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2010 13'' Macbook Pro - good deal?

C

c.bite

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 21, 2012
7
0
Hello everyone! After a long time lurking, this is my first time posting. I need some advice and I figured this would be the best place. :)

I'm selling my 2010 13'' MBA base model and I'm looking to get a MBP refurb because I think it'll be better for the light video editing I have to do in college. The MBA works fine with programs Photoshop and InDesign, but the non-upgradeable RAM and the lack of FireWire is the main reason for the exchange.
The thing is, I'm on a very tight budget. I can get the 13'' 2010 model with 2.4Ghz upgraded with a 1TB hard drive and 8 GB RAM (I know, C2D) for around 820. I need a laptop as soon as possible and I really can't afford the newer core i5 and i7 models right now.

Still, should I just pass this and wait until the new 2012 models are released and the 2011 models drop their price? It will still not be within my budget, but they will certainly be a bit cheaper.

(Sorry for my english, not my first language.)
 
If you are going to get a 2010 macbook pro I would try and get the top end 2.66ghz one, just to try and maximise the upgrade from your 2010 mba. Although its still a long way behind the new mba's and mbp's in benchmarks cpu wise and may feel a little less snappy in general because it doesn't contain a solid state drive...

Good place to compare -

http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/mac-benchmarks/
 
I'm using a mid-2010 13-inch MacBook Pro still as my main computer and it's great. I'm using it for the CS5.5 apps as well as some 3D animation work and it's not bad at all. Works great in Photoshop and Illustrator, but encoding and rendering video takes a long, long time. Other than that the 13-inch mid-2010 MacBook Pro is a pretty decent machine in my opinion.

Though, if I had the chance, I would go ahead and purchase from the current MacBook lineup.
 
Thank you! heliocentric, great info.

I will definitely have to do some Photoshop and Illustrator work, so at least it's good to know as I can't afford the newest models. Video rendering is my biggest problem: I won't do many large video editings, and i'll use it as a complement to the school's Mac Pro but I'll still have to do much of the work on my laptop.
Is the 2010 that much worse to justify the extra 500$ for a new model? If it is, I guess I can get by with my crappy 4 year-old Windows laptop until the 2011 models become cheaper.

EDIT: So I was browsing Ebay out of curiosity and found http://viewitem.eim.ebay.eu/Apple-MacBook-Pro-133-Laptop--MD313BA-October2011-Latest-Model/180835934050/item this. Obvious scam, right?
 
Last edited:
heliocentric said:
If you are going to get a 2010 macbook pro I would try and get the top end 2.66ghz one, just to try and maximise the upgrade from your 2010 mba. Although its still a long way behind the new mba's and mbp's in benchmarks cpu wise and may feel a little less snappy in general because it doesn't contain a solid state drive...
Click to expand...

Well, I followed your advice and I got the opportunity to trade my base Air for a 2.66 Pro. I know it's an old model, but still excited! :)
 
c.bite said:
Well, I followed your advice and I got the opportunity to trade my base Air for a 2.66 Pro. I know it's an old model, but still excited! :)
Click to expand...

cool, itsdefinitely an upgrade on what you had before (also you can add more ram and a bigger hard drive whenever you like). :)
 
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