgradeable MacBook 13" would basically be me spending money to downgrade in specs. An un-upgradeable Mac would be me spending even more money for a machine that can't be upgraded but allows me the convenience of not having to reboot into a different OS for programming and photo/video work.

I think I'm going to stick with nonproprietary stuff. It seems that each new generation of Macbook is just getting more and more disposable and that's not a bandwagon I'm willing to hop on.

 

[Rakehellion]

Hmmm... is it true that none of the 13" Retina Display MacBooks have standard RAM and HDD?

If I want upgradeble HDD and RAM I have to go with an older non-Retina display?

Yeah, you need non-retina for upgradeability. You can swap out the SSD in the retina models, but third party drives usually aren't as good.

Personally, I think the weight loss and PCIe SSD are worth the sacrifice. Just get 16GB up front and you're fine.

 

[Rakehellion]

Just last week, I had to replace the keyboard because I accidentally scratched the ribbon cable. It took about 2 hours, but the part was only $20, far cheaper than the $1400 Apple wanted.....

Oh man, I've had to replace so many of those keyboards. All of those screws. D:

The 13" retina is a great notebook, it just lacks user upgradability and repairability.

I'm not that shy about it. The base model 15" has 16GB of memory stock, which is the most you'd ever be able to have anyway. There are third party SSDs, but they aren't as good as the Apple ones. Everything else you can replace like normal.

But yeah, you can find a slightly imperfect quad i7 15" MacBook non-retina for around $600.

 

[manly]

I don't think the 13" MBP ever had discrete graphics.

They had discrete graphics for 2009 and 2010 models, but I see it shared main RAM. But that's really too old for the OP to consider at this point.