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Buying my first USED macbook.

M

marchellobb

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2009
82
0
Hello everyone. I am soon buying a used macbook, which will be my first ever mac computer.

He's selling it for 1100$, and according to him, it has under 6 months of use.

specs:

Screen: 13.3"
Processor: Cor. 2 DUO, 2.4 GHZ
Memory: 4GB
Harddrive: 250 GB
Software: OS Léopard 10.5, Toast , Microsoft office 2008, many other programs

and included this picture:

http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/l/kj/09/4/29/236/r1/1325dck_20.jpeg



What should I test once I get there to make sure his computer works perfectly fine? Also, does this macbook have the new trackpad that you can click on? On the box, I don't see a button under the trackpad. That would be pretty sweet.
 
Have you considered buying an Apple refurb MacBook direct from Apple? The new 2Ghz Alu unibody MB can be had for $1,099 and for $1,299 you can get the 2.4Ghz one
 
Just out of curiousity, why are you buying it?

You could get a refurbed unibody for $1099, or a refurbed white Macbook with 9400M graphics for $849. The RAM and HD really aren't massive upgrades.

Because they're newer, the 2.0 in these units would be roughly the same as the 2.4 in that Macbook.

Just throwing it out there that $1100 for that isn't that excellent of a deal.
 
Fizzoid said:
Have you considered buying an Apple refurb MacBook direct from Apple? The new 2Ghz Alu unibody MB can be had for $1,099 and for $1,299 you can get the 2.4Ghz one
Click to expand...

Really? What's a refurb? Used, but directly from apple?
 
marchellobb said:
Really? What's a refurb? Used, but directly from apple?
Click to expand...
Yup, that's basically what it is. Refurbished by Apple themselves, and comes with the same warrenty you'd get with a brand new one. Check out the Apple store and see what's on there. There's a specific refurbished section.
 
Fizzoid said:
Yup, that's basically what it is. Refurbished by Apple themselves, and comes with the same warrenty you'd get with a brand new one. Check out the Apple store and see what's on there. There's a specific refurbished section.
Click to expand...

Hey you're right. Would it be worth paying the additional 300$ (total of 1500$) for the 2.4ghz one or does it make little difference from the 2.0?
 
Yea $1100 is really not that great of a deal for the Black 2.4GHz Macbook (using older Intel X3100 graphics). I think those models came out around February 2008 so there's a chance it may no longer be under Applecare warranty which would be a big bummer. I suggest you get the White 2.0GHz nVidia 9400M Macbook refurbed from Apple for $849 (you'll have to pay tax though). Cheaper than the black one with overall better specs (the 2.0GHz P7350 is about the same as the 2.4GHz T8300 since it has 1066MHz FSB and just generally newer tech. Maybe 10% difference or so for CPU-intensive tasks). The nVidia 9400m graphics n the new white one is like 5x faster than the Intel X3100 in the black one (according to Apple) and you get a full 1yr warranty straight from Apple with the option to upgrade to 3yr warranty. Good luck.
 
If I remember correctly the old 2.4 ghz processor is equivalent to the new 2.0 processor.

the black macbook was more expensive for its look. For the same money I would get the 2.0 ghz aluminum.

1100 for his laptop is NOT a good deal. You don't even know if office software is original or that he'll give you the CDs.

Go refurbished.
 
This black macbook is a really bad deal, stay away from it, super expensive. Go for Apple Refurb without questions.
 
Germwise said:
If I remember correctly the old 2.4 ghz processor is equivalent to the new 2.0 processor.

the black macbook was more expensive for its look. For the same money I would get the 2.0 ghz aluminum.

1100 for his laptop is NOT a good deal. You don't even know if office software is original or that he'll give you the CDs.

Go refurbished.
Click to expand...

This is true. I see postings for Apple products on craig's list all the time that claim to include over $xxxx worth of software. I think there's a good chance that it's all pirated and if I could figure out how to report those people to authorities, I would.
 
Fizzoid said:
Have you considered buying an Apple refurb MacBook direct from Apple? The new 2Ghz Alu unibody MB can be had for $1,099 and for $1,299 you can get the 2.4Ghz one
Click to expand...

Ya I just got my referb macbook in the mail yesterday! I got the 2.0GHz model for 1,099. With the shipping/tax it came to 1,208 but that was with the next business day delivery (30 bucks I think). I went with this over an eBay or craigslist one because it comes with the Apple warranty! :) Gotta love that don't ya?

I'm very happy with my referb. Like I said in another thread. I will continue to purchase referbs from Apple and save myself a couple hundred bucks. :D
 
The main thing to consider is that the new white Macbook and the Unibodys have the 9400M graphics, which is VASTLY superiour to the older Macbooks graphics (about five times better).
 
its been said, by almost everyone
but I also say. GO REFURB, thats what i'll be doing for my first mac this summer.
I have only heard and seen good things about refurb from apple.
Check out some Refurb videos on youtube.
 
Tell the guy you can get a refurb unimacbook for the same price and youll buy it from him for 700 thats a good deal.
 
The refurbs are suppose to be better than the new ones are.

From what I learned, they are tested to see if there is any problem w/them when they get them, and if so, if repairable, are fixed, then any scratches or cosmetic damage pieces, get replaced, everything is cleaned, the HD gets reformated and the very latest updated OS and software get installed, as well as a new S/N gets assigned to it. Then they are vigorously tested, more than even the new ones are. Then they get the exact same warranty as a new one does, all at a marked down price. For all intents and purposes, you're getting a brand new product.

Remember too, a good majority of these may simply be returns, and have absolutely nothing at all wrong w/them, but they still go through the same process above.

I just received my refurb Alum Macbook that I ordered on Monday, today. I ordered the one w/the 2.4 GHz cpu. I took a good look at it all over, looking for any cosmetic damages, nothing. When I turned it on, I looked for any dead pixels, I didn't see any. So far so good, on my end. Now as a Windows user, I have to learn the Apple system. ;)

I plan to go and order 4 GB of memory from Newegg. Is the Macbook limited to a max of 4 GB, or will it see 6 (2+4 sticks), or 8 GB (4+4 sticks)? Any recommended brand, Mushkin, Corsair, Kingston, G. Skill, etc?

Thx

.
 
GoHack said:
I plan to go and order 4 GB of memory from Newegg. Is the Macbook limited to a max of 4 GB, or will it see 6 (2+4 sticks), or 8 GB (4+4 sticks)? Any recommended brand, Mushkin, Corsair, Kingston, G. Skill, etc?

Thx

.
Click to expand...

I ordered the memory from Crucial and they seem to have the best deals I could find at the time I was looking to upgrade. So far the performance has been great and I like them.

I have to agree about your post about the testing that the used/returned laptops go through. It is cheaper for Apple to test them thoroughly than have problems and fix them under warranty.
 
My first refurb uMB had a dead pixel. It wouldn't get replaced under warrenty, however I returned it and got a new one under the 14 day return policy
 
The blackbook 2.4 will be a bit faster processingwise then the 2.0ghz alubook. The Blackbook 2.4 isn't a bad Macbook, I've had mine since feb of last year and its still going strong. However regarding the offer from the guy you're buying it from, I agree with the others it's better to buy a refurb macbook alu 2ghz or /whitebook 2ghz because even though the processing power of the 2.4 is slightly faster the overall other improvements in the new ones make them a better deal at the pricepoint you're paying. Good luck with your purchase.

Cheers :apple:
 
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