Best second hand Mac to Buy

In that price range, I would look for a MBP (user upgradeable) on your local Craigslist. Set up an appointment at the local Genius Bar and meet the seller there to have it thoroughly checked out before you buy.

designs216 said:

In that price range, I would look for a MBP (user upgradeable) on your local Craigslist. Set up an appointment at the local Genius Bar and meet the seller there to have it thoroughly checked out before you buy.

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Have you really done this before where you involved the Genius Bar in a private sale? Why would they even do that? They are busy enough as it is.

53x12 said:

Have you really done this before where you involved the Genius Bar in a private sale? Why would they even do that? They are busy enough as it is.

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They were willing to do it when I bought my 4S off of Craigslist. They accepted the appointment to inspect the phone knowing it was a CL transaction and I was prepared to pay them but they didn't ask for money.

Get a new Entry Mini or a 2011 Mid one second hand. Both should be in budget. They will deliver you the most power for that money.

If you want portability, then a MacBook Pro that can run Mt Lion. Otherwise a Mac Mini gives you a lot of bang for the buck if you have the requisite peripherals. I bought 2 of my Macs on eBay and one off Craigslist. Sold my old MBP on Craigslist.

Hello,
Sorry to post in your thread, but I am in a similar situation. I am searching for a cheap mac computer. I don't use heavy programs. I am just searching for a computer to use iWork, browse the web, use iPhoto to organise my pictures I take mostly with my iPhone, and have my media library organised in iTunes and my iPhone and iPad backed up.

For my budget, I can get a 2009 iMac 24 with 2.66 c2d, 640gn HDD, 4gb ram and 9400 GPU.

The other option is a 17 inch 2008 MacBook Pro with the matte high res screen, 4gb ram and 200gb 7200 HDD.
I would upgrade the HDD to a 750 7200 rpm unit and it would still be in the price of the iMac.

So, based on this, which should I choose? Having already an iPad 4, should I go for an iMac or a portable MacBook Pro?

Cheers