Help buying a Macbook

Hello, I was wondering if anyone on here could advise me with buying a macbook I keep looking on Gum-tree etc & here I see a lot from 2011 what I was wondering is will they still perform well there 6 going on 7 years old now I am mainly going to be using it for music , Garage band editing software thanks

I know everyone generally hates this guy, but I'm going to be him.

Why buy an old mac when you can get a better spec new windows based device that runs most of the same software?

As to your original question, macs are generally better built, however 6 year old tech is still 6 year old tech!

Apparently you can, http://www.bloomtimes.com/download-garageband-for-pc-and-its-alternatives/

There's also several alternatives on the PC http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-garageband-alternatives-music-production-windows/

You could also run either a virtual OSX install or pick wisely for a Hackintosh PC, but I can't mention any more on that since we are on squeeky clean sheff forums

A 2011 Macbook will be slow. No SSD, older processor, not sure what version of OS X you'll be able to update it with either.

They are overpriced for what they are, having now used OS X for 2 years every day at work, it's also an overrated operating system but I digress.

If you want a Mac, then at least try and find a more recent one with an SSD. A friend had a 2013 Pro model and he's fed up with how slow it is. At work I have a mid-2015 Pro.

As already said unless there is a reason you *really* need a Mac then get a PC, you will get so much more for your money.

wouldn't it be easier get 27" imac? or it needs to be portable?

great size screen easier to edit tracks etc... i tried it on my 13" and tried on mates 15" it's just too small.

I have one of the last macbook pros mid 2012 build that you can change parts yourself. I swapped out the HDD for an SSD. Upgraded it to 32GB of ram and running the latest macOS. It runs without a problem and the responsiveness is insane.

People who say the OS is overrated have no idea what they are talking out. It is very similar to Linux which is also great and very stable. It is so much easier to just do things in macOS compared to Windows. You just need to know how. People who say otherwise just haven't learnt.

indeed, that you can, but it still won't run Garage band.

One of the main things that made me very against Apple was that it made Logic Audio exclusive to them and stopped the PC version as they bought out the company.

Plenty of other non Apple software to consider that is just as good.

People who say the OS is overrated have no idea what they are talking out. It is very similar to Linux which is also great and very stable. It is so much easier to just do things in macOS compared to Windows. You just need to know how. People who say otherwise just haven't learnt.

Fan boy alert. Sorry but I've used one every working day for the past 2 years. I guess I just don't buy into the cult.

A well looked after mac that tou have owned for 6 years is probably a device you would be quite happy with until the day it finally gives up and you experience the wrench of your much loved machine dying.

A 6 year old machine you're not familiar with from a stranger on gumtree is a very different proposition.

Personally I wouldn't go for less than Apple certified refurbished or something along similar lines if you don't want to buy new.

I'm with ez8004 and people will find it hard calling me a fanboy. The first Apple product I got was some 6 years ago, an iPad. I liked it a lot more than my previous tablet so considered getting an iMac - pulled the trigger a couple of years ago, after 30+years of belonging to the PC Master race, and although it took me a while to get used to MacOS, going back to Windows now is like getting out of your Ferrari to drive the Fiat to work.

Anyway - on topic - it all depends on your budget, I would recommend looking at Apple Certified - minimum 8Gb memory and minimum Hybrid SSD (Fusion Drive) at which point the processors don't actually make that much of a difference any more for day to day tasks.

Also worth keeping in mind that (I think) apple sets up its laptops in such a way that for the processor to run at full speed the laptop pulls additional charge from the battery, - it can't run at full speed from just the mains, so if its an older model, with a worn out battery, it might not run at full speed. It could be different for the likes of the less high end models that have the more power efficient processors but that was the case a few years ago for the MacBook pro's. I think.

Thank you for the replies quite interesting different views and opinions I have used a mac before and familiar with them I think I will probably go for a new model then because speed is a major issue it seems I will just keep looking I have a couple of old laptops I might part trade for one at some point - A old Sony Vaio about 10 yrs old and a Dell inspiron probably not worth much but it all goes towards Thanks.