A friend wants to gift me an old macbook pro he no longer uses. Specs follow:
MacBook Pro, Core i5, 2.8 GHz (I5-4308U), model A1502 (EMC 2875), Retina Mid-2014 13", MacBookPro11,1, RAM 8 GB, VRAM 1.5 GB, Storage 512 GB SSD
Out of principle I don’t use anything made by that brand and the only way I see myself using the hardware is if I can nuke the software and install any linux distro, ubuntu is the distro I know best.
Can it be done?
Any drawbacks?
It’s a model with a screwed aluminum case, meaning I cannot unplug the battery when I don’t need it. How long does it last?
Alternatively, what could I use this notebook for? Is there anything apple does better than linux that deserves I don’t nuke it?
Linux fan here. I run Linux on and old 2008 iMac, a 2009 MacBook Pro, a 2012 MacBook Pro, and a 2017 MacBook Pro. EndeavourOS mostly.
Linux works amazingly on this hardware. Old Apple stuff is great gear and still looks pretty good too.
I have upgraded RAM and storage as much as possible which makes a huge difference. I actually found the 2009 unit sitting on the intake shelf at my local recycling centre. It needed a new battery but has been awesome. I keep it downstairs at home as my other computers are upstairs. I take it with me on trips where I would worry about wrecking a computer ( camping road trips for example ). I can access my Proxmox server to hit a few remote desktops and the beautiful screen and awesome keyboard make it a joy to use.
Where is macOS bette? If we are being honest, any serious macOS user will have accumulated use cases that are not as well met by Linux. Media related especially like photo and video editing. I cannot even find programs like “subler” for Linux which you would think Linux would have. Niche proprietary tools as more common on macOS. So even reading a PDF signed with a certificate can be annoying on Linux ( without Adobe Acrobat or Reader ).
If you are a developer, I would argue Linux is better.
I am a Linux user though so I am the opposite. If you give me a machine running macOS, I want to get Linux on it. For me, Linux is so much better and 10 minutes on a Mac and I will be frustrated with what it cannot do.
Even for a Mac user, Mac hardware becomes much less usable after it falls of support for thee latest macOS as so many apps will quickly become incompatible after. As I run Arch on my 2009 Mac, it has all the software I use totally up-to-date and current with the latest releases available. You just cannot compete with Linux for that.
Checking in with a 2014 27” iMac. It’s still running the original 3TB Fusion Drive, and I stuffed 32gb ram in there too.
I’ve been doing a bit of distro hopping with it. Have run Ubuntu and Linux Mint with no issues and currently running the latest Kde Neon beautifully.
You could use it for iMessage/other apple hardware locked apple software
The latest macOs likely does not support hardware that old any more.
I didn’t realise that those apps only worked on the latest version of macOS.
Well, the older versions are unsupported, I for one wouldn’t buy hardware just to run an unsupported OS version to run software that might break with any update on that OS version if the developers think they need some feature only available on later versions or will only support installation with some mechanism that changed over time.
By ‘the developers’, do you mean Apple?
I have a 2013 “air” that was updated to 10.15 (so 64bits) ; I bought it dirt cheap secondhand for one specific app, and out of the box it did update itself when I connected it not so long ago. I changed the battery, too - most resellers include the impossible screwdrivers needed to open the strange tri-lobe screws.
If OP has a use for it, it’s not bad hardware with backlit keyboard, a decent screen, lightweight. With a new battery it’s a decent all-day workhorse. My main machines are 5th gen Intel, and I remember nothing wrong with 4th gen.
Any distro will run on it, or should. I’d bet you’ll get the spinning cube & wobbly windows easy peasy. If it’s free, just try it out.
Have fun!
I didn’t say they shouldn’t buy it to run Linux on it, just that I wouldn’t buy some old hardware just to run an already unsupported OS on it.
The first hit is a reddit thread asking about the I7 version of the same vintage. Sounds like Pop!OS works better than Ubuntu for that machine at least.
Linux Mint or Linux Mint Debian Edition installs very nicely on that machine and is one of the better working distros for apple hardware. It should auto detect the WiFi driver which is normally the pain point because it uses broadcom and the drivers are reverse engineered.
I don’t think thunderbolt works, the SD card reader might not work and the video camera definitely won’t work. Plus on standby the battery will drain flat.
These are the issues I had on my 2015 MacBook Pro before it died. I need to take it to apple for diagnosis but don’t have the money right now.
However I run Linux Mint Debian Edition on a 2014 Mac Mini and it’s ok
Generally Apple hardware is a pain with Linux. You get better results with pc hardware - better Harare compatibility and less issues
Can it be done? Yes. But compared to Mac OS it’s an awful experience. Thankfully the machine predates the massive trackpad and Touch Bar. But leave the Mac running Mac OS, it’s a far better experience than the half baked Linux support.
And who knows, maybe you’ll like it? It converted me.
Running an out of date MacOS is a way, way worse experience.
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You can’t update any browser
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Laptop runs extremely slow
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Installing software doesn’t always work, you have to search the web for a compatbile version. Notable case is xcode.
Installing Arch Linux on my old laptop greatly enhanced the experience. Everything works great, laptop is at least 3x faster.
it’s a far better experience than the half baked Linux support.
What support are you going to get on a 2014 macbook? Zero support.
You can’t update any browser
The 2014 13" MBP can run (officially) Mac OS 11
Chrome for Mac requires Mac OS 10.15 and up
Firefox requires Mac OS 10.12 and up
Apple’s software (like Xcode) are pretty much the only things that wont be updated.
So that’s just not true.
Laptop runs extremely slow
Source on that? I have an even older 2012 MBP and the latest Mac OS feels just as fast as the very first version it can run.
Everything works great, laptop is at least 3x faster.
That you can easily tell is just 100% made up. Even on old machines Mac OS still runs great on them, it’s one of the best things Apple does for those devices.
What support are you going to get on a 2014 macbook? Zero support.
Not getting updates but everything works flawlessly > god forbid Arch of all things.
I can 100% garuntee you the trackpad (the primary way of interacting with a laptop) will be nowhere near as good as in Mac OS.
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I am running arch on a 2011 MacBook pro. so, probably. Even if you don’t plan on using arch, the wiki has all the info to get you started.
I had Fedora and Arch on a 2012 Intel MacBook pro, it’s running well, I think macos manages power consumption better, either way I believe if you have no dGPU you should be good to go, also you probably must check the Arch wiki Mac page (regardless of what disro you choose)
I had Arch on my trusty 2012 MBP too, right up until my SSD gave out 😓
It ran great while it was alive tho and I’d definitely recommend it.
It’s a model with a screwed aluminum case, meaning I cannot unplug the battery when I don’t need it. How long does it last?
Considering that it’s a 10-year old battery, it would’ve already degraded significantly, even if it wasn’t being actively user. If battery life is important to you, you should first consider getting a replacement battery.
As to how long it’ll last, that can only be answered by you as it depends on which distro you’re going to use, what DE/apps you’ll run, and your actual usage patterns/workload.
Is there anything apple does better than linux that deserves I don’t nuke it?
Adobe CC, or multimedia stuff in general. And the fact that you can run MS Office natively. But if you don’t care about that, then just nuke it.
I’ve seen an Apple battery or two puff up at that age. Highly recommended getting that old battery swapped out.
Battery replacement will also boost your CPU performance, it’s worth spending a bit of money on it.
I have an A1502 Macbook that I have been using for work since it was new in 2014. It triple boots Windows, Linux and OSX, but I only really use Linux.
Mine has the same CPU, a i5-4308U but 16GB of memory, I think it was a custom order at the time.
If I recall I did the regular bootcamp process you would do to install Windows, installed Windows on a subset of the free space and Linux on the rest.
I’ve got Linux mint 21 on it currently, but I have had vanilla Ubuntu at different times. I can’t think of anything on it that doesn’t just work off hand.
Ubuntu worked out of the box for me on my mid 2015 Macbook Pro. Don’t remember any specific drawbacks, but it does take a bit of getting used to the differences. Also dual booting is possible, if you want to consider having both systems on the same laptop, good if you need Facetime or something
I have a 2013 MacBook Air. No issues. I have open core legacy patcher on the Mac OS side to push me well past the cut off for the OS, but it’s slow. The Ubuntu side works great still. Good battery life and the battery is still the original, I believe. I don’t remember ever changing it out. Been meaning to switch to LMDE or something, but I had a number of false starts dual booting back when I did it and have been busy.
I have LDME on an 2012 Air and, oh boy, it is flawless. Works straight out of the box
Others here with old Macs seem to have had a much smoother run than me!
You can absolutely run Linux like a champ on that machine, but for reasons I’m not advanced enough to know/understand I’ve struggled with even booting the live USB for multiple distros on my Mid-2012 15" Retina. Maybe it’s the version of the hybrid Intel/Nvidia graphics on the model, I can’t really say.
I’m currently writing this from Linux Mint on said Mac, and all is well; but I’ve experienced the following:
- OpenSuse installer couldn’t even be seen at startup manager
- MX Linux would freeze during boot to the installer
- Elementary OS wouldn’t boot following install
- Pop! OS installed the wrong Nvidia driver for the computer, and with the open source drivers stopped booting after running a few updates
- Nitrux would freeze during boot to the installer
- Ubuntu stopped booting a few days in after an update
- Debian might have worked but wouldn’t detect my trackpad, wifi or USB ethernet adaptor so I couldn’t properly get it installed
- Manjaro worked for a while but eventually failed after an update
- ArcoLinux wouldn’t wake from sleep running the live USB
I totally recommend Linux Mint overall. I’ve decided I like Cinnamon best, “it just works” far more than anything else I’ve tried. I consider it the closest to macOS in terms of being thought about from every angle and set up and ready to go as a beginner or as a more advanced user.
I installed Linux Mint last night on a 2011 Macbook Air. Unfortunately Debian (which was my first choice) was reproducibly crashing during downloading updates, during the installation. It also was not supporting the touchpad during installation, had to use a mouse (I’m sure it would work after installation though as it would use a newer kernel then). Mint worked without a hitch in all levels.
You should have tried LMDE. That is the best way to get Debian and also ease of install
I’ve tried LMDE in the past, it had the same bugs as Debian, as it’s based on it.
Recently I followed this guide on my late 2013 retina MBP and ended up with a fully working system. Used the latest Ubuntu at the time. No hiccups that I recall. I’m not a Linux expert but I am familiar with installing and configuring Debian and Ubuntu. YMMV.
After letting the poor thing gather dust for several years, now I use it most every day.
It’s works fine with lots of different Linux. There’s another person a week or so ago who asked just this very question. The battery lifetime is directly correlated to how many times it’s been drained and recharged, not age.
If you don’t already have a mac, I’d keep a version of macos on there. It’s useful for running native applications and you can use it to download and create boot media for old versions of the operating system to fix other macs you stumble across.
A very neat thing for multibooting different versions of macos that support the apfs file system is that they can be volumes contained inside an apfs partition. That means that if your new version and old version are each 10gb then your apfs partition only has 20gb used and both the versions will see all the free space and be able to use it.
One thing that macos inarguably does better than linux or windows is color management.
I’m speaking as a 25 year linux user: at least take the chance to learn macos. It’s a useful skill to have and it’s good operating system especially on the target hardware.
