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Is this MBP good enough for me to buy?

X

XTRanger

macrumors member
Original poster
I just purchased a blackbook and I am happy with it! I am also looking for a MBP and i have a friend who wants to sell me his macbook pro. Here are the speicifications as he laid out:

ram: 4GB
hard drive: 160GB
processor: intel core 2 duo, 2.4GHz santa rosa based.
video processor: nvidia 8600m GT
video ram: 256mb
operating sys: mac os 10.5.3
disc drive: 8x superdrive DL
applecare until 2010

i've looked at the machine and it visually looks very clean- not a single scratch.

he is asking for $1200. But my concern is that its an obsolete machine, over a year old. and i've looked around and seen new laptops selling for a lot less than what he is asking.

So what do you guys think about it- should I buy it? Or am i better off getting a refurb at the apple store?
 
XTRanger said:
I just purchased a blackbook and I am happy with it! I am also looking for a MBP and i have a friend who wants to sell me his macbook pro. Here are the speicifications as he laid out:

ram: 4GB
hard drive: 160GB
processor: intel core 2 duo, 2.4GHz santa rosa based.
video processor: nvidia 8600m GT
video ram: 256mb
operating sys: mac os 10.5.3
disc drive: 8x superdrive DL

i've looked at the machine and it visually looks very clean- not a single scratch.

he is asking for $1200. But my concern is that its an obsolete machine, over a year old. and i've looked around and seen new laptops selling for a lot less than what he is asking.

So what do you guys think about it- should I buy it? Or am i better off getting a refurb at the apple store?
Click to expand...

What? That's still one hell of a machine.

And 1200 is a bargain. A base MacBook is 1100.
 
Your buddy is giving you a helluva deal there; that exact same machine sells used on ebay for $1600+. That notebook is *far* from obsolete - barely a year old, it will run all the latest OS X software quite nicely indeed. In fact, the only thing different between it and the newest MB is the slight difference in CPU.
 
That's a great deal. I have the same MBP specs and it works just fine for everything I need -- including some video editing and digital photography editing.

It's not obsolete. In the Windows PC world, a year is about 1/2 a computer lifetime, but in the Mac world, a year is young.
 
lupin..the..3rd said:
Your buddy is giving you a helluva deal there; that exact same machine sells used on ebay for $1600+. That notebook is *far* from obsolete - barely a year old, it will run all the latest OS X software quite nicely indeed. In fact, the only thing different between it and the newest MB is the slight difference in CPU.
Click to expand...

And if I'm not mistaken, isn't the difference in CPU almost humanly impossible to notice?
 
XTRanger said:
he is asking for $1200. But my concern is that its an obsolete machine, over a year old. and i've looked around and seen new laptops selling for a lot less than what he is asking.
Click to expand...

😱😱😱

i cant believe you just called my machine obsolete...

i think it might cry now

the only reason i havent bought a new one is because the current models are almost no faster than this one
 
squeeks said:
😱😱😱

i cant believe you just called my machine obsolete...

i think it might cry now

the only reason i havent bought a new one is because the current models are almost no faster than this one
Click to expand...

lol well you have a 320gb hard drive which works out great... the computer in question only has 160gb!
 
XTRanger said:
lol well you have a 320gb hard drive which works out great... the computer in question only has 160gb!
Click to expand...


...which can be upgraded for a whopping $130 or so.

Another difference may be only 128MB of VRAM, but I'm not 100% sure when the memory on that was boosted. Was that simultaneous with Penryns?
 
Are you looking for someone to tell you it's a bad idea? The computer has dedicated video, even with exact same everything except the video card the difference is going to be huge...and you can barely get a one year old Blackbooks for that much....
 
one important factor that is the computer is running on santa rosa, whereas the current ones run penryn. And based on what ive been reading here, it seems that penryn is a lot better processor than the SR....

based on the replies, it seems that my buddy is not ripping me off, and seems like a decently specd machine...

I'll be honest here, im a total dumbass when it comes to mbp- ive never looked into them, but i'd def. like to get one- just trying to make sure that i get a good one that will last me for at least a year. When i asked him how old the laptop is, he replied that its one year... and tht set off the alarm. laptops usually start to wear out within 9 months!
 
XTRanger said:
one important factor that is the computer is running on santa rosa, whereas the current ones run penryn. And based on what ive been reading here, it seems that penryn is a lot better processor than the SR....

The current one runs Santa Rosa too. I think you meant the previous one is Merom while this gen is Penryn. And penryn is not so faster than Merom. FYI, Santa Rosa is a chipset. Penryn is a processor.


based on the replies, it seems that my buddy is not ripping me off, and seems like a decently specd machine...
Yea dude, that is one good deal. Some good friend you've got.

I'll be honest here, im a total dumbass when it comes to mbp- ive never looked into them, but i'd def. like to get one- just trying to make sure that i get a good one that will last me for at least a year. When i asked him how old the laptop is, he replied that its one year... and tht set off the alarm. laptops usually start to wear out within 9 months!

Uhh, really? I heard people using their 5 or sumthing year old Powerbook...is one year really gonna matter? I didn't think so. It's a good deal and I think you should go for it if you need the MBP but cannot afford the new one. Matter of face, if its in good condition, I think you should buy what your friend has over the new ones. The new ones will cost you more for a 5-10% performance gain. Is that worth it? Nah, I don't think so.
Click to expand...

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 1 characters. 😛
 
XTRanger said:
one important factor that is the computer is running on santa rosa, whereas the current ones run penryn. And based on what ive been reading here, it seems that penryn is a lot better processor than the SR....

based on the replies, it seems that my buddy is not ripping me off, and seems like a decently specd machine...

I'll be honest here, im a total dumbass when it comes to mbp- ive never looked into them, but i'd def. like to get one- just trying to make sure that i get a good one that will last me for at least a year. When i asked him how old the laptop is, he replied that its one year... and tht set off the alarm. laptops usually start to wear out within 9 months!
Click to expand...

Santa Rosa = Chipset

Penryn = Processor

For that price your buddy is getting ripped off. And I am still running a 7 year old ibook g3, and it is still a fast little sucker! Macs don't get worn out after a year.

Don
 
XTRanger said:
one important factor that is the computer is running on santa rosa, whereas the current ones run penryn. And based on what ive been reading here, it seems that penryn is a lot better processor than the SR....

based on the replies, it seems that my buddy is not ripping me off, and seems like a decently specd machine...

I'll be honest here, im a total dumbass when it comes to mbp- ive never looked into them, but i'd def. like to get one- just trying to make sure that i get a good one that will last me for at least a year. When i asked him how old the laptop is, he replied that its one year... and tht set off the alarm. laptops usually start to wear out within 9 months!
Click to expand...

It's a great deal, and you are a fool to not get it. So it's SR, oh no...it runs hotter, that is basically the only downside. At least a year, for sure. I plan on upgrading in 2 more, but my MBP would last a lot longer than that.
 
well i just caved in and got his mbp for 1200... he also gave me an Apple wireless keyboard (again- the obsolete style).

So far the machine does look good and is running well, but hot. Lets hope it works out fine for me.
 
XTRanger said:
well i just caved in and got his mbp for 1200... he also gave me an Apple wireless keyboard (again- the obsolete style).
Click to expand...

The obsolete style? Who the hell hates the old plastic ones?! They are way better than the mushy new Al ones.

No offense, but you have no idea what obsolete means.
 
XTRanger said:
well i just caved in and got his mbp for 1200... he also gave me an Apple wireless keyboard (again- the obsolete style).

So far the machine does look good and is running well, but hot. Lets hope it works out fine for me.
Click to expand...

I love how you talk about the machine like its 5 years old. ROFL. It's more than fine and I guarantee its more powerful than your blackbook.
 
The '07 2.4GHz is actually faster in some tasks than the new '08 Penryn 2.4GHz due to more L2 cache .

I still use my 2.2GHz Santa Rosa and I will use it for atleast one more generation I guess, since I really can't feel the difference between mine and the new ones.

mbpp_mp8.gif

mbpp_kak.gif


Here for the full test between the '07 2.4 vs '08 2.4 and 2.6
http://barefeats.com/mbpp01.html
 
That's a steal! Great deal. lol, that "obsolete" computer would probably be more than powerful enough for my needs for at least the next several years. 😀
 
That version is slightly better than the base penryn, in the way that it has more L2 Cache, but its essentially the same, so really you got a hell of a deal!
 
alphaod said:
The obsolete style? Who the hell hates the old plastic ones?! They are way better than the mushy new Al ones.

No offense, but you have no idea what obsolete means.
Click to expand...


obsolete |ˌäbsəˈlēt|
adjective
1 no longer produced or used; out of date

sounds like the right word to me.
 
you bought that for 1200??? Dude you got ripped off. The new penryn are so much better. But dont worry. I'll tell you what sell it to me for 1200 shipped and I'll save you from your bad purchase ok? Then you can get a penryn. Just pm me your paypal info and I'll get the payment to you straight away. Dont worry buddy, we'll get through this together😛
 
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