Bargain MacBook Pro

My personal computer has for many years been an Acer gaming PC. It’s great and will be with me still, but I think most of my personal computer use will be done with a MacBook Pro I got for less than $300.

It’s a 2018 MacBook Pro 13-inch, with Intel Core i5 2.3 GHz processor, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD.

Not only that, but it has four USB-C ports, which can be used for charging, which is handy. Since there are ports on both sides of the computer, you can choose from which side you connect and charge. And since my work Mac also charges with USB-C, it means I can use the same chargers.

The screen is retina with 2560 × 1600 pixel resolution.

All in all, it’s a really nice machine.

The big obvious problem (or challenge!) is that it’s an Intel Mac, meaning that in due time, support in macOS and apps will disappear eventually. But I reckon, if I get a few years out of this Mac, I’m happy.

So far, I’ve installed most of my most used apps, including Microsoft Office, DXO, and more, and it all works just fine.

As expected, for browsing, writing and such easier tasks, it works beautifully well. But even for DXO editing RAW files, it’s not bad. Sure, exporting photos takes a bit, but that’s to be expected, and not a concern for me.

When new, Apple said this Mac would get 10 hours of battery life. My Mac says the battery needs service, so I’ll have to replace it eventually, which will cost more than the actual computer.

I’ll still be using my Acer, but most of my daily use will now be done on this Mac. And I’ll be carrying it with me in situations where before I might not have taken a computer because the Acer is too big and heavy.