2009 Mac for 500.00 or save up for a newer model?

My gf has a 2009 macbook pro that she used for college and I have recently upgraded it with a new battery, 8gb of ram, and a ssd. She has offered it to me for 500.00 and I wondered will I see better performance with a newer macbook air? I like this macbook but I feel it's a bit heavy to carry in a briefcase and obviously the components are old and could fail anytime.


Thanks for any input.

You would see dramatically better performance in nearly ANY MacBook Air, since the MBAs use SSD storage rather than spinning hard drives.

Without knowing much about what you would use it for, it's really hard to say, but I certainly wouldn't pay $500 for a 2009 MacBook Pro, that's just way overpriced IMO unless she's done a lot of upgrades to it. I would suggest you look at something newer.

It looks like you have upgraded it to the maximum specification possible, it all depends on your and your gf’s personal circumstances.
As you have more knowledge of the provenance of the kit, it could well be worth more to you than the market price for a similar machine.
However it is still 6 year old hardware.

The biggest problem I had with my 2009 MBP was that the graphics card was, by modern standards, what the kids today call "weak sauce."

chas_m said:

The biggest problem I had with my 2009 MBP was that the graphics card was, by modern standards, what the kids today call "weak sauce."

Click to expand...

Your efforts to keep up with current slang are progressing admirably.

23 Skiddoo, I'm a hep cat who's down with the kidz in the hood and such, daddy-o!

At least you haven't hit this point yet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1pSvAjKve8 Feel free to skip the ad obviously.

Watch it now, I resemble that.

Me too.

Chas, it was upgraded with an SSD. Maybe you missed that part. The one in the Air since it's PCI-E might be a bit faster, but still it does have an SSD. $500 is a bit much for a 2009 as I not long ago found a 2011 MBP for a friend on Ebay in MINT shape for $500.

I just purchased a Late 2011 15" MacBook Pro for $488, also in mint shape. Easy to upgrade too.

dtravis7 said:

Chas, it was upgraded with an SSD. Maybe you missed that part.

Click to expand...

I probably did miss it, but still I'd find that price a little steep for a nearly seven-year-old machine that has a very weak graphics card. To be fair, however, if graphics aren't a priority for the buyer, it would (particularly with that SSD) be an otherwise be a cheap way to get started on the Mac platform.