Buying a used "new" 2019 16" MBP. Upgrading storage?

[DieBeachballDie]

I think i'm pretty much decided on getting a new (base model) 2019 16" MBP, instead of a maxed-out "excellent cond" 2015 15.4" MBP. I'll have to sell half my soul to cover the price difference... but it'd be worth it to have 5 years of hassle-free productivity.

I see LOTS of brand new (in box) 16" MBP's in different places (in Canada, where i am), even a few on CL where i can physically go and see the item before i buy it. These are "sealed", with receipts, from original buyers. Selling for whatever reason. Even locally... there are half-dozen to choose from for well cheaper than new prices. Problem is, they are all 512gb SSD... and i want 1TB minimum. I'm not a computer guy, so i'll be paying someone to upgrade the SSD if i buy this. How much will this generally cost me? Do i get an Apple SSD? or are there comparable aftermarket ones?

Anything to look out for doing this? Anything else to look out for, beyond the SSD?


Thanks.

 

[venom600]

You cannot upgrade the internal SSD on these machines. It's soldered to the motherboard and even if it wasn't it's linked to the T2 chip. Short of swapping the motherboard, there is no way to upgrade the internal storage on a 16" (or 15, 13, Air). If you want 1TB you'd better order it with 1TB.

 

[DieBeachballDie]

Huh. So not like the 2015 then. Ok... good to know. Guess i'm looking for the 2.3GHz/1Tb version then. Jesus... this is gonna get spendy...

 

[venom600]

Unfortunately no, it isn't like the 2015 in that regard. Even an SD card slot would have been a compromise since you could stick a half terabyte card in there for not too much and expand storage that way. It is better in every other way though

 

[DieBeachballDie]

Yeah... i'm pretty much sold. The price is gonna kill me, but you never regret buying quality, and i hate (tech) problems. Looks like i'm looking for the exact model you have.

 

[elite953]

i think its better you wait for refreshed model of macbook 16" version coming out later this year. Lots of issues and complaints have been reported for current 16" version. Do you want any trouble after spending 2600 USD on MacBook machine ?

 

[DieBeachballDie]

i think its better you wait for refreshed model of macbook 16" version coming out later this year. Lots of issues and complaints have been reported for current 16" version. Do you want any trouble after spending 2600 USD on MacBook machine ?

Yeah, i thought of that, but three issues with doing this:

1, I really dont have the time. My computer died 5 months ago and i have lost at least two solid months productivity. Been using an ancient loaner iMac, and its next to useless... i cant work on it.
2, Finding a used/refurbed version of a newly released machine will take even longer
3, I've read... exhaustively... about the issues; the ghosting, the brightness, etc... and these are really not things that affect me, the way i use things. Seems there will always be a compromise... no matter what you pay. Also seems that the last great unit was the 2015 15.4" DG unit... which was what i was originally looking for... but now in 2020, the sheer age of it is a severe compromise. Apple seems incapable of releasing a perfect product, so you kind of pick your poison, dont you?

Edit: 4th issue with doing this ~ a spec bump/refresh generally adds cost, does it not? I'm already WAAAY over budget just buying a base 16".

 

[elite953]

Yeah, i thought of that, but three issues with doing this:

1, I really dont have the time. My computer died 5 months ago and i have lost at least two solid months productivity. Been using an ancient loaner iMac, and its next to useless... i cant work on it.
2, Finding a used/refurbed version of a newly released machine will take even longer
3, I've read... exhaustively... about the issues; the ghosting, the brightness, etc... and these are really not things that affect me, the way i use things. Seems there will always be a compromise... no matter what you pay. Also seems that the last great unit was the 2015 15.4" DG unit... which was what i was originally looking for... but now in 2020, the sheer age of it is a severe compromise. Apple seems incapable of releasing a perfect product, so you kind of pick your poison, dont you?

Edit: 4th issue with doing this ~ a spec bump/refresh generally adds cost, does it not? I'm already WAAAY over budget just buying a base 16".

what is your safe budget ?

 

[DieBeachballDie]

what is your safe budget ?

When i was looking for a specific 2015 15.4" model i might have spent up to 2K (Cdn) to get one, But for that price it had better have been pretty much new, with less than a year of actual usage. Something sitting in someone's closet for 4 years. Ie: holy grail (ie: not holding my breath)

Now that i've settled on a 16", and realizing i need the 2.3GHz 1Tb model, i might have upwards of 3300-3400Cdn (tops, tax/shipping included if applicable)... absolute limit... but again, for that it had better be freakin' new. I've seen 4 already in that range, but they go quick.

I could order a base 2.6GHz 16" and have Apple upgrade the SSD to 1TB for $3250, but thats bloody 3700 after tax. For the extra 150 i'll just get the better CPU and graphics card too. And how long do i have to wait for that special order anyways? Factories are probably compromised right now wherever these come from.
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Even if i had the money... i'm not sure i could spend 4 grand on a computer. As much as i use it (a LOT), and as nice as the technology is... Freakin' four grand. The new 2.3GHz/1Tb version is $3920 after tax. I can buy a good car for 4K...

 

[DarthVader!]

i'm not sure i could spend 4 grand on a computer.

4,000 (Cdn) for a laptop?

I don't blame you for chafing under that price point.

 

[DieBeachballDie]

4,000 (Cdn) for a laptop?

I don't blame you for chafing under that price point.

3500 + tax = 3918. Thats just the base 2.3GHz 16", and no Applecare. So yes... ouch. Heh... takes me just as long to earn a Cdn dollar as it takes an American to earn a US dollar...

 

[Mjr69]

Have you been watching Apple's refurb store?
I picked up a refurb base I9 with 1 TB, 32 GB, and the 8 GB video card for around $3800 CAD a few weeks ago.

 

[DieBeachballDie]

Have you been watching Apple's refurb store?
I picked up a refurb base I9 with 1 TB, 32 GB, and the 8 GB video card for around $3800 CAD a few weeks ago.

Been watching for a few days, and nothing. Was that 3800 all-in? or plus tax?

How often do they update it?

 

[Mjr69]

Sorry, was $3952.00 with tax.
At the time I was shopping it seemed like it was updating multiple times throughout the day but that was before North America shutdown.

 

[DieBeachballDie]

Sorry, was $3952.00 with tax.
At the time I was shopping it seemed like it was updating multiple times throughout the day but that was before North America shutdown.

Pretty good deal for the upgrades. Well out of my budget though.

 

[profcutter]

This is exactly why I rolled the dice on a 2015. I just don’t see the new one being worth 4 times what I paid for a 2015. Maybe in a couple years once they get the bugs worked out.

 

[DieBeachballDie]

This is exactly why I rolled the dice on a 2015. I just don’t see the new one being worth 4 times what I paid for a 2015. Maybe in a couple years once they get the bugs worked out.

Well, right now (as of tonight) the least-sketchy 2015's i see are all pushing or over $2000 Cdn. So i'd be spending maybe another $1300-1400. Seems a reasonable gamble. I cant wait 2 years anyways.

 

[gilles_polysoft]

I think i'm pretty much decided on getting a new (base model) 2019 16" MBP, instead of a maxed-out "excellent cond" 2015 15.4" MBP. I'll have to sell half my soul to cover the price difference... but it'd be worth it to have 5 years of hassle-free productivity.

I see LOTS of brand new (in box) 16" MBP's in different places (in Canada, where i am), even a few on CL where i can physically go and see the item before i buy it. These are "sealed", with receipts, from original buyers. Selling for whatever reason. Even locally... there are half-dozen to choose from for well cheaper than new prices. Problem is, they are all 512gb SSD... and i want 1TB minimum. I'm not a computer guy, so i'll be paying someone to upgrade the SSD if i buy this. How much will this generally cost me? Do i get an Apple SSD? or are there comparable aftermarket ones?

Anything to look out for doing this? Anything else to look out for, beyond the SSD?

You're absolutely right at looking for either a 2015 15.4" rMBP or a 2019 16", those are the best laptop recently made (and models from 2016 to 2018 have to be avoided because of problems with the butterfly keyboad - problems with the flexible ribbon cables of the display)

I'm myself happy with a 2015 15.4' rMBP, which I love (and offered it a 4TB NVMe ssd !)
it works perfectly but if I had to change it today, I would either consider a quad-core 2020 MBA, or wait for the 14" rMBP.

3 years ago I choosed a 15" because it had a quad-core, but I almost always use it either at home or at work with a TB dock, in close-lid mode with an external keyboard and 27" QHD display..

So If I had to choose I wouldn't go for an expensive 16" but I would either :

- pick a quad-core 2020 13-inch rMBA, maxed at 16 GB ram and 2 TB SSD
it's about the same power of a 2015 rMBP, and you've got plenty of ram and storage, and the good "scissors" keyboard for US $1700

- wait for the future 14' rMBP to arrive (it is to come soon). It will at least offer a quad core i5 like today 13" rMBP but it will also have the good "scissors" keyboard