Any opinions on older Macbook Pro 13"?

Since I didn't get any replies on the other forum, thought I would try this one.

I can get a good used Macbook Pro 13" ("unibody", late 2008 version) on eBay for about $620, total.

That is from a "dealer" with a good rating (99%+ positive), who is offering a 30 day return warranty, including a good battery and charger.

This is the 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, and 320GB HD model with the backlit keyboard. They claim it's fully functional and has minimal cosmetic issues.

Putting all "religious issues" aside, seems to be a good price from what I gather and fits my budget. Although I haven't owned a Macbook Pro before, but I am seriously thinking about it.

Anyone have a valid opinion about this model (that means you've owned one or had one for an extended period) at this price range? Is there something else at the same price range you would suggest?

Thanks in advance.

 

I bought my 08 MB Alum, with the same cpu, on the day it was released in Oct 08. It's served me faithfully and well since then. I've upgraded the RAM to 4GB, and the HDD to a Samsung M7E 640GB.

The battery on your eBay listing might be getting older and need of replacement, which can be had for $100 via Apple. Keep in mind that vendor ratings are usually from buyers' leaving feedback shortly after purchase and have nothing to do with the quality of the product they've bought. Take a look through their feedback profile and look at what the Neg/Neutral issues were - sometimes they're a red flag, sometimes it's just a non-issue where a buyer is being petty.

Depending on whether your budget has any headroom, you may want to check through the refurbished listings at Apple's website - great deals can be had there, on more recent hardware than a near 4yo system.

 

Thank you for a knowledgeable and well-reasoned reply!

I have kept looking at the Apple site for a while for a refurb.

Alas, most of the laptop "deals" I've seen are well above $600-$700...most closer to $1000 or more.

Today I see a refurbished MacBook Air 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD for $789. I know that's not a bad deal..for what is essentially a "brand new" Macbook Air (for all practical purposes). But, the lack of expandability keeps me from justifying the extra $170. Maybe I am just being short sighted?

 

Why do you want a MacBook Pro? If it's to experience OS X, there are many similarly-spec'ed Windows machines you can buy for much cheaper that are able to run it via Hackintosh.

 

He can buy the mini or even iMac, but I disagree about hackintosh. It is not a "legal way" of running apple software and it is not the cup of tea for everyone.

 

It is legal, but it's also hacky, you'll have to scrounge around for drivers and install methods, and it somewhat defeats the purpose of OS X, which is to have a nice and tidy little unix system wrapped up in a bow with industry level hardware support. Hackintosh is certainly not for everyone, and I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone out of the gate. It's only for a certain type of person.

Now, as far as paying $620 for a 2008 13" mbp, it seems like a tolerable choice. I don't think the depreciation / real cost would be much different from getting something much newer, however. If you got a 2011 refurb model with a 1 year warranty for $920, it might depreciate to $600 over a few years.

That option is available on apple's refurb site. I'm sure you could find other comparable deals on eBay. I would try to hit something over a year old that has an i5 processor and still has manufacturer warranty.

 

Hackintosh is very hacky... if you think that gives you a true feeling of having a Mac, it doesn't. A Mac is about having the right Mac hardware and software together. Having just 1 or the other, its not a Mac anymore.

 

^ Totally. I tried it couple of times and it was terrible. A big part of the Mac experience, especially on a laptop, is the awesome touchpad.

$620 for a 4yr old sample is not a good deal. If you can swing another $200 or so, look at Bestbuy open box. The MD313LL/A (late 2011 13" MBP) is $800 at most stores that have them open boxed. It was clearanced for $899 brand new couple weeks ago but most stores sold out very quickly; most stores are marking 10% off open boxes from that $899 price.

I bought an open box 13" Pro myself from Microcenter, having had a 13" Air for 10 months, I'm happy with the switch. I don't like to be stuck with the stock RAM and HDD. I actually just sold my Mac Mini, so the Pro is dual purpose now.

 

Some good comments in the responses, and I will check out the local BB to see if they have that open box deal. $800 for a "new" open box MBP 13" sounds like a decent deal to me.

And to the idea of a "hackintosh", thanks, but no thanks. I want a useable home computer, not a software development project.

Besides,I've looked pretty closely at things like the Dell XPS and the higher end Samsungs, which are really nothing more than slightly cheaped out "MacBook clones" when you think about it. Their retail prices are very very similar to a MBP, when you compare a true "apples to apples" configuration. (sorry for the pun) I think most MacBook owners probably already know that.

 

Actually most other Windows notebooks are less expensive on a hardware-for-hardware comparison. That isn't anything new though and Macs have almost always been at least a couple hundred dollars more compared to the competition. Even back in the late 90's, Macs were still priced more than PCs with similar or better hardware.

That is why buying a Mac has to be approached differently than buying a Windows machine (i.e. a PC, I know Macs are technically PCs but I'm using the "old school" jargon). When buying a PC, most people (including myself) look at the system specs, price, and then build quality. Macs can't be approached that way or else you will never, ever, ever buy one and neither would anyone else. You have to look at the whole package of getting leading design, a really nice package, a user experience (trackpad, warranty, etc.) that is pretty much unmatched, and a pretty solid OS (though it does have its issues just like ANY other OS).

 

Setting religious issues aside, C2D CPUs are starting to show their age. Plus, in the price range your discussing, you can get either a decent refurbished X220 or a brand new X230. These units have either Sandybridge or Ivybridge CPUs, HD 3000 or 4000 graphics an IPS display. The C2D Apple is over priced. Now, the open box deal sounds more interesting and the cost vs hardware makes more sense.

 

They are still fine for everyday activity but they are mainly falling behind in terms of multi-tasking as SB and IB processors are hyper-threaded so even dual-core CPUs can perform multiple tasks with relative ease.

I agree though, spending that much on a C2D MBP seems a little out of it especially when newer models can be had for only a $200 more.

 

Here's a quick example from one of my surrounding stores.

Open box MD313LL/A

And a quick tip. The Mini I had was an open box from Bestbuy bought in January this year. The warranty was active on it since 10/2011 so it would have expired in 10/2012. I emailed Apple the Bestbuy receipt and they changed warranty expiration to 1/2013. Extra 3 months of warranty really means nothing to me, but it helps when reselling. I *made* $100 on that Mini I just sold

 

Well, I don't want to go into religious arguments, but I have my own opinion on the "Apple premium". In fact, I have a certain amount that I automatically add to any system that I am pricing. (hint - the dollar amount is less than $100...and even that is debatable)

But all of that aside, I am I open to look at other options. Please remind me which "windows" laptop model I should be looking at. I want a 13" screen and I want a solid aluminum chassis, at a minimum.

 

$620 for a 4 year old MBP 13 is not a good deal in my opinion. I don't think those model have features that make Mac feel like a Mac- like multi touch mouse pad. Once you go multi touch, you don't want to go back to clicking or 2 fingers scroll.

Sometime MicroCenter have MBP 13 on-sale for $999, which is $200 less than regular price, great deal. I got my sandy bridge MBP 13 last March during the sale. I saw MicroCenter having the same deal like 2 weeks ago for the refresh 2012 MBP 13. Check it out. I know it's a few hundreds more than what you want to pay but it's worth it. Also Apple is the best notebook i have ever owned. Used to have a Dell, Hp, and Sony in the past- none of them can compare to the quality of Apple.

 

keep an eye on the forums here. I may off my 2010 macbook pro. has backlit keyboard, 2.6 ghz core 2 duo, 8 gb ram, 750 gb hard drive, 320m gforce graphics.

just got a 2012 air and really loving it. so the 2010 may have to go.

 

Take the time to look, you will come across quite a few. I'm not going to round them all up for you though but they should be pretty easy to find.