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15" Refurb vs. 2011 Base 15" or High-end 15"

T

turnstylez18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
193
0
Toronto, Canada
Please note: This is Canadian prices.

It's time to replace the old blackbook. I bought it refurbed from Apple.

Looking to get a 15" for everyday use and work purposes. Using typical web browsing, e-mail, photoshop, office (excel, powerpoint, word)/iwork, multimedia, etc...nothing to extensive.

I'm looking for the best value/good buy.

Should I go for a refurb model?

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.53GHz Intel Core i5
Originally released April 2010
15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1440 x 900 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 memory
$1489

or

2011 Base 15"
$1749 w/ education discount

or

2011 High-end 15"
$2049 w/ education discount


I also would prefer the anti-glare which would be additional $135 for the 2011 models. I just can't see paying that much for a laptop, especially for my uses even though it would be nice. A part of me thinks I should pay more up front so it "lasts" longer.

The refurb 15" - is this suitable enough for me? is it still a superior machine for the next few years? How is the graphics card on it?

Also I would really like the anti-glare, what price point would it be at if I see in the refurb section?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
I'd Personally either get the refurb and then add 8gb of ram myself plus an (optibay) SSD, or go for the high end one (and then also add 8gb of ram plus an SSD). But since your somewhat money constrained I'd recommend getting the refurb one, it'll suit your needs just fine.
 
I'm in the same boat. Refurb 15in 2010 vs new 15in 2011. I can afford both, but I could upgrade the refurb with memory or an SSD.
 
wingsabr said:
I'm in the same boat. Refurb 15in 2010 vs new 15in 2011. I can afford both, but I could upgrade the refurb with memory or an SSD.
Click to expand...

I hear ya. I was planning to get the base 15" but been reading that the gpu isn't that great for what you pay for. I just really can't see myself paying for the 2011 high-end 15".

How's does the 2010 gpu compare to the base 15" 2011 gpu?
 
turnstylez18 said:
Thanks for this. I think I really want a hi-res antiglare now. I'm thinking of getting a refurb with antiglare but I'm kind of holding off to see if a i5 base antiglare shows up.

How does the i7 (high-end 2010 refurb) compare to the 2011 models? What am I missing out on if I pass them up? I'm really considering this now.
Click to expand...

The 2010 model uses a dual core i7, whereas the 2011 model uses a quad core i7.
 
Capt Underpants said:
The 2010 model uses a dual core i7, whereas the 2011 model uses a quad core i7.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Another question for anyone who can answer.

What would be the better choice? The dual core 2.66 i7 on the refurb or the 15" base?

Are they comparable at all? or is one much better than the other? I'm talking overall not just the processor.
 
For your needs I would recommend getting the low end 2011 13" mbp, unless you really want a 15", in that case get the low end 2011 model.

It is definitely better to get an 15" i7 quad core (sandy bridge) than a 15" i5 dual core (arrandale). The price difference isn't that much for a great improvement, and the 2011 model will be much more future proof.
 
I like the specs for the base 15" and I plan to get the anti glare screen but the gpu on it questionable.

How does the 6490M compare to the 330M (2010) graphics card?
 
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