My HP laptop is on its last limbs and I am looking to jump ship from windows to a mac for quite some time now.
I recently came across a local listing for a brand new sealed early 2013 15" rMBP 2.4ghz 8gb 256ssd asking $1300. Is this a good deal or should I shell out on a newer model 16gb haswell 15"?
That sounds like its a little too good to be true, but then I haven't been looking at rMBP prices either. The two things the Haswells have going for them are the upgraded GPUs and PCIe SSDs which are very, very fast. Plus, they are much more power efficient.
I'd honestly consider getting a refurbished MacBook Pro direct from Apple. They are currently out of the model I usually recommend but keep an eye
on this website and they will pop up between now and Christmas.
I'd go for a late-2013 refurb. The only differences between the late-2013s and mid-2014s are slightly higher clock speeds (only 0.2GHz difference) and the late-2013's usually go for an extra $200 off through the refurb site because they are last years model. (Note, both the late-2013s and mid-2014s are Haswell machines)
Also worth noting that Apple's refurbs are very well done. You get a new case, battery, and display along with serial number. The only refurbished part is the logic board and the machine carries the same 1-year warranty as a new MacBook Pro. You can also still add AppleCare for an additional 2 years of warranty, and save quite a bit since its refurbished.
Good luck and welcome to Macintosh!
