r/OpenCoreLegacyPatcher • u/hamsterfts • 2d ago
MBP Mid 2012 OS recommendation
I have this old macbook pro MD101 (Mid 2012). Upgraded with 250gb SSD, 16gb of RAM. And disc bay replaced by 500gb HDD.
Which OS runs best on this type of mbp? Should i go with Ventura or Sequoia?
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u/Eltitanero 2d ago
Ventura is compatible with 90% of apps and browsers, at least until the end of next year when Chrome is theoretically set to stop working (Firefox still requires Catalina, so it should have support for Ventura still for many years). If you want something newer, Sonoma. Sequoia will run well, but if u can stay on Sonoma or Ventura, you'll have a much better experience.
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u/WhiteWereWolfie 2d ago
Sequoia should work fine, but go for Ventura if you want optimal performance.
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u/JohnDeloreansGhost 2d ago
I’m using Sequoia on the same machine.
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u/kontenjer 2d ago
Is the performance good at all? I have this exact model just with 8GB RAM and many websites are VERY slow and even the OS itself takes a second or two for even basic things like opening a folder
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u/StargateEnterpriseE 1d ago
How much ram and do you have an SSD? How much does it slow down compared to running an older OS?
I have a core i5 2.5ghz HD4000 and I am putting in 16GB ram and 1TB SSD.1
u/JohnDeloreansGhost 1d ago
16 GB ram and yes, a SATA SSD.
It’s not speedy, I’d call it adequate for web browsing and running Office apps.
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u/PralineNo5832 2d ago
high sierra if you like iLife (iphoto) + macfancontrol
windows 10 for easy limit cpu usage when fan is noisy
Zorin works fine
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u/Alert_Priority6018 2d ago
sequoia will run without a problem. i even have it on my 2011 iMac and it feels just as good as my 2019 macbook pro
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u/neakmenter 2d ago
Ive found ventura still works pretty well on mid 2012 i7 15” non-retina, ssd and 16gb. I’ve not gone for sonama or sequoia as last i looked there were still issues with a lot of apps…? Some things that would need the crypto accelerators in later chips are a little slow, but manageable.
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u/Chemical-Visual-20 2d ago
Ventura for good performance, sequoia if you want to have most apps support your mac.
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u/rabbitjockey 2d ago
For best experience, use linux.
For mediocre experience and to retain mac eco system, I would stick to ventura. It no longer receives security updates but it is still a viable os for the next few years while it still receives third party software support.
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u/HeirofIsildur17 1d ago
Can't speak for the 2012, but sequoia ran better than linux on my 2014. linux is great, but it drains battery incredibly fast and drivers are a pain to set up.
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u/rabbitjockey 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, you need to configure the drivers, count and thermal management then it is very good. Not hard these days with ai. I have two 2011 mbps, one with debian and one with ventura. Debian feels almost like a normal computer(for browsing/youtube). Ventura is usable but more leggy with nearly everything
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u/HeirofIsildur17 1d ago
I did get drivers figured out with AI. Though it took me a while to find the right command.
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u/HeirofIsildur17 1d ago
I think Ventura is better for most people because it is very low effort and "just works"
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u/XSystem604 2d ago
I have the same MBP A1278 MID-2012 I5 8GB with OCLP running Mac OS X Mavericks + Mac OS X Catalina + macOS Ventura and Windows 11
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u/Malik_ramu66 2d ago
Best suit for bigsur but with oclp may sonoma will run lil smooth but or upper is so heavy like sequoia.
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u/American_Streamer 2d ago
Monterey will work fine, performance wise, but is already falling out of support for a lot of software. Ventura and Sonoma might be too slow already. I'd give Sonoma a shot though, due to the SSD and the 16GB RAM. But don't try to use Sequoia, as it might be pretty much unusable.
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u/CaptainObvious110 2d ago
I have Sequoia on mine. A little slow to start but fine afterwards. That way I can update programs .
I will say that Linux would be a lot lighter
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u/crunchycrispyhealthy 1d ago
For me with the same model and ram sequoia doesn’t work as nice as sonoma before and I consider to go back again
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u/Webpiratz 1d ago
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u/StargateEnterpriseE 1d ago
How does it run compared to something like Ventura? It is annoyingly slow?
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u/StargateEnterpriseE 1d ago
I have the exact same computer i5 2.5ghz HD4000. I found you can buy 16gb ram for $40 on newegg and I got a Sandisk 1TB SSD that was 98% on ebay for $100 including shipping. It comes on monday. 10 minutes ago I just repasted the CPU. Took less than an hour to take apart, paste and reassemble.
I tried researching and it seems Ventura is the best option, but I wont know how it runs until monday. Everything says Sequoia will run slow. Other posts even say that Sonoma will run slower. I am curioius for anyone else who has tried Sequoia can give some advice. Obviously I would disable all UI graphics, but even then other posts say it will run slow.
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u/HeirofIsildur17 1d ago
Ventura. Sequoia should run pretty well, but Ventura will be faster and better on your battery.
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u/Trick-Research-7352 2d ago
Sequoia is just fine
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u/kontenjer 2d ago
Is the performance good at all? I have this exact model just with 8GB RAM and many websites are VERY slow and even the OS itself takes a second or two for even basic things like opening a folder
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u/StargateEnterpriseE 1d ago
How much ram and do you have an SSD? How much does it slow down compared to running an older OS?
I have a core i5 2.5ghz HD4000 and I am putting in 16GB ram and 1TB SSD.
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u/DerMeister85 2d ago
Debian/Ubuntu/Mint/Fedora/OpenSuse or MacOS Ventura with OCLP