MBP 13in

Hi everyone.
I want to buy a macbook pro 13 in and I was wondering which one to buy. Here in Canada, the i5 version is 1150$ with the student discount. But I can also get a refurbished i7 version for 1299$.

So is there any issues with buying refurbished?
Is the i7 version worth the 150$ gap?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

There normally aren't any issues in buying refurbished. In fact, each refurbished unit goes through more quality control aspects than models spit out off of the assembly line. Not every model is checked on the assembly line (they do tests on random units, apply a little voodoo math, and then figure out how many lemon units are going out new) whereas every refurbished model is supposed to go through a series of quality checks.

That being said, I don't think there is much difference in performance between the i5 and i7 version. The HD 3000 IGP in the i7 version can run faster than what is in the i5 and the i7 can also overclock more but again, I don't really think you will notice that much of a difference. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have gone with the baseline 13" MBP model, slapped 8GB of RAM in it, and gone the optibay route instead of spending the money on the faster processor. I say that as Microcenter, a series of small chain stores here in the U.S., is selling the baseline 13" MBP for $999 new.

Either way, I wouldn't worry about it too much and just go with the baseline model. You can always pour the extra money into upgrading the RAM, buying a larger capacity hard drive, buying an SSD, or going the optibay route.

 

Thanks. I followed your advice and went for the i5 version. Now if I want a SSD what would be your advice?
Does that macbook pro supports SATA3?
Any brand to avoid?
I want something around 128GB.
Thanks for your advices

 

Yes, the i5 13" MBP supports SATA III but you may want to hold off on that. I suggest holding off as OS X Lion is just around the corner and that will introduce TRIM support and also because SATA III SSD manufacturers are having firmware issues. Some have been fixed while others are still providing buggy performance. So I would wait another month or two and then start researching that again. 1-2 months should be more than enough time for manufacturers to iron out any firmware related bugs.

 

346 5 star reviews cant be that bad.

Newegg.com - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

Thanks Kornchild2002 I will wait a few months! Instead ill go for 8gb of ram! Is this : NCIX.com - Buy Corsair CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 204PIN SODIMM Memory Kit - Corsair - CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9 - in Canada
any good or should I get something else?

 

Unless you frequently perform tasks with your laptop which could reasonably be described as "CPU intensive", then paying extra for the i7 is not worth the premium. I also don't see the need for more than 4GB of RAM, unless you've some specific demand which would require more-much better to save the money and put it towards an SSD.

 

get the ram Then you have plenty of it for wasting on cool stuff like VMs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001PS9UKW

or if 2011 mbp (actually the following may work on a 2010 and prior but not sure)...

8GB RAM Upgrade for 2011 MacBook Pro Core i5 & i7: $50 with Free Shipping

 

Why do apple sells the 8gb ram upgrade 420$ Memory - Apple Store (Canada)
??? Is is some kind of super powerful memory or is it the same as the corsair I posted before?

 

It probably isn't exactly the same as the RAM you posted but it should be close enough. Manufacturers always charge more for hard drive and RAM upgrades than if you were to install them yourself. For example, I spent $85 on 8GB of RAM and the screwdriver to install them for my MBP yet Apple charges $200 for that upgrade in the U.S. It isn't magical RAM or anything, they just install it for you and obtain the RAM directly from the supplier. The only thing is that it is guaranteed to work with your MBP and, if there are any problems, it would be covered under the included and extended warranties.

Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony, etc. They all almost always charge more for upgrading the RAM and hard drive than if you were to do it yourself. There was only one instance where someone I knew was getting a Dell XPS 15 notebook and Dell was charging $80 for 8GB of RAM.