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h4lp m3

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 29, 2011
502
46
New Orleans
I went on to eBay hoping I could score a cheap 6 year old 17" MBP, and I was greeted with this sad sight:


Screen Shot 2018-05-19 at 2.59.12 PM.png

$4,000? Are they on crack?
 
check completed listing. ebay listing unless is sold, its not something you should basing price on. i see nutjobs wanting 2 grand for a 2011 mbp 15inch all the time.
 
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I mean they’re not making them anymore so there’s supply side constraint but, for machines approaching or at the end of their official OS support, obsolete so non repairable via Apple, and that the 2011 models cook themselves to death those prices are beyond excessive...
 
I see that kind of crap all the while. For example, I was looking for a classic iPod and saw some in the region of 10 grand. I found one for $86 - which is still too expensive, but grabbed anyway to add to my collection.
 
As a rule, don't take eBay prices as a standard. Some of them are absolutely nuts, people putting those Macs on sale either just have no sense of reality or want to see if some uninformed users fall for it.

The 17" MBP is a 7+ year-old obsolete, unsupported machine, with a fatal GPU flaw in the case of the 2011 (a model I'd recommend avoiding for that reason). No way it can be worth more than a few hundred bucks, no matter the configuration.
 
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I went on to eBay hoping I could score a cheap 6 year old 17" MBP, and I was greeted with this sad sight:


View attachment 762289

$4,000? Are they on crack?
Those are insane prices for a 2011 MacBook Pro. It does seem the 17" models have gone up in value a little bit, but still worth no more than $500 at the absolute most.

I used to think that no one would ever want more than 15" on a laptop, but I really enjoy using my 17" Early 2011 entirely due to the large high-res 1920x1200 screen. If Apple releases a 17" MacBook Pro with Retina 4K Display at the original price of the 2011 17", that would be a very hard one to pass up. I know it's very wishful thinking, as nowadays that price point is barely enough to buy you a base model 15"...
 
Go to completed listings. These are guys who just sit on these laptops for ages until a rick sucker is willing to pay for that much.
 
I wish they'd make a 17" again - but sadly I probably wouldn't like it as they'd insist on making it like the current new ones and not like the 2015 era casing/ports/etc
 
I dunno.. I had a 2011 and no issues with it.. went to 2012 because i needed USB 3.0

good for you, a lot of people have a problems, because dGPU is dying (same problem has model 15" 2011), Apple repair program was closed down at 31.12.2016
 
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Question:
"17-Inch MacBook Pro going up in value?"

Answer:
No.
I must counter your statement with a resounding "Yes!"
If you are in the U.S. your comment may be true, but there are other places in the world;)...... imho yours is an over-generalized statement. The situation in Europe for example is that these are definitely picking up in value, and I guess even more so for the rest of the world.
I can assure you, these 17" are becoming more & more sought after if functioning correctly and in excellent condition. I have several pristine examples of the different models in my collection, including the classic, original MacbookPro1,2 (A1151) with the absolutely perfect, always stable Radeon X1600. For those who may sneer, I use one regularly, and for general, everyday, non processor-intensive tasks, it certainly takes preference over my 2013 MBProRet - which in terms of build is really wimpy in comparison, and also less upgradeable.
I don't pretend it's a road-warrier for the busy commuter, but when I have recently taken my 2010 17" MacbookPro6,1 on flights and for use in airport lounges, the looks it gets are still very much a source of pride. And once you've used a 17", a 15" imho just doesn't provide the same pleasure.
And for the non-believers, even the pre-Intel 17" PPC Powerbooks are making a comeback, and even with the 9 year old OS X 10.5 plus all necessary highly-tuned tweeks, the 2018 released TFF7450-FPR7 and a modern, very safe privacy protecting browser like QWANT, they are an absolute joy to use.
To learn a little more about these, come and join us over in the Club 17 forum.
And a quick LINK to my first PB17".

I should have added of course that those eBay prices indicated in the first post are indeed unbelievable, and totally unrealistic. Expect to pay up to 300euros (350USD) for an immaculate fairly early example, up to 800euros (930USD) for an i5 or i7 model, or you may get lucky and pick up an Intel Core 2 Duo model for less than 50USD as I did in a thrift shop.
 
Last edited:
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I must counter your statement with a resounding "Yes!"
If you are in the U.S. your comment may be true, but there are other places in the world;)...... imho yours is an over-generalized statement. The situation in Europe for example is that these are definitely picking up in value, and I guess even more so for the rest of the world.
I can assure you, these 17" are becoming more & more sought after if functioning correctly and in excellent condition. I have several pristine examples of the different models in my collection, including the classic, original MacbookPro1,2 (A1151) with the absolutely perfect, always stable Radeon X1600. For those who may sneer, I use one regularly, and for general, everyday, non processor-intensive tasks, it certainly takes preference over my 2013 MBProRet - which in terms of build is really wimpy in comparison, and also less upgradeable.
I don't pretend it's a road-warrier for the busy commuter, but when I have recently taken my 2010 17" MacbookPro6,1 on flights and for use in airport lounges, the looks it gets are still very much a source of pride. And once you've used a 17", a 15" imho just doesn't provide the same pleasure.
And for the non-believers, even the pre-Intel 17" PPC Powerbooks are making a comeback, and even with the 9 year old OS X 10.5 plus all necessary highly-tuned tweeks, the 2018 released TFF7450-FPR7 and a modern, very safe privacy protecting browser like QWANT, they are an absolute joy to use.
To learn a little more about these, come and join us over in the Club 17 forum.
And a quick LINK to my first PB17".

I should have added of course that those eBay prices indicated in the first post are indeed unbelievable, and totally unrealistic. Expect to pay up to 300euros (350USD) for an immaculate fairly early example, up to 800euros (930USD) for an i5 or i7 model, or you may get lucky and pick up an Intel Core 2 Duo model for less than 50USD as I did in a thrift shop.
How is $50 - $300 for a Core 2 Duo considered going up in value? That’s actually worse than I was expecting.
 
the absolutely perfect, always stable Radeon X1600
Radeon X1600 is the same GPU Apple used in the 2006 iMacs, and in those it was the exact opposite of always prefect, always stable. The things ran too hot, and today it is difficult to find one without issues. ;)

I have an Early 2011 17" MacBook Pro, which is the model that is most often referred to as problematic. Though I don't use it for much intensive work, it has been running solidly on MacOS Sierra with no signs of GPU failure. I put in an SSD shortly after I acquired it last year at a University surplus store, though it still has just 4 GB RAM.
How is $50 - $300 for a Core 2 Duo considered going up in value? That’s actually worse than I was expecting.
The Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros have held their value well for some reason. Not sure why people are willing to pay $300+ for a 9-year-old used Mac that isn't supported by the prior and latest versions of MacOS.
 
good for you, a lot of people have a problems, because dGPU is dying (same problem has model 15" 2011), Apple repair program was closed down at 31.12.2016
I have a Late 2011 17" and yes, it was like having a programmable radiator on your lap (not always a bad thing :confused:). The worst thing was running Xcode and an iPhone simulator when it was - in the words of a colleague - "a noise like sitting next to a helicopter taking off" when the cooling fans kicked in.

It finally gave up the ghost in 2016 but Apple were still servicing them then and they replaced the motherboard and got it going again. Now it's still as good as new and has significantly less overheating. If it wasn't for the fact that it doesn't support the next macOS version I would even consider getting a new machine.

The crunch will be when neither 27" desktop nor 17" laptop (both 2011 (a good year for me)) can run the latest version of Xcode/Photoshop/Lightroom.

(And no, even then it won't be for sale.)
 
avoid 17" 2011 - because "RadeonGate"
For me it wasn't radeon gate but the white spots, have two on my old trusty atm :(

Even on ebay most display assemblies have the white bright spots so that wasn't an option either.
 
Still have my 2011 17", still works fine. A friend of mine got one at the same time and ran it on full whack 24/7 for about 4 years and it was still working when he sold it a few years back. They are good machines but there is always the GPU issue in the back of your mind. Just upgraded to a 15" 2018 but will keep the 2011. I don't know what people are complaining about with the 2018, it is a spaceship in comparison and much cooler running.
 
I don't know what people are complaining about with the 2018, it is a spaceship in comparison and much cooler running.

They're currently complaining about the Bridge OS crashing error and still getting stuck keys, despite being 3 generations into the Butterly's
 
I bought mine new and was lucky to catch the final iteration. I took every option (Except the matte) including the then expensive 500 GB SSD. I think I paid close to $5,000 with tax, over $4,000 for sure.

I had the logic board replaced twice by Apple. The first time at my own expense but was later reimbursed for it when they started their program.

Just before they went "Vintage" my keyboard started to fail so I replaced the entire top case. You can't just fix a key or two, or even just the keyboard. I also had a new battery installed from Apple service center at same time.

I then upgraded the SSD to the 1 TB 850 Pro.

And right on schedule, as soon as the program ended, it happened again. GPU failure! I live in Eastern Europe. This time I ended up sending it to a place in the UK that claimed to have a fresh supply of the correct GPU chips. However, the owner told me his 6770M chips were not that good and he recommended I go with the early 2011 6750M chip. I DHL'ed my machine tp the UK and picked it up in London a month later.

Still typing on it today! I guess I am into to it for at least $8,000 but no more than $10,000. But it's still a 17" and they don't make them anymore.

I'm tempted by the 2018 but I am sure as soon as I pull the trigger the 17" I have been holding out for will return. One can hope!
 
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