Keep this machine or switch to a fully upgraded 15" 2010 model?

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MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013

Model A1502 / 2.4, 2.6, or 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel processor / Released October 2013

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BSM @bsm48722

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Posted: Aug 3, 2015

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Keep this machine or switch to a fully upgraded 15" 2010 model?

Hey guys,

I love my 13" macbook pro retina (late 2013), intel core i5 2.4ghz however I have been bummed out recently to discover that I am not able to upgrade any RAM or even the measly 128gb SSD (you can but its extremely difficult)....

I am wondering, is it worth it to sell this one and use a bit of the cash to buy my buddies MacBook Pro "Core i5" 2.4 15" Mid-2010 with upgraded RAM and a 750GB hdd..... HE is selling it to me for a couple hundred bucks cause he got a new one.

I KNOW it doesn't have the retina which is a HUGE upgrade... but will the power and upgradable components be enough of a plus to sell this 2013? plus the bigger screen size and most of all the memory and storage space.... I was even thinking that since the 15 is upgradable, I could always put in a SSD with some of the extra cash anyway....

Thoughts?

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To clarify things here. The SSD can be replaced quite easily. The rub is what size are you looking for.

Aug 3, 2015 by Dan

Didn't see this comment! So please excuse my last comment on if it's possible to replace the SSD so now that I know that I can - I will!

Appreciate the input and clarification !

Aug 4, 2015 by BSM

When you're ready to tackle this here's the IFIXIT guide to replace the internal SSD: MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 SSD Replacement. As you can see its quite easy! You'll either need to find a larger real Apple SSD unit or wait for the 3rd parties. For now use the SD slot SSD unit from Transcend I have linked below.

Aug 4, 2015 by Dan

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Dan @danj

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Posted: Aug 3, 2015

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You're between a rock & a hard space here.

Given the fact you've been working with a smaller & lighter system you may not like the weight of the older system, let alone the difference in the screens.

Frankly, I would just upgrade the SSD to a larger unit. While it's nice to have more RAM, unless you are working on very large documents or have a lot of open windows concurrently you most likely need more storage than RAM. Presently, there is no 3rd party supplier of the needed custom M.2 PCIe blade SSD this system uses. You might find a used Apple SSD which is larger out in the wild if you are lucky. I'm sure they are working on it, just nothing available quite yet.

For now I would get this: JetDrive Lite that should hold you over.

I would free up at least a 1/4 of your internal SSD (32MB) so the OS has some leg room that should help.

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To clarify things here. The SSD can be replaced quite easily. The rub is what size are you looking for. — Dan
Didn't see this comment! So please excuse my last comment on if it's possible to replace the SSD so now that I know that I can - I will!

Appreciate the input and clarification ! — BSM
When you're ready to tackle this here's the IFIXIT guide to replace the internal SSD: MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 SSD Replacement. As you can see its quite easy! You'll either need to find a larger real Apple SSD unit or wait for the 3rd parties. For now use the SD slot SSD unit from Transcend I have linked below. — Dan