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

Advice on current setup? iMac & MBP?

B

BearsFan4Life88

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2014
77
0
Hi Everyone!

I need some advice on what to do here. In October 2013, I sold my 2010 MBP and bought myself a 2013 iMac 21.5" desktop. I love it. I spent about 2K on it. Perfect for my needs. I'm finishing up my bachelor's degree in May, and I am finding myself on campus much more. Usually working on homework or papers. So last week, I bit the bullet and bought a refurbished 2012 MBP from Apple's refurb store. I then purchased a OWC Extreme SSD and more ram. Its very fast, especially since I tossed the original hard drive in the dvd rom slot.

Ok, so now I am contemplating on returning the computer and SSD. I keep thinking of keeping the laptop as I love the portability, but I love what the iMac provides. The iMac also is a 2013 model. The MBP is not. Anyway, my main problem is I feel the MBP was a waste of money, as my iMac does everything it does. I am also wondering if it will come in handy when I find a job after I graduate. Not too sure what I want to do yet; something in the criminal justice field.

So what would you do?
 
I bought my new MBP last week and to be honest, I did not really *need* to get a new laptop. I simply wanted to get myself a nice gift because it has been a while. I finished my Master's recently and figured I would get this laptop since my bday was coming up.

Anyway, this is my first Mac. My main PC is a gaming monster that I built back in late 2010, and it works great for everything I need, but I wanted to try something different. I also wanted to use this MBP for work as we have application servers that let me use the job-specific programs that I need.

Our purchases are only "wastes of money" if we do not use them. My advice to you is that if you really do not need the laptop now, return it or sell it (these things have amazing resale value, which is why I really think I bought one) and then buy yourself one once you are working.

Keep in mind that when you find a job, you will get a laptop from your company most likely, but it may not be nearly as good as a MBP (at least that's my experience).

If you can take the financial hit on this "excessive" purchase, then I say ENJOY IT! :D There's nothing wrong with having a backup computer, plus portability is nice.

However, the issue then can be that you have this MBP that you don't use often and it's a 2012 and the resale value might not be as good next year when you finally decide to get rid of it (though the value will still be much better than a somewhat comparable Dell, Lenovo, Asus, etc). Trust your gut.
 
Praxis91 said:
I bought my new MBP last week and to be honest, I did not really *need* to get a new laptop. I simply wanted to get myself a nice gift because it has been a while. I finished my Master's recently and figured I would get this laptop since my bday was coming up.

Anyway, this is my first Mac. My main PC is a gaming monster that I built back in late 2010, and it works great for everything I need, but I wanted to try something different. I also wanted to use this MBP for work as we have application servers that let me use the job-specific programs that I need.

Our purchases are only "wastes of money" if we do not use them. My advice to you is that if you really do not need the laptop now, return it or sell it (these things have amazing resale value, which is why I really think I bought one) and then buy yourself one once you are working.

Keep in mind that when you find a job, you will get a laptop from your company most likely, but it may not be nearly as good as a MBP (at least that's my experience).

If you can take the financial hit on this "excessive" purchase, then I say ENJOY IT! :D There's nothing wrong with having a backup computer, plus portability is nice.

However, the issue then can be that you have this MBP that you don't use often and it's a 2012 and the resale value might not be as good next year when you finally decide to get rid of it (though the value will still be much better than a somewhat comparable Dell, Lenovo, Asus, etc). Trust your gut.
Click to expand...

I appreciate that. I could have gone with a retina macbook pro, but I like the option of having to have accessibility. The macbook pro I went with has the anti-glare screen, which I love. I read that alone can boost re-sale value.

I did spend a little more than I wanted to, but I have always been a fan of the classic macbook pro with anti-glare. It is on the heavy side versus the retina mbp. I also didn't want to play the screen lottery haha.
 
My suggestion is two-fold:

1. Immediately return the laptop (assuming you are still in your 14-day return window), but keep the SSD. Then for the time you are in school, go buy a much older (and hence much less expensive) MBP and insert the SSD (and add some RAM). My 2008 unibody with an SSD is more than fast enough for homework/papers, and the financial consequences of the purchase/later resale will be far less.

2. Wait to see what your post-school employer gives you for a laptop. If it is good, sell the old MBP. If it isn't good, either keep the MBP and *then* splurge for a new MBP (i.e., once you have the income to support your lifestyle :)).

My thought is it sounds like you have good use for *a* laptop until you are out of school, but there's no need to tie up a lot of money in it if a still-capable "lesser" machine will do. You'll always have the iMac around to handle any "heavy" stuff.
 
mneblett said:
My suggestion is two-fold:

1. Immediately return the laptop (assuming you are still in your 14-day return window), but keep the SSD. Then for the time you are in school, go buy a much older (and hence much less expensive) MBP and insert the SSD (and add some RAM). My 2008 unibody with an SSD is more than fast enough for homework/papers, and the financial consequences of the purchase/later resale will be far less.

2. Wait to see what your post-school employer gives you for a laptop. If it is good, sell the old MBP. If it isn't good, either keep the MBP and *then* splurge for a new MBP (i.e., once you have the income to support your lifestyle :)).

My thought is it sounds like you have good use for *a* laptop until you are out of school, but there's no need to tie up a lot of money in it if a still-capable "lesser" machine will do. You'll always have the iMac around to handle any "heavy" stuff.
Click to expand...

I'd probably go with number 2. I'd have no desire to sell my 2012 MBP for a long time. My problem is just putting it to use. Hmmmm

I appreciate the reply.
 
BearsFan4Life88 said:
Hi Everyone!

I need some advice on what to do here. In October 2013, I sold my 2010 MBP and bought myself a 2013 iMac 21.5" desktop. I love it. I spent about 2K on it. Perfect for my needs. I'm finishing up my bachelor's degree in May, and I am finding myself on campus much more. Usually working on homework or papers. So last week, I bit the bullet and bought a refurbished 2012 MBP from Apple's refurb store. I then purchased a OWC Extreme SSD and more ram. Its very fast, especially since I tossed the original hard drive in the dvd rom slot.

Ok, so now I am contemplating on returning the computer and SSD. I keep thinking of keeping the laptop as I love the portability, but I love what the iMac provides. The iMac also is a 2013 model. The MBP is not. Anyway, my main problem is I feel the MBP was a waste of money, as my iMac does everything it does. I am also wondering if it will come in handy when I find a job after I graduate. Not too sure what I want to do yet; something in the criminal justice field.

So what would you do?
Click to expand...

Well, keep in mind that the MBP has portability. The antiglare screen is a huge bonus too. My current early-2011 15" MBP also has an antiglare screen and I really appreciate its benefits when working outdoors. The IPS display on my 15" rMBP is better than a regular glossy screen, but it still attracts flare like a solar panel when used outdoors.

Keep the MBP, at least you'll have lots of power to use should the need arise when you're not at home.
 
You guys are convincing me to keep it lol. I probably would not have such a difficult decision if the anti-glare classic mbp was still available.
 
I say keep and enjoy it. If you get a new job and it provides a laptop then you could always sell yours but Im the type that doesnt like to mix my personal data on my work laptop if I can help it.
 
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