Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2019 MBP 16" or used 2015 MBP 15.4"...???

D

DieBeachballDie

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 29, 2015
132
6
Hey... my account still works! Made that up years and years ago...

Okay, this got long... Hopefully someone reads this...

A very brief introduction here for context... Computers and technology hate me. I swear i emit EMP waves or something. Anyways, i hate that i need to rely on technology, but i do. I am now a full-time writer, and thus, live on my computer. Mostly writing, internet research, photo collecting (would like to get into photoshopping though), and other assorted uses. I probably dont need a powerhouse, but what i do absolutely need... is a machine that will give me the least grief over the longest period of time. When computers stop doing what they are supposed to do, i lose my **** and life is not good for anybody. My last computer was a 2013 27" iMac (base). It recently died. I'm typing this on an ancient iMac someone gave me that barely turns on. I've always had desktops, but now i need to be portable. So...

After enough exhaustive research to leave me crosseyed and suffering repetitive dreams about RAM, 512's, 2.3/2.5/2.8's, MJLU2LL/A's, and cycle counts, i've decided on a 2015 15.4" Dual-graphics MBP with at least 1TB SSD. My problem... is that i really do need a new computer. The idea of buying something that sat in a public office or school leaves me with bowel-evacuating nightmares. Even something that has been babied in a beautiful home by an OCD Mac freak... but has been used 4-5 solid years... kinda makes me wince. I've been trying to find one of those holy grail 2018-bought 2015 models thats been used five times and then sealed back in the box... but i cant. To date i've perused (no lie) nearly two hundred ads for this exact mythical figure... and i've come close, but always the questions. 99% of sellers on Ebay, Best Buy or all these other mass-ad sites are dealers, and none of them have histories on what they sell. I could now write a book on picking apart 2015 MBP ads, but it still wont get those questions answered. I need a machine with the least hours of use possible.

I should mention that i like this model because:

-near-unanimous rave reviews its gotten over the years
-the price (i'm poor), though i will absolutely spend good money on the best
-the keyboard
-the ports (i hate Apple for this)

Then... (sigh...) there is the 2019 16" MBP. Even the base 16" (upgraded to 1TB) seems the superior to the above in every conceivable way. I've spent hours now, reading about the assorted gripes on this new MBP, but it still seems an amazing machine. I cannot afford it, but if its just that much better for what i need (something that will work perfectly for 5 years, and age well, technology-wise), then maybe i can come up with the extra grand. I have a max of $2000 to spend on a used 2015... and even that seems an absurd price for a 5 year old computer. That would be for a like-new one... if i could find such a guaranteed thing. The MBP 16" equivalent would cost $3600 new, maybe $3200 if i can find a refurb (more likely). I missed a near-perfect 2015 on what looked like a good seller for $2000 just days ago.


My question: Its got to be one of these two options... i really really REALLY REALLY hate computer problems. What do you suggest?
 
I should also add that i'll be working away from home maybe 25% of the time, but while home i'll eventually have up to two 27-31" (cheaper, unfortunately) monitors running from whatever i buy. I like a lot of windows open, many tabs, pictures up, and i tend to run Youtube videos (just for the music) while i work. I like a LOT of screen. I'd have 4 if i could afford it.
 
IME the keyboard issue on the later butterfly boards is largely handled. I had two more recent revisions (topcase replacement last year on a late 13" 2016 nTB, personal machine) and a a 2018 13" work machine, not a single issue with either or these over a year of use. OTOH, issues galore on my original nTB topcase and a nTB purchased prior to that. So my vote would be a 2019 15" if you *must* have that type of storage space (unsure from your use case why you would).

Aside from that, hold out for a base refurb 16", or perhaps an open box from another vendor and use an external or cloud based storage solution to get to 1tb.
 
I want the storage because when they fill up, they slow down. This loaner and my last iMac both have 512gb, and they filled up pretty quick (and i haven't even put my music on these two... thousands of songs). I'm not interested in an external, and i wont use the cloud.

I just found a Geek Squat open box 16". How bad could this be? What could go wrong? As you can see, i'm paranoid about getting a bad machine.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the machine. I'm typing this to you now on an ebay'd 2015 15 inch machine. I looked for a seller with 100% feedback score, and thousands of reviews. It arrived with a battery that had clearly just been replaced. It works fine. Just be careful is all. I saw a 2tb 2015 MacBook pro, someone had put an iMac 2tb drive in it. It wasn't that expensive, 1300 or so. This one cost me less than 1k.
 
profcutter said:
I wouldn't worry too much about the machine. I'm typing this to you now on an ebay'd 2015 15 inch machine. I looked for a seller with 100% feedback score, and thousands of reviews. It arrived with a battery that had clearly just been replaced. It works fine. Just be careful is all. I saw a 2tb 2015 MacBook pro, someone had put an iMac 2tb drive in it. It wasn't that expensive, 1300 or so. This one cost me less than 1k.
Click to expand...

Thats what worries me though. It seems EVERY goddamn seller on there has a 100% feedback score, and every one with ZERO negative or even neutral feedback. Thats not even statistically possible. Someone's telling fibs. Or... there's something i'm missing about how this all works. Been watching a couple of those youtube vids on shady ebay Mac sellers too. Man... i just dont know. I'm in Canada, so anything gone wrong is gonna be a real hassle to rectify.

I'm actually 90% decided on a new 2019 anyways, or a refurbed/used 2019 16". Just gotta find a 'cheap' one with the specs i need.
 
I could post the name of my seller if you’d like. This one came with no scratches, almost no cycles on the battery, it was like new.
 
profcutter said:
I could post the name of my seller if you’d like. This one came with no scratches, almost no cycles on the battery, it was like new.
Click to expand...

Quality Macs looks good to my newb eye. None of the others inspired me with much confidence. When i see vague ads, or no description (save the Apple description) i automatically think they're hiding something. For $300, i might take a chance. For two grand? Hah! Nope.

I'm pretty sold on the 16" 2019 now anyways. I'll find the extra scratch. Of course, now i'm looking for a deal on that too...
 
My only worry is the complaints people have about the new screen. I suppose if you get it from Apple, they’ll give you plenty of time to test it out, since their stores are closed now.
 
profcutter said:
My only worry is the complaints people have about the new screen. I suppose if you get it from Apple, they’ll give you plenty of time to test it out, since their stores are closed now.
Click to expand...

Heh... i think you give them more credit than i do...

Not too worried about the screen. I read every goddamn page in that 30+ page ghosting thread.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back