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Sjmm21

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2017
7
1
hello I need some help. I am going to buy a MacBook soon. I have a 1299$ max budget. Which gives me the Air. I also found a refurbished MacBook Pro from Mac of all trades with in my budget as well. It's a 2014 retina. I am a hobby photographer and will be using lightroom and occasional video editing and I do stress occasional. Planning to make a travel video of my upcoming Hawaii photography trip.

So here is my conundrum. Should I get a new Air or the refurbished mac I found the specs on the air are as follows:
  • 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
  • 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory
  • 128GB SSD storage
  • Intel HD Graphics 6000
The MacBook Pro are as follows:

  • 13-inch LED-backlit Retina display with IPS technology; 2560x1600 resolution
  • 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
  • 16.0GB PC3-12800 (1600MHz) DDR3L on-board memory
  • 128GB built-in flash storage
  • Intel Iris 5100 with up to 1.5GB shared with main memory
I'm not concerned about storage i will be working from a couple of external hard drives and have a iMac that's shared with family.

So which is Gonna be the better option over time? I've been doing research on my own and I'm researched out
 
Is the refurbished model a 2014 refurb that was refurbished by Apple (and it just so happens that Mac of All Trades is selling a 'new-old-stock-refurb'), or is it a used model that Mac of All Trades refurbished themselves in-house? How does warranty work should the machine need service?

For editing, I think you will probably find the upgraded screen of the retina MacBook and MacBook Pro to provide a considerable edge over the MBA. Have you checked the Apple refurb site for the 2015 MacBook Pro 13? The base model of these are often available for around $1,100.

FWIW, you may also be able to find a refurb 2015 MBP or 2016 MBP nTB with 256 GB storage within your price range (plus the new rMB is in your price range if you like the form factor, and it does surprisingly well with editing tasks.) Even with external drives and a shared iMac, if you are working with image files, 128 GB SSD may be a bottleneck for several reasons - 1) it fills up fast, 2) with just the OS, a small amount of music, and a small amount of photo files, the SSD will become filled to a point where write performance can slow dramatically, and 3) longevity may be less. Some of this can be offset with something like a Transcend JetDrive Lite with the 2015 models, which provides additional internal storage - but you won't get anything remotely close to the speed of the SSD, which will be pronounced with raw images and video exports.
 
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Just forget to buy a new Air for this price. You can easily find it at bestbuy or other resellers for $900.

For $1100 you find also a rMB M5 2016 512GB which is fine for retouching pics at same speed as the Air.

As a fotographer i would recommend 256GB or more internal storage.

The 2016 MBP refurbished from Apple Store is also in ur budget
 
To answer the first question. The site doesn't say who refurbished it. It's seems that they have done it. They offer a included 90 day warranty with options for longer service. They have good reviews and when I was first reading about where to buy refurbished many sites had them on the list of places to look. The MacBook Pro 1099$ with them

Thanks for the info about storage from the both of you. I will look into the Apple refurb site as well. I think I looked once before but haven't looked since. Thanks
 
Hey update. My budget increased thankfully to 2300$. And I want to get the 15"MacBook pro. I like the non touch bar version it has the ports I like and most importantly it has the memory card slot. It would be new from Apple should I be worried that it's from 2015 even though it would be brand new is it too old? I went to look at them at Best Buy and fell in love with it. I really like the space gray but it doesn't come non touch bar in the 15" quad core processor configuration..
 
If you are doing photography and video editing, why not get the new 15 inch MacBook pro with Touch Bar. You can get one expansion set and get a much better screen, a decent increase in battery life and an improved processor.

You are losing ports but you are getting everything else improved. The screen difference is big. You can get the all in one USB C ports to make it up as well. I used to have a 2015 15 inch and now have a 2017 inch and it is much nicer in screen, keyboard, and battery life.
 
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If you are doing photography and video editing, why not get the new 15 inch MacBook pro with Touch Bar. You can get one expansion set and get a much better screen, a decent increase in battery life and an improved processor.

You are losing ports but you are getting everything else improved. The screen difference is big. You can get the all in one USB C ports to make it up as well. I used to have a 2015 15 inch and now have a 2017 inch and it is much nicer in screen, keyboard, and battery life.

Ok cool. I tested out the 2015 15inch and the New MacBook Pro with touch bar today and I wasn't a huge fan of it and didn't really notice a difference in the screens but There is a refurbished New MacBook Pro with touch bar from Apple that I can afford with the expanded budget with the specs I would need. What is an expansion set sorry if that is a stupid question...
 
I would go for the newest MacBook Pro you can afford. There has been a lot of criticism of the newer models, but I've had mine since April and I am still absolutely delighted with it. I think most people just need a little time to get used to them - trying in a shop for a few minutes doesn't really give you the full picture.

I'd definitely avoid the Air (especially as you want to do photography and video editing). I had an Air for almost 4 years and loved it - but the screen is seriously low res by modern standards. If it was me I'd pick up a nice 2016 MacBook Pro refurb from Apple.
 
I would go for the newest MacBook Pro you can afford. There has been a lot of criticism of the newer models, but I've had mine since April and I am still absolutely delighted with it. I think most people just need a little time to get used to them - trying in a shop for a few minutes doesn't really give you the full picture.

I'd definitely avoid the Air (especially as you want to do photography and video editing). I had an Air for almost 4 years and loved it - but the screen is seriously low res by modern standards. If it was me I'd pick up a nice 2016 MacBook Pro refurb from Apple.

Thank you. I think I will go with the refurbished one. My camera and printer connect with the older USB type. What should I do to connect. Same with my GoPro. The connection to the camera end is usb-c but the other end that connect to the computer is the other type of USB. What should I do? Is that what was meant by the expansion set?
 
Thanks a lot for your help! Found a deal on B&H photo for a brand new 15" MacBook Pro with touch bar for 2099$ With 512gb ssd and 16gb Ram as well. I checked my current usage on the family mac we have and I'm already using about 150 gb of storage so I felt it would be safer to bump it up so I can grow into it. They have a longer return policy which I like just in case I don't like the touch bar after more than a store visits usage. They also have a maxed out 13 inch for the same price of hate the size of the 15inch.
 
Thanks a lot for your help! Found a deal on B&H photo for a brand new 15" MacBook Pro with touch bar for 2099$ With 512gb ssd and 16gb Ram as well. I checked my current usage on the family mac we have and I'm already using about 150 gb of storage so I felt it would be safer to bump it up so I can grow into it. They have a longer return policy which I like just in case I don't like the touch bar after more than a store visits usage. They also have a maxed out 13 inch for the same price of hate the size of the 15inch.

Be careful-- as far as I know, their 30-day return policy doesn't apply to opened computers. So you can't just test drive. Apple's is shorter but it is return for any reason. I think I've also read many stories about how people got caught thinking it was the same kind of policy as Apple.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/ReturnExchange.jsp
 
Just get the Pro
lol I did.
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Be careful-- as far as I know, their 30-day return policy doesn't apply to opened computers. So you can't just test drive. Apple's is shorter but it is return for any reason. I think I've also read many stories about how people got caught thinking it was the same kind of policy as Apple.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/ReturnExchange.jsp
Booo!! Haha ok. I suppose I don't need it to be that portable I'll find a way to get it to Hawaii lol
Their return policy is doing a little double talk. It says "If you are dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason" and then says subject eligibility. How will I know I'm dissatisfied is I don't open it and use it lol. What ever I'll just keep it im sure I'll love it to pieces.
 
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