The mid 2012 13' MBP is very easy to DIY upgrade/replace components, and with an SSD and 8-16GB RAM it will load much faster than with the original set up.

Looking at the cash outlay for a newer laptop versus the cost of a 250-500 GB SSD and 8 or 16 GB RAM to me it is a no brainer to upgrade the 2012 MBP. Contentment will (ooh, too much Dave Ramsey). They are pure expenditures-pursuing bleeding edge devices does not add to your personal wealth. Please note that depreciating assets such as electronics and especially vehicles are NOT investments. Am thinking of loading Mojave just to experiment with some 32 bit programs.

Am able to run Catalina on it (latest officially supported OS for the MBP 2012 13'), since BS just launched, Catalina should be supported by Apple for a while. I had 'inherited' the identical laptop (offspring gave me his dying device with cracked screen after he graduated college) and installed a 500 GB samsung 860 evo ssd and 8 GB used ram from eBay and am pleased with its performance. 8 years may be a long time in tech years, but looking at the OP's usage, the 2012 machine should serve him well for many years. On the other hand, the newer MBPs, MB Airs are not upgrade friendly or possible. Click to expand.Looking at the cash outlay for a newer laptop versus the cost of a 250-500 GB SSD and 8 or 16 GB RAM to me it is a no brainer to upgrade the 2012 MBP.

Ram for 2012 macbook pro