Let's talk about Intel MacBook Pro and buying them in 2025

[redpandadev]

I realize that mine is a small use case, but the Intel macs are also the only viable option for those of us who need access to Windows-only programs, especially old ones that won't run on ARM Windows. In that case an Intel mac with Fusion or Parallells (or Bootcamp for that matter) is your only alternative to buying both a (new) Mac and an (old) PC

Unless graphics acceleration is a requirement, running x86 Windows (or any x86 OS) isn't a problem for Apple Silicon Macs. Even if it is a requirement, there may be options. In a lot of cases M3 / M4 hardware can even emulate x86 as fast or faster than the latest Intel hardware that Apple had ever offered.

As examples, UTM (user friendly version of Qemu) has very mature x86 emulation (graphics acceleration is even possible for Linux and being actively worked on for Windows), Parallels has x86 emulation in beta, and Crossover Mac (user friendly fork of WINE) is also a great option for a lot of Windows software (especially games) that does have graphics acceleration.

 

[G5isAlive]

Yes. M1 MacBook Air would be better deal, if you can purchase for $500USD. And I agree if you can buy M1 MacBook Air and you trust the seller enough, you should absolutely buy M1 MacBook Air.

But it still doesn't mean $290 2019 Intel MacBook Pro isn't worth the money. It can be very good Windows or Linux Machine while experiencing macOS. It could be a good computer for kids or for my parents.

P.S. I bet you can't do this easily on M1 MacBook Air

You keep referencing a m1 MacBook Air for $500… I referenced a refurbished m1 MacBook Pro on Amazon for $500. Even better, and yes I could hook up two external monitors to it. Shrugs.

 

[conmee]

Maybe for his Mac. But it doesn’t work for every Intel Mac. I have a 2019 16 inch MacBook Pro with an i9 chip, 64 GB RAM, AMD 5600M 8 GB and 2TB. It was the highest end model back then. I’m still at 200 battery cycles because this is not my main machine for work, my Mac Pro is.

I value Intel chips only for running a specific program on windows using parallels and I love the Touch Bar. But I otherwise hate my MacBook Pro. It is clean and I always do a fresh install. But the thermal constraints of the laptop can’t beat the laws of physics. It sounds like a jet engine taking off even when I’m not running the most demanding tasks. Battery life also sucks. The 2019 Mac Pro on the other hand I will keep for another decade. It’s still user upgradeable, and barely makes any noise. I’m probably getting the next MacBook Pro with M6 and a redesign (hoping Touch Bar will be a user upgrade option, I’d pay for it). Until then I’m continue to use this Intel MacBook Pro but I hate it every time I use it.

I have the prior model 2019 same build but with AMD 5500M 8GB and it's even worse. There are a number of videos that show where to add thermal pads to transfer heat to the bottom plate, but that makes the laptop near unusable on an actual lap due to tremendous heat. I mainly use mine in a Brydge/Henge vertical dock in clamshell mode. Fans don't spin up too often unless I launch a VM. Currently, more fan noise than usual running Tahoe Developer Beta.

 

[conmee]

From a collector/nostalgia perspective, the Intel MBP that I will keep forever is my 15" 2019. Despite the 16" models being nearly identical, the 16" models came out during Catalina and Big Sur. I can't install Mojave on the 16". So when I finally leave Intel behind, my 2019 15" will get a fresh copy of Mojave so I can install all those 32-bit apps and games, a Windows 10 bootcamp partition, and Parallels 18 with all my old school VMs (Win7, WinXP, OS/2, Linux, DOS 6.22). Sort of a computing Swiss Army Knife and computing museum all in one.

 

[tenjikuronin]

Just bought an Intel Mac Mini for ~$55 just to play around with Lion/Mountain Lion. I would not get an Intel Mac as a daily driver.

 

[nigelbb]

My wife has a 12" MacBook which we bought new. It is still the smallest & lightest laptop that Apple ever made. She loves it but I find the keyboard too cramped. Battery life is many hours. It's fanless so always totally silent. If it were to fail we would likely replace with another used 12" MacBook for about £250.

I have three 16GB 15" 2015 MBPs. One I use as my regular laptop. The second is my desktop with 46" monitor & various accessories like external disks. The third is a spare in case I have a problem with one of the other two. None cost me more than £250.

Apart from the bargain price one big advantage with the 2015 Intel MBPs is being able to upgrade the internal storage. Each of the MBPs now has a 2TB SSD & 4TB is possible. Battery life is one downside as I only get 2-3 hours. They can also get noisy when the fan kicks in when Spotlight or some other heavy process runs but as I am typing this post on my MBP it's totally silent.

 

[throAU]

TLDR: I think there are still plenty of life left with Intel Mac and if one is looking to purchase an Mac on a budget, Intel MacBook Pros are still offers values that can't be matched by Apple Silicon Macs.

Given how cheap you can buy an M1 MacBook Air for, I'll say no.

The performance difference is huge; unless you have some very specific niche use case, you're better off getting off the intel furnaces and onto something thats far more appropriate for a mobile form factor.

Never mind the pending lack of OS support.

 

[familychoice]

I'm currently typing on a 2019 16" Intel MBP. Though expensive at the time, it's been a total workhorse for the last 5 years (I bought it in 2020), and I use it daily for work (web development) and general admin/business stuff.

Last year I bought a 14" M4 Pro MBP for music making (Ableton, Logic etc.) and it's a total beast, it sails through the most CPU intensive plugins, and is a joy to use.

However, I still prefer using the 16" for work as it has a better keyboard, bigger screen, and it still does everything I need it to at a decent speed. Battery health still 'normal', and I still get a couple of days work on a single charge.

So I guess it's all about tools for the job. The Intel does everything I want for the day job, as long as I don't push it to hard - it's crashed a few times with hevyweight multi-tasking, but I can avoid that happening. I only noticed it geting warm last week for the first time - though this was during a heatwave here!

So if it wasn't for my music making hobby, this would still do the job, and if it died tomorrow, I wouldn't hesitate on getting a cheap 16" refurb for a few hundred quid and running it for another couple of years, instead of £1400 for a new 15" Air or £2500 MBP 16".

 

[Steve121178]

TLDR: I think there are still plenty of life left with Intel Mac and if one is looking to purchase an Mac on a budget, Intel MacBook Pros are still offers values that can't be matched by Apple Silicon Macs.

Not sure what you are smoking or snorting, but no one should be buying an Intel Mac in 2025. It's a very poor long or even short term investment. M1 Macs can be found brand new for as little as £450 if you shop around.

I get that you are trying to justify your Intel Mac purchase to yourself, but it's not the road to go down for the vast majority of people.

 

[Aoligei]

Not sure what you are smoking or snorting, but no one should be buying an Intel Mac in 2025. It's a very poor long or even short term investment. M1 Macs can be found brand new for as little as £450 if you shop around.

I get that you are trying to justify your Intel Mac purchase to yourself, but it's not the road to go down for the vast majority of people.

I don’t know what people are thinking, is everyone here in MacRumors are rich?

In reality, there are lots people buying used iPhone XR or iPad 7th generation. There are lots of people buying MacBooks for under $400CAD.

Take an example: there is a used computer/phone store beside my house. The store has 2 2018 MacBook Air, 1 2017 MacBook Pro, 1 2018 MacBook Pro and 2019 MacBook Pro 16”. Guess what, they were all sold within 1 week. The MacBook Air, which were sold around $340CAD were purchased by parents for their kids. I brought the 16” MacBoon Pro, I didn’t ask who brought 2017 and 2018 MacBook Pro. But none the less, they were sold.

There are reasons why sub-$300 Windows laptop or Chrome books being sold, and all of these are probably junk and poor investments. Can you really say Intel MacBook were worse than these cheap Windows or Chromebooks?

All am I saying is that if you are under budgets, Intel MacBook are good option. If one wants buy Apple silicon Mac, go ahead.

 

[aespana]

My wife has a 12" MacBook which we bought new. It is still the smallest & lightest laptop that Apple ever made. She loves it but I find the keyboard too cramped. Battery life is many hours. It's finless so always totally silent. If it were to fail we would likely replace with a used 12" MacBook for about £250.

I have three 16GB 15" 2015 MBPs. One I use as my regular laptop. The second is my desktop with 46" monitor & various accessories like external disks. The third is a spare in case I have a problem with one of the other two. None cost me more than £250.

Apart from the bargain price one big advantage with the 2015 Intel MBPs is being able to upgrade the internal storage. Each of the MBPs now has a 2TB SSD & 4TB is possible. Battery life is one downside as I only get 2-3 hours. They can also get noisy when the fan kicks in when Spotlight or some other heavy process runs but as I am typing this post on my MBP it's totally silent.

I had a Macbook 12" 2017 base model (underpowered m3..) and loved the portability, keyboard, screen and size. Speaker were awesome too.

Sadly due to financials problems I sold it. Little nice machine but man, that Intel m3 was really bad.

I'm looking a new Mac now that my financial situation is better. Currently have a Macbook Pro 2012 with a bad keyboard that you cant turn off because you need to open it, disconnect the battery, reconnect it and then, plug the power cord.. the poor thing just want to be there.. I will use it with Mojave probably to use iTunes and as a backup of my photos and files.

Time to leave Macs Intel behind and move forward

 

[Aoligei]

Unless graphics acceleration is a requirement, running x86 Windows (or any x86 OS) isn't a problem for Apple Silicon Macs. Even if it is a requirement, there may be options. In a lot of cases M3 / M4 hardware can even emulate x86 as fast or faster than the latest Intel hardware that Apple had ever offered.

As examples, UTM (user friendly version of Qemu) has very mature x86 emulation (graphics acceleration is even possible for Linux and being actively worked on for Windows), Parallels has x86 emulation in beta, and Crossover Mac (user friendly fork of WINE) is also a great option for a lot of Windows software (especially games) that does have graphics acceleration.

This assumes Windows ARM version can emulate x86 software in good efficiency. I have not experienced ARM version of Windows.

Second, this brings license issue (as far as I know), Microsoft doesn't opening sell ARM version of Windows 11. There download link for Windows 11 ARM64, how would you go obtain license key is issue.

Third: If you want do virtual machine, you will need a machine that has more than 16GB of RAM and probably 512GB of storage. Then you are looking to spend more than base configuration. I wouldn't even entertain VM on base configuration, especially one with 8GB of RAM.

 

[Steve121178]

I don’t know what people are thinking, is everyone here in MacRumors are rich?

In reality, there are lots people buying used iPhone XR or iPad 7th generation. There are lots of people buying MacBooks for under $400CAD.

Take an example: there is a used computer/phone store beside my house. The store has 2 2018 MacBook Air, 1 2017 MacBook Pro, 1 2018 MacBook Pro and 2019 MacBook Pro 16”. Guess what, they were all sold within 1 week. The MacBook Air, which were sold around $340CAD were purchased by parents for their kids. I brought the 16” MacBoon Pro, I didn’t ask who brought 2017 and 2018 MacBook Pro. But none the less, they were sold.

There are reasons why sub-$300 Windows laptop or Chrome books being sold, and all of these are probably junk and poor investments. Can you really say Intel MacBook were worse than these cheap Windows or Chromebooks?

All am I saying is that if you are under budgets, Intel MacBook are good option. If one wants buy Apple silicon Mac, go ahead.

I get what you are saying, but Intel Macs are on their last legs in terms of OS support and then it's just a matter of time until developers start to focus on Apple Silicon Macs only. But if you get a few years of good use out of it then I hope you enjoy it.

I found a good use for my old Intel Mac Pro's which are obsolete with Big Sur being the last supported release. One of them runs Fedora & the other Ubuntu. They run extremely well and breathed new life into hardware from 2013.

 

[redheeler]

Saying Intel Macs can continue to be usable really comes down to one statement: You don't have to put MacOS on it. x86-64 is still the best and most supported platform for alternative operating systems like most Linux distributions.

I'm not sure if I'll ever make the switch over to Linux on my 16" Intel MacBook Pro. It was the last of its kind and has gotten me through a lot. I may not even go to Tahoe on it – Liquid Glass looks unfinished and kind of bad on MacOS. Part of me is glad Apple supported it with another update (obviously) but this is one of those versions like OS X Lion or OS X Yosemite that'll need lots of refinements, and Apple will refuse to give Intels the refined / finished version.

 

[familychoice]

Not sure what you are smoking or snorting, but no one should be buying an Intel Mac in 2025. It's a very poor long or even short term investment. M1 Macs can be found brand new for as little as £450 if you shop around.

I've never checked 2nd hand/refurbished prices, but seems the average for my Intel spec is about £400, the M1 £800.

If the M1 keyboard's are as good as my Intel, in this instance I'd probably stump up the extra £400 for the M1.

The issue I have with the Intel, is there's conflicting reviews regarding Sequoia performance on the i7's, so I'm hesitating upgrading the OS for now. This could be an issue since I need to update Pages, but the latest version doesn't support my OS.

Fortunately I can still use the M4 Pro if I need to (plus a desktop M1 Mini), but it would be really useful if I could update the Intel to Sequoia.

 

[ignatius345]

Attention Intel Mac shoppers: Walmart’s M1 MacBook is now available for $599.00.

And Best Buy has an M2 Air for $100 more. It's just a no-brainer to pick any of these over an Intel MacBook.

 

[nigelbb]

And Best Buy has an M2 Air for $100 more. It's just a no-brainer to pick any of these over an Intel MacBook.

Assuming you have the cash. The cheapest Apple Silicon Mac is at least twice the price of an Intel Mac. If you only have £250 all you can afford is an Intel Mac. I have a 15" 16GB 2TB 2015 MBP but to buy the equivalent specification Apple Silicon M4 MBP new would cost over £3,000. A used M1 MBP runs £700-£800. My 2015 MBP cost £200 plus another £100 for a 2TB SSD .

 

[novagamer]

Saying Intel Macs can continue to be usable really comes down to one statement: You don't have to put MacOS on it. x86-64 is still the best and most supported platform for alternative operating systems like most Linux distributions.

I'm not sure if I'll ever make the switch over to Linux on my 16" Intel MacBook Pro. It was the last of its kind and has gotten me through a lot. I may not even go to Tahoe on it – Liquid Glass looks unfinished and kind of bad on MacOS. Part of me is glad Apple supported it with another update (obviously) but this is one of those versions like OS X Lion or OS X Yosemite that'll need lots of refinements, and Apple will refuse to give Intels the refined / finished version.

Do you actually use Linux on that or just think you will in the future? The T2 is an absolute pain in the ass with Linux and wrecks the later intel machines from a sustainability perspective. No TPM makes them useless for Win11 too.

Look here for some info about all the “fun” Linux workarounds and still-present issues that will never be resolved considering the age of the hardware: https://wiki.t2linux.org/state/

No one should buy an Intel mac at this point unless they are running an entirely offline system like a DAW and need native Intel support.

The M1 / M2 MBA is a far, far better purchase for nearly everyone. And for people who want a desktop, the M4 Mini.

 

[wjdavis]

Do you actually use Linux on that or just think you will in the future? The T2 is an absolute pain in the ass with Linux and wrecks the later intel machines from a sustainability perspective. No TPM makes them useless for Win11 too.

Look here for some info about all the “fun” Linux workarounds and still-present issues that will never be resolved considering the age of the hardware: https://wiki.t2linux.org/state/

No one should buy an Intel mac at this point unless they are running an entirely offline system like a DAW and need native Intel support.

The M1 / M2 MBA is a far, far better purchase for nearly everyone. And for people who want a desktop, the M4 Mini.

Useless for Windows 11? I am running Windows 11 on a 2019 MacBook Pro.

 

[Aoligei]

One of the reason that Intel Mac runs hot is that Apple never really fitted with MacBook Pro with properly cooling solution, in pursuit of building thin and light MacBook Pros. Some of the 13" MacBook Pro only have one fans that was connected by a thin heat pipe. This was somewhat fixed with 2019 16" MacBook Pro, but non-the-less, without adequate cooling and the metal casing, Intel MacBook runs hot.

Comparable, my ThinkPad with similar CPU runs relatively cooler than Intel MacBooks. Because it is thicker and it has better cooling. The heat pipe is noticeably thicker and longer, the back cover is covered with copper to dissipate heat.

 

[MacPeasant123]

The T2 is an absolute pain in the ass with Linux and wrecks the later intel machines from a sustainability perspective. No TPM makes them useless for Win11 too.

If you don't mind not having TPM 2.0 for whatever extra security that Microsoft has in mind for Windows 11 like me, you can use Rufus to bypass TPM and other checks and install Windows 11 on old Intel Macs. I've gotten it to install on both:

1) a 2011 Intel MacBook Pro (8,1 with Intel Sandy Bridge and Intel HD 3000 graphics):

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/windows-10-on-macbook-pro-late-2011.2425375/post-34000448

2) as well as a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro (16,2 with Intel Ice Lake, 4 Thunderbolt ports, and the T2 chip):

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/windows-11-on-a-2019-mbp-is-it-possible.2439576/post-33749231

 

[leifp]

If you Boot Camp or otherwise replace the macOS with one that will keep security at the forefront, why not. Or keep it offline once the security updates no longer happen. You have about three years of use before that becomes necessary. Back in the early aughts replacing a laptop every three years was de rigeur so a reversion of type…

 

[Astuces iOS]

TLDR: I think there are still plenty of life left with Intel Mac and if one is looking to purchase an Mac on a budget, Intel MacBook Pros are still offers values that can't be matched by Apple Silicon Macs.

So the writing is on the wall now, macOS Tahoe is the last release for Intel and Apple is done with Apple. Whether or not this is good thing or if Apple dropped Intel too soon, it is up to debate and I don't think there will ever be agreement. So this left two questions:

1. Should Intel MacBook Pro users abandon ship and upgrade.
2. Should anyone purchase Intel MacBook right now.

I have every generation of Intel MacBook Pro from 2009 with exception of 2018 and 2020 version. For Apple Silicon Macs, I have M1 MacBook Pro, M1 MacBook Air, M2 MacBook Air, M1, M2 and M3 Mac mini. So I have plenty experiences with Intel Mac and Apple Silicon Macs.

So let's talk about the two questions, at least in my opinion:

1. Should Intel MacBook Pro users abandon ship and upgrade?

The short answer is yes, if you have the budgets. Apple Silicon MacBook Pro offers better performance than Intel MacBooks and it runs much cooler, battery life is certainly better than Apple Silicon MacBook Pro.

But it doesn't mean that every Intel MacBook Pro users should just throw their MacBook Pro and shell out for Apple Silicon MacBook Pros. I am typing this on an 2017 MacBook Pro 15" with Core i7 Processor, 16GB of RAM, 500GB of SSD, brand new battery for little over $250USD. I am able to install macOS Sequoia with OCLP, run BlackMagic davinci resolve for video editing, doing office work, enjoying movies or TV shows without any issues.

In opinion, for Intel MacBook Pro users, if don't need the most updated Mac or your workflow is fine with Intel MacBook Pro, I don't think upgrading Apple Silicon Mac would dramatically improve your experience in meaningful manner (maybe battery life is better). But if you have the budget and/or your workflow requires more powerful hardwares, then by all means upgrade.

Let's talk about support.

I have macOS Sequoia installed on all MacBook Pro from 2013 onwards. I can honestly say, Sequoia runs perfectly fine. This is meanly due to insignificant performance uplifting from Intel's Haswell to Coffee Lake processor. OCLP is very straight forward and requires very minimum amount of maintaining. So for most Intel MacBook Pro users (expect 2019 16" and 13" wth four Thunderbolt ports), there are two more years of software support.

2. Should anyone purchase Intel Macs

Lots of people in this forum or reddit think purchasing Intel Mac in 2025 is not a good idea and they are probably have point. M1 MacBook Air or M1 MacBook Pros have became cheaper in 2025 and some 16" M1 MacBook Pro are less than $1000 USD on eBay. You would be right, for the same amount of money, you should choose Apple Silicon MacBook over Intel.

But it doesn't mean Intel MacBook Pro aren't worth to purchase. Depends on your usage, some 2016-2018 MacBook Pro were selling less than $300 and for regular users, these laptop are sufficient enough for everyday usage.

Intel MacBook Pros also provides more flexibility than Apple Silicon MacBook Pros. Older Intel MacBooks from Retina generations to TouchBar generation, are all compatible with EFI. So installing Windows on these machine is pretty easy. Booting of Linux distribution is also possible. So these machines are cheap enough for kids, regular people who are not need lots of computing needs, or simply looking for a cheap Mac.

But keep in mind, no-one should go buy Unibody MacBook Pros (2009-2012, non-retina), as these machines are very old. Sonoma and Sequoia aren't work well with these machines.

So, as most people in this forum are transition away from Intel MacBook Pros, I still hold on lots of my Intel MacBook Pros. I think there are lots of usefulness and you can do lot with these Intel MacBook Pros.

I already upgraded from M1 to M4... So yes everyone should upgrade if possible !

 

[Aoligei]

I already upgraded from M1 to M4... So yes everyone should upgrade if possible !

Sure. If anyone gets funds for upgrading.

I am in the camp where instalment in a computer is really dumb idea. Have a lending products on a deprecating product is not smart move (one exception is car).

If I need a computer immediately and I only have $200, I would buy $200 computer and save up.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Sure. If anyone gets funds for upgrading.

I am in the camp where instalment in a computer is really dumb idea. Have a lending products on a deprecating product is not smart move (one exception is car).

If I need a computer immediately and I only have $200, I would buy $200 computer and save up.

Yeah that’s why I said «if possible»