Repair or replace? When a MacBook is worth fixing

Faults that are usually worth fixing

These are consumable or replaceable parts on a machine that is otherwise sound. In each case the repair costs a fraction of replacement and typically returns the computer to full working life.

• Battery — a consumable part by design — replacing one on a healthy machine is among the best value repairs there is
• Screen — expensive, but usually far less than a new machine, and it does not affect the rest of the computer
• Storage — where the machine allows it, more or faster storage transforms day-to-day use
• Fans and thermal issues — a machine throttling from dust or failing fans is usually straightforward to bring back

Faults that often mean the end

These are the cases where spending money is more likely to be throwing it away. We would rather tell you now than after a diagnostic fee.

• Logic board failure on an older machine — the most expensive component in the computer, on hardware that is already near the end
• Multiple simultaneous failures — screen and battery and storage together usually adds up past the value of the machine
• No current macOS support — once a Mac stops receiving updates, security and app compatibility decline regardless of hardware condition

The three questions that usually settle it

First, what is the machine worth in working order today? Second, what will the repair cost, and does it fix everything or only the loudest problem? Third, will the machine still receive macOS updates for a reasonable period? If the repair costs a modest share of the machine's working value, addresses the only real fault, and the computer has supported life left, repair is almost always right. If two of those three answers are unfavourable, replacement usually is.

Before you decide, get the data off it

Whichever way you go, the files matter more than the hardware. If the machine still starts, back it up now rather than after a decision. If it does not start, that is usually not a barrier to recovery — the drive is often perfectly healthy in a computer that will not boot, and the data can be recovered before anything else is decided. Do not keep using a drive you suspect is failing, though; continued use is what turns a recoverable problem into a permanent one.