New or Old MBP 15 inch

I'm going to defiantly get a MBP for school this fall the only question is which one I want as much power as possible my budget is 2000 dollars should i get. The new one with the 2.66 processor or should I get last models from the refurbished apple store. I need this to last 3-4 years.

 

If you can afford the newer one, and you need it to last 3-4 years and be as powerful as possible, why would you buy a refurbished?

The only thing I can think of is that the battery cant be replaced on the newer ones. But if you buy a newer one, you'll be able to increase the RAM in a couple of years if you need to.

 

Well I don't really see much of a difference between the two that is why im asking here
Refurbed i can get for 1800:
Processor 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4GB
320 GB 5200rpm

New i could get for 2000:
Processor 2.66
Memory 4GB
320GB 5200rpm

So what im really asking is what would the advantage of going for the new one be.

 

What are you using it for? Assuming the refurbished is unibody, then the main difference is that the new MBP is going to have a doubled RAM capacity, a better graphics card, and an SD slot. Can you get the student discount?


And again, what are you using it for? In 3-4 years, I doubt that the 2.8G processor instead of 2.66G is going to do you much good if you're capped at 4GB memory.

 

the new battery will last you longer and there is not bettery door which means no creaking in 2-3 years.

 

You can stick 6GB in any Unibody and IMO that is plenty for the next 3-4 years.

If I were you I would buy the $1350 Refurb 2.4GHz MBP and use the leftover money on something else. Maybe a LCD TV etc.

Other option is to get the $2000 new MBP and use student discount and get a free Ipod touch out of it.

 

and then sold the ipod touch to get some extra cash.
Do you game? If you game, I think you should buy the old MBP. If you are not into gaming, a based MBP should be fine.

 

The new ones have the same video card options as the older ones... unless the OP is talking about getting a very older one with the geforce 8600....

 

Yeap, it's same old 9600. One would think for this price 130m wouldn't be out of the question. The newer card even has a better power envelope, I believe.

IMO, best bet is older 2.53ghz model for $1449.

 

why so the new ones go up ti 8 gb?i read that mine supports only up to 6 gb. so dpes this mean that the motherboard(logic board) has been changed?

 

Either that, or the newer models have a newer firmware. We'll have to wait and see.

 

The new ones go up to 8gb now I believe, but this is bad advice.

Just because it supports up to 8gb are you actually gonna utilize it? It costs an obscene amount of money for 4GB sticks. Even if you do it yourself.

If you want a powerhouse, get a desktop. Laptops aren't meant to be as powerful as desktops.

 

i think be able to utilise it because my generation could detect 8gb but i heard there were issues where it would crash(unstable). so i guess it's a firmware update but like Budding said, we need to wait till it's confirmed.

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but why can't the battery be replaced?? Is it the same situation for the new 13 inch MBP?
So when the battery is fried in 2 or 3 years you are forced to use the power cord from then on??

 

The battery can be replaced, but you will have to disassemble the laptop a bit and it will void your warranty. I think the decision to make the battery non removable is both due to the size of the battery, as well as the design decision to make the Macbook truly unibody (no seams).

 

The last gen midrange MBP is now going for $1450 in the refurb section

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB471LL/A?mco=MjE0NDk5Mw

 

That's an awesome deal, especially for being refurbished by Apple and not eBay.

 

Thats looking like a pretty good idea actually I might get that....on a side note why are the non unibodys more expensive for less specs?

 

I suppose the choices - and I would definitely recommend getting the unibody, either the just-superceded model or the current, over a non-unibody - would primarily depend on whether you need runtime beyond ~5.5 hours in power-saving mode.

That's how long the MBP will last you with all power-saving features kicked in but with wireless on realistically speaking on a charge.

It'll hinge on that, plus if you still need what the latest one lost (Expresscard for example - not that there's a huge range of expansion options on any Apple, but losing an EC slot for an SD card slot is both weird and moronic. Sony for example used to bundle Expresscard SD/MS readers with the SZ - and interestingly, the same reader works on the MBP as well). The more Apple develops it's machines, the more it's clear the 'Pro' has been just a somewhat laughable figure of speech - and the just-superceded UBMBP may just be the last machine which is anywhere near deserving of a 'Pro' moniker, such as it is.

 

the new batteries not only hold a lot of charge for long battery usage, but they have a longer life with more recharges... Apple said they should last about 5 years before needing replacement.

once you do have to replace it, its just harder to replace, not impossible