Debating whether or not to sell my (potentially) dying macbook

[thomasec]

I have a late 2006 black macbook that is exhibiting behaviors which lead me to believe that it is slowly dying. The battery meter occasionally remains at 100%, the superdrive won't burn anything (and only reads discs half the time), and overall performance has just been choppy. Oh, and I did a fresh install of OSX about three months ago.

Anyway, I'm debating whether or not it's worth it to hold onto this thing for the next few months (as I really want to wait for the next macbook pro refresh).

My other option is to sell it now while it still functions, and put that money towards either a new or refurbished macbook pro.

Just want to know what you guys think.

 

[ddehr026]

I would probably hold on it. Maybe we can help fix the problems. The only issue with selling it now is you would have to tell in the auction (i am assuming ebay) what is going on with it, or you are in for a headache. I, too, am waiting for the next refresh, hopefully late this year.

Sorry I didn't really answer your question but I hope this helps a little.

 

[ryannel2003]

I would try and fix what was wrong with it, and then if you still want a new MacBook Pro you could then sell it and buy that. Starting off, what do you mean by the battery staying at 100%? Does the battery still charge?

SuperDrive's on these models do have the tendency to die; they're a bad design anyways. You can go one eBay and purchased a slightly used one for less than $40 and install it yourself and it would be fine. I had to replace the Combo drive on my MacBook because disks were hard to insert and wouldn't eject. If you want a new one, you're looking at $100. Up to you whether it's worth it or not.

As for choppy performance, how much RAM do you have? What version of OS X are you running? If it's laggy or beachballing alot, you could have a dying HD. A new HD is around $50. Again, it's up to you if it's worth keeping or selling or not. I bought a used 2007 model MacBook on eBay for $400. If you're model is a Core 2 Duo, you could probably get $250-$300 in it's current condition. If you fixed it up, you could probably get around $400-$450, mainly because the black models are worth more than the white.

 

[mr.steevo]

I'd just upgrade the hard drive.

 

[ddehr026]

I regularly see black macbooks in good condition go for 600+ on ebay.

 

[thomasec]

I would try and fix what was wrong with it, and then if you still want a new MacBook Pro you could then sell it and buy that. Starting off, what do you mean by the battery staying at 100%? Does the battery still charge?

SuperDrive's on these models do have the tendency to die; they're a bad design anyways. You can go one eBay and purchased a slightly used one for less than $40 and install it yourself and it would be fine. I had to replace the Combo drive on my MacBook because disks were hard to insert and wouldn't eject. If you want a new one, you're looking at $100. Up to you whether it's worth it or not.

As for choppy performance, how much RAM do you have? What version of OS X are you running? If it's laggy or beachballing alot, you could have a dying HD. A new HD is around $50. Again, it's up to you if it's worth keeping or selling or not. I bought a used 2007 model MacBook on eBay for $400. If you're model is a Core 2 Duo, you could probably get $250-$300 in it's current condition. If you fixed it up, you could probably get around $400-$450, mainly because the black models are worth more than the white.

Thanks for the detailed response. In regards to the battery, every few days the battery meter will remain at 100%, regardless of whether or not the it's fully charged.

Is the superdrive replacement relatively easy? The last thing I would want to do is attempt to replace the drive, only to damage the computer.

It has 4GB of ram, and the hard drive was replaced approximately 4 months ago at which point I did a fresh install of Snow Leopard.

I guess I'd like to get as much money out of the machine as possible before something really bad happens to it (bad logic board, etc...).

 

[ryannel2003]

Thanks for the detailed response. In regards to the battery, every few days the battery meter will remain at 100%, regardless of whether or not the it's fully charged.

Is the superdrive replacement relatively easy? The last thing I would want to do is attempt to replace the drive, only to damage the computer.

It has 4GB of ram, and the hard drive was replaced approximately 4 months ago at which point I did a fresh install of Snow Leopard.

I guess I'd like to get as much money out of the machine as possible before something really bad happens to it (bad logic board, etc...).

The battery situation is weird, something I have never seen happen before. If you don't already, do a Google search for coconutbattery and download it to see how much life you have left. Could be the battery is dying and it's getting stuck... otherwise I'm not sure why it would stay at 100%.

SuperDrive replacement was pretty simple IMO. It's just a matter of removing the top case and then navigating through some tight areas but on a scale of 1-10 (10 being hardest) I give it a 3. There are a great set of instructions on iFixit that gives detailed pictures as well as great instructions. That's what I used on my MacBook, and I had the drive out in 10 minutes including removing the top case.

I'm not sure about the choppy performance to be honest. Try repairing Disk Permissions or running a program like Onyx and see if that helps anything. Are you getting alot of beachballs or is it internet related? My MacBook has less RAM and most likely a slower HD and it runs great. The only time I have more than 5 programs open... which is rare at best. If you're waiting for the next MBP refresh you might be waiting until late, late this year or early next year. From what I've seen, Apple updates those on a 1 year basis. If you're looking to save some money check out the refurbished section on the Apple website. They have the previous-gen 2.4GHz MacBook Pro's selling for $929, an excellent deal IMO.

 

[vincenz]

If you have the cash, sell it off and upgrade. If not, you can probably fix it and make it even better than before. Upgrade the ram. Get an ssd. MacBooks last a lot longer than their PC counterparts.