Buying Used MBP- Need Advice Please

[Outback09]

Hello all,

Looking for some simple advice on purchasing a used MBP. Currently running an 07 black MB (Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.2 GHz, 4GB RAM and 500GB HD).

Can't stand the loud fan noise and heat every time I want to watch a youtube video or DVD-Sounds like I have a mini jet engine revving up on my lap. I'm also looking to get back into using photoshop, so I need something with a bit more oomph.

That said, if I purchase a used MBP with a Core 2 Duo processor, will I still get the annoying fan noise?

Thanks for the help. Glad communities like this are out there!

 

[svr]

against the rules

 

[mad3inch1na]

Hello all,

Looking for some simple advice on purchasing a used MBP. Currently running an 07 black MB (Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.2 GHz, 4GB RAM and 500GB HD).

Can't stand the loud fan noise and heat every time I want to watch a youtube video or DVD-Sounds like I have a mini jet engine revving up on my lap. I'm also looking to get back into using photoshop, so I need something with a bit more oomph.

That said, if I purchase a used MBP with a Core 2 Duo processor, will I still get the annoying fan noise?

Thanks for the help. Glad communities like this are out there!

As a general rule of thumb, older computers with optical drives and spinning platter hard drives will produce lots of sound and heat. If you buy a core 2 duo Mac (2010 and earlier), that computer will still produce heat and noise under little load. Your computer is hitting the point where almost every piece of hardware is bottlenecking, and upgrading from a 7 year old system to a 4-5 year old system will see some improvement, but not to a significant degree. If you would like a quiet, cool computer, getting rid of the internal DVD drive and upgrading to an SSD will be the first step.

If you absolutely need a DVD drive, and want a quiet computer, your options will be far and few between. This isn't so much because optical drives inherently produce lots of heat, but because slim, consumer laptops typically do not have optical drives anymore, and the modern laptops that do have optical drives are heavy duty and produce lots of noise anyways. Almost any laptop more than 3 years old will most likely produce a lot of sound and heat.

Not to put a damper on your purchasing experience, but if you are in the market for a 4-5 year old laptop, heat and noise will be a part of the package. A 4-5 year old laptop will absolutely be less noisy and hot than your current computer, but not by much. If you do not want to sink a lot of money into a laptop, you may get a better experience from a newer windows based laptop than an older mac. If you want a quiet, cool mac, your best option is to save up and get a new or refurbished one.

Best,
Matt

 

[Outback09]

Matt- Very informative. Thanks so much for your help!