Desperate for help trading in old 15" MB for refurbished on Amazon

[cluelesslynn]

I'm completely unequipped to trade in or buy a new MacBook but have to do so asap. Whoever chooses to read this whole, long thing and help me, you are a saint and will receive good, pay-it-forward kinda karma.

My old one, which I am typing on right now, is:

....scratched, dented, some letters not visible anymore (d and n, for whatever reason) and, the worst part, it heats up to boiling periodically throughout the day and I stick ice packs underneath it. The battery is shot (lasts maybe 30 minutes). It's also started spinning and freezing and all that, which it started a year ago but I did a band-aid fix (with help of an actual IT specialist) and got a new SSD drive and added memory (ram?) I think. It's not compatible with iCloud so I have my big files all on dropbox and hopefully my iphoto library.

... I do not know what model it is or even what year I bought it. A serial number search (W88012XHX91) gets me this:

~VIN,MACBOOK PRO (15-INCH 2.4/2.2GHZ)
My version is 10.6.8
processor: 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
memory: 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
I don't know how to find the info about the SSD drive and ram (I think) that was added a year ago.


... My plan is to trade it in via Amazon and hope to get something for it.

What is relevant re getting a new/reburbished one:

My MacBook is my sole computer and what I do my job (I have my own business and am sole proprietor) on every day so I cannot be without it. I have to first find a refurbished replacement (have exactly $1K to spend on Amazon). I don't know even what to look for beyond that I need the whole 15" screen, can't go smaller. The app I use for work absolutely the most is Microsoft Word. I use Firefox mostly as my browser. I use dropbox. I have all my life's photos in my iPhoto library. I have an external drive (LaCie) that I back up to about once a month. I'd like to eventually learn Illustrator and InDesign and have video editing software on my laptop, maybe. I don't know if this is relevant but I have a newer iPad (says it's version 8.1.3 (12B466)

 

[poiihy]

May I suggest fixing your existing laptop? All it needs is minor repair. You say it gets extremely hot. It's probably full of dust after all these years. Open it up and clean out all dust, especially around fans and heatsinks. It would help a lot. If you don't want to open it yourself, take it to someone who can. Replace the battery too.

You also say your machine does not support iCloud? Upgrade your OS. According to MacTracker, you can upgrade to the latest OS, which is Yosemite.

This seems to be your Mac:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...k-pro-core-2-duo-2.4-15-santa-rosa-specs.html


So I strongly recommend you fix it up instead of replacing it. It still is a good machine, it still fits your needs, and still is well supported enough. Replacing it would cost you lots of $$$ when you don't need to. It's also wasteful. More machines going into the landfill. More pollution. Replace it when it is really old and cannot run a late-enough operating system that you need.

 

[mw360]

I second the suggestion of keeping your current one, over the risky business of getting something used off the internet. Even selling a laptop on the internet can be risky.

Wiping it and giving it a fresh install of OS X Yosemite (10.10.2) might give it a new lease of life. I have a similar era MBP and while the previous OS version was just dire for me, Yosemite is actually not too bad. You're going to wipe it anyway, so why not give it a try? (You'll need to set aside a weekend for it though)

I can run pro apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Nuke so long as I don't get into super complex projects. The worst performing applications are the built in ones, Mail especially, but 3rd party stuff is fine.

It does sound like you have really inadequate back-ups though. You should make a Time Machine backup before you wipe the machine, and ideally also manually backup of the files you really can't live without so you know, for 100% certain, that you have copies before you start deleting stuff.

Anyway if you're interested in this, post a thread for advice on how to back up properly and do a clean install. It's not difficult but you need to do everything in the right order.

 

[hallux]

I'll somewhat diverge from the other responders and comment on the purchase of a replacement Mac. I strongly caution against a "refurbished" from Amazon.

Apple is the only place to buy official refurbished Apple devices with a full Apple warranty eligible to buy AppleCare. Apple refurbished devices are as good as, if not better than, new. There is no indication just from looking at it that it was not bought as a new item.

 

[Joelburman]

I don't know trade-in deals enough to give you a good advice but from what you describing Im in agreement that you should be fine if you get this one cleaned up. If it doesn't work out I suggest finding a used "15 MBP (2012 non retina). Preferably without dedicated graphic card. I think that one will get you enough headroom to have a workable computer for a few years and you can still switch ram/ssd on it yourself.

 

[itsOver9000]

May I suggest fixing your existing laptop? All it needs is minor repair. You say it gets extremely hot. It's probably full of dust after all these years. Open it up and clean out all dust, especially around fans and heatsinks. It would help a lot. If you don't want to open it yourself, take it to someone who can. Replace the battery too.

Reapplying thermal paste on the heat sink wouldn't be a bad idea either, but that's a bit more complicated than simply blowing out the dust build up.