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OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

dortania.github.io

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Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#21

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

hs86 wrote: post #6

Catalina was the last supported OS for my 2012 MBA, and the following Big Sur upgrade worked well with OCLP because it only had to patch in WiFi support during the boot process. After that, macOS Monterey also dropped support for my Ivy Bridge GPU, and OCLP had to rely on persistent patches to my system volume to enable 3D acceleration again. These root patches caused some weird issues with 3D acceleration in certain…

I have an 11-inch 2012 MBA, and I run Catalina on it (officially).

It still works fine. I use it to run Zoom, test out low-end Web stuff, and various apps and utilities that I want to work back there.

One day, it will go belly-up. It will have had a long, productive life.

But ... come on ... I have an eleven-year-old computer that is still getting OS updates from Apple.

Not too shabby.

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#23

Post by GeekyBear »

1over137 wrote: post #20
jeroenhd wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Supporting old hardware costs money because you need to write more tests. Of course there aren't technical limitations for any but the lowest specced Macs. Things have changed the past few years but for a while upgrades to CPU performance weren't that meaningful between generations. A CPU that's over ten years old will still perform fine for light desktop use, because that's honestly all you need in most cases. All y…

>Supporting old hardware costs money because you need to write more tests. Not supporting old hardware has major costs too: ewaste pollution. But of course those costs are 'externalized' and not borne by Apple, but by everyone else.

> Not supporting old hardware has major costs too: ewaste pollution.

I would not be at all shocked to find that, by volume, Android devices that vendors have refused to support with software updates over the years take up far more space in landfills.

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#24

Post by mynameisvlad »

ChildOfChaos wrote: post #13

I have a 2015 iMac, that I spec'ed up as a custom build from Apple, so annoying they don't reconize the power of these machines still and cut support. I have an 4ghz i7, 32gb ram and a Radeon 395x graphics card, but support is cut. The machine still runs beautifully on Monterey, so I am hesitant to use the OpenCore legacy patcher, but may have to one day if apps i use drop support. I love my iMac, but in future, I th…

I mean, you have an 8-year old computer. What did you realistically expect would happen here? For Apple to support your computer until the end of time even if you’re the only person using that model? In the tech world, 8 years is already practically a lifetime.

At a certain point, it’s no longer profitable for a company to continue supporting old systems. And that rarely has to do with power and almost entirely due to it being 8-year old devices with practically no remaining user base.

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#25

Post by rahoulb »

ChildOfChaos wrote: post #13

I have a 2015 iMac, that I spec'ed up as a custom build from Apple, so annoying they don't reconize the power of these machines still and cut support. I have an 4ghz i7, 32gb ram and a Radeon 395x graphics card, but support is cut. The machine still runs beautifully on Monterey, so I am hesitant to use the OpenCore legacy patcher, but may have to one day if apps i use drop support. I love my iMac, but in future, I th…

I have a 2015 27" i5 iMac and I use OCLP to run Ventura on it.

Everything is fine - apart from some very occasional graphics glitches (transparency effects and so on). A bigger issue is every time there is an official OS update, Bluetooth breaks. I have to plug in a keyboard and mouse, get OCLP to repatch the OS and reboot.

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#26

Post by alexott »

andyjohnson0 wrote: post #4

Datapoint: I upgraded a min-2012 MacBook Pro to Monterey using this approach and it performs reasonably well for basic use. I also swapped the hdd for an ssd and maxed the memory to 16gb.

Did you reinstall OS, or it works as upgrade?

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#27

Post by Kwpolska »

pcdoodle wrote: post #22

Awesome! This keeps macs out the trash and people with less means to buy their first mac.

Someone buying their first Mac is probably not aware of OCLP. Depending on the hardware, OCLP might not provide a stable or a good experience. Better to buy a newer and still supported Windows PC.

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#29

Post by 1over137 »

GeekyBear wrote: post #23
1over137 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Supporting old hardware costs money because you need to write more tests. Not supporting old hardware has major costs too: ewaste pollution. But of course those costs are 'externalized' and not borne by Apple, but by everyone else.

> Not supporting old hardware has major costs too: ewaste pollution. I would not be at all shocked to find that, by volume, Android devices that vendors have refused to support with software updates over the years take up far more space in landfills.

Indeed. But two wrongs don't make a right.

Re: OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Use new macOS versions on old hardware

#30

Post by sys_64738 »

1over137 wrote: post #20
jeroenhd wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Supporting old hardware costs money because you need to write more tests. Of course there aren't technical limitations for any but the lowest specced Macs. Things have changed the past few years but for a while upgrades to CPU performance weren't that meaningful between generations. A CPU that's over ten years old will still perform fine for light desktop use, because that's honestly all you need in most cases. All y…

>Supporting old hardware costs money because you need to write more tests. Not supporting old hardware has major costs too: ewaste pollution. But of course those costs are 'externalized' and not borne by Apple, but by everyone else.

You do understand that the old HW doesn't suddenly stop working when it's unsupported by the new OS.
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