I am looking at laptops for college and I decided to look in the refurbished section on Apple's website. I found this 15 MBP http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD318LL/A and it came out in October of 2011. I like the bigger screen and saving some money is a bonus. Has anyone purchased a computer from the refurbished store? Were you happy with your machine? Also, do you know if stores sell refurbished computers?
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Refurbished MacBook Pro
- Thread starter BaseballGuy
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The MBP I have now is a refurb, and I've had a couple refurb iMacs in the past. It's a great way to save some cash. Apple looks them over really well, and there's very rarely any issues. You get the same warranty as on a brand new machine. I highly recommend Apple's refurb store.
Other stores may sell refurbished computers, but they'll have done the refurbishing themselves, it won't have been done by Apple. Definitely stick with the actual Apple store.
Other stores may sell refurbished computers, but they'll have done the refurbishing themselves, it won't have been done by Apple. Definitely stick with the actual Apple store.
I'm an avid apple refurbished products buyer. I have bought iPads, numerous iPods and now a macbook pro. The quality is the brand new Apple product quality every time I've bought something from the outlet.
I bought the exact same model and have had it for 3 weeks. The machine seems brand new - no scratches or any performance issues whatsoever.
I'm in love with this machine and it's able to do everything I've thrown at it (granted I'm not very needy) - including light gaming. I ordered 8GB of ram from crucial.com for $50 to upgrade it. I think for academic purposes, this is a perfect buy.
I bought the exact same model and have had it for 3 weeks. The machine seems brand new - no scratches or any performance issues whatsoever.
I'm in love with this machine and it's able to do everything I've thrown at it (granted I'm not very needy) - including light gaming. I ordered 8GB of ram from crucial.com for $50 to upgrade it. I think for academic purposes, this is a perfect buy.
Awesome! Is there a huge difference between the Oct 2011 models and the 2012 models?
2012 has a better graphics card (integrated and dedicated), faster processor (I think its 10%-15%) and usb 3 are the main differences.
The 2012 has USB 3.0, a slightly faster processor and faster on-chip graphics (HD4000 vs HD3000 for the 2011). If you plan to game on it mobile, the 2012 would be a better choice.
I bought a 2011 17" refurb the day after the 2012s were announced because I needed the 17" screen more than the above 2012 differences. I have no regrets. Out of the box, it was perfect. Looked brand new.
I bought a 2011 17" refurb the day after the 2012s were announced because I needed the 17" screen more than the above 2012 differences. I have no regrets. Out of the box, it was perfect. Looked brand new.
I know the difference is on paper pretty large between the integrated Sandy Bridge HD3000 graphics in 2011 and the Ivy Bridge HD4000 in 2012, so the 2012 should be a significant improvement over the 2011 on the 13" models.
What's the difference between the gt650m and last years 6770m?
I owned the 2012 cMBP for about 10 days before returning it and getting the 2011 MBP (it was a bit expensive and I think was overkill for what I needed a computer for).
I really didn't notice much difference in processor speed (but then again, I do minimal processor heavy stuff like photoshop, movie editing etc). The dedicated graphics card performance was noticeable though. I was able to play diablo 3 with high options in 1650x1050 resolution on 2012 cMBP.
However, on 2011 - I'm playing it on low/medium settings on 1400x900 on this one. The game runs great. Portal 2 runs amazingly fast on this - I'm sure other valve games would run fast on it as well.
There are definitely perks for getting the 2012 mbp - but it really comes down to you and your needs.
I really didn't notice much difference in processor speed (but then again, I do minimal processor heavy stuff like photoshop, movie editing etc). The dedicated graphics card performance was noticeable though. I was able to play diablo 3 with high options in 1650x1050 resolution on 2012 cMBP.
However, on 2011 - I'm playing it on low/medium settings on 1400x900 on this one. The game runs great. Portal 2 runs amazingly fast on this - I'm sure other valve games would run fast on it as well.
There are definitely perks for getting the 2012 mbp - but it really comes down to you and your needs.
I bought the same refurb last month and couldn't be happier. I really wanted USB 3 but the price difference just wasn't worth it. The minor speed bump isn't much really and the better graphics meant nothing to me. Mine was in great shape with 3 cycles on the battery and no other signs of it being used. Only one minor defect was a "i" key that would stay on. A stop at the Apple store while I was on vacation and they replaced the key in just a few minutes. No problem since. I also bought a refurbed iPad 2 for my wife for Mothers Day and it was in new shape as well.
Thanks for all the helpful answers, everyone. Just have decide between this and the 13" 2012 model.
I've been looking at the same machine for a while now myself. It's tax-free weekend here in NC, so I'll probably go ahead and pick it up this weekend. Does anyone know if the refurbs are tax free, like the brand new machines?