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Advice on "old" Macbook Pro 15"

G

GustavoRamos

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 21, 2012
22
0
Hello lads, unfortunately i'll have just to leech your knowledge on my first post :D

Well, I'm an avid PC user for more than 30 years now and I want to make the transition to the Mac. I'm not a gamer, but I must have a fast platform to work. I develop in some languages (specially RoR, PHP, Java) and often I run 2 VM's at the same time. So i got two (actually, three) questions for you:

1) Is the processor bump on the macbook 15" really worth the extra buck?
2) Same question for the hi-res screen
3) What is the difference between matte / antiglare ?

Thanks a whole lot!

:)

Cheers,

PS: I will NOT buy the Retina MPB. I personally prefer to have an user-friendly hardware.
 
Last edited:
GustavoRamos said:
Hello lads
Click to expand...
I haven't been called a "lad" since..... well, since I was a lad! :D
GustavoRamos said:
I'm not a gamer, but I must have a fast platform to work. I develop in some languages (specially RoR, PHP, Java) and often I run 2 VM's at the same time. So i got two (actually, three) questions for you:

1) Is the processor bump on the macbook 15" really worth the extra buck?
Click to expand...
Most users will get more performance benefit from increased RAM, rather than a processor bump. YMMV
GustavoRamos said:
2) Same question for the hi-res screen
Click to expand...
That's strictly a matter of personal preference and what's easiest on your eyes.
GustavoRamos said:
3) What is the difference between matte / antiglare ?
Click to expand...
Two different terms to describe the same thing.
 
Just got myself the 15" refurb late 2011 2.2 with the HR AG screen. Very fast machine and having the extra real estate from the HR screen is nice. The choice of whether or not to go with AG is a personal one. I'd suggest taking a trip to your local Apple Store to see them side by side to decide which is best for you.

Got mine for $1,439. Seeing as how the new one is $1,899, I don't see much extra benefit from the processor, gpu, and i/o bump to justify the extra $460.
 
If you are running multiple VMs then I would go for all the memory you can stuff in (buy from3rd party) as opposed to faster cpu.

I have mixed feelings about Retina myself - looked at one in store and while it's a great display it's overkill for me.
 
I'd say look around for some refurbs at the Apple Store!
I got a MBP early 2011 and it is amazingly fast. bump the RAM to 8GB and you'll be fine. I also have the AG Screen and I love it. Go to the nearest Apple Store and check the screens out yourself. That's how I did it. Only disadvantage I see with the AG Screen is the unpractical cleaning issue....
hope you'll be able to enjoy a beautiful MBP soon!
 
GGJstudios said:
I've been using an AG screen for over 4 years, and cleaning is simple, with a soft, damp cloth.
Click to expand...

still not as easy as cleaning glass that sits plain on the unibody...maybe you're just better than me with a cloth but I struggle getting everything off, compared to my TBD...
 
I've considered buying a refurb, but i'd like some advice on them.

Will they exchange the unibody? I mean, I would not like scratches or dents on my new laptop... and what about the warranty?

I'm buying this on a business trip to the US. I live in Brazil and prices here are.... meh. I don't think I can buy refurbs from the local stores, only online right?

About the updates, I was thinking on 16GB RAM and a nice 256GB SSD + Optibay to put the SATA one, what do you think?

The SSD would only be for the VM's RAM, OS and Programs... Music, data et al would be on the slower drive... I could consider moving the source codes to the SSD as well, all of them fit in a small 60GB SSD I have today :)

Thanks again!
 
GustavoRamos said:
I've considered buying a refurb, but i'd like some advice on them.

Will they exchange the unibody? I mean, I would not like scratches or dents on my new laptop... and what about the warranty?
Click to expand...
Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.
  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are only available from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold by any 3rd party or local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.
 
GGJstudios said:
Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.
  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are only available from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold by any 3rd party or local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the info, mate!

The only thing I'd be worried is if I received a dented, scratched unit... I would be pretty angry :p

I think this could be a pretty reasonable deal, what do you think?



Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
$1,439.00
 
GustavoRamos said:
Thanks a lot for the info, mate!

The only thing I'd be worried is if I received a dented, scratched unit... I would be pretty angry :p
Click to expand...
It's very rare that refurb units are delivered with cosmetic blemishes, and when they do, they're very minor. You still have the right to return a product you don't like for a full refund.
 
GustavoRamos said:
I've considered buying a refurb, but i'd like some advice on them.

Will they exchange the unibody? I mean, I would not like scratches or dents on my new laptop... and what about the warranty?

I'm buying this on a business trip to the US. I live in Brazil and prices here are.... meh. I don't think I can buy refurbs from the local stores, only online right?

About the updates, I was thinking on 16GB RAM and a nice 256GB SSD + Optibay to put the SATA one, what do you think?

The SSD would only be for the VM's RAM, OS and Programs... Music, data et al would be on the slower drive... I could consider moving the source codes to the SSD as well, all of them fit in a small 60GB SSD I have today :)

Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Which state are you going to be at?
 
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