I have a budget of 1,000 dollars and am looking into a refurb... trying to gather info about which type of macbook and how old I should go with each for the most bang for my buck... any suggestions?
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How old of a macbook pro would I need...
- Thread starter dan4877
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simsaladimbamba
Guest
Are your computational needs important? If not, you can choose any MBP you find for 1000 USD.
Otherwise, we might need more info, as to what your computational needs are.
But a 15" with a High Res screen will be probably be hard to find for 1000 USD, if the Refurbished Section is your limit.
Otherwise, we might need more info, as to what your computational needs are.
But a 15" with a High Res screen will be probably be hard to find for 1000 USD, if the Refurbished Section is your limit.
pgiguere1
macrumors 68020
I just looked on the Apple US refurb store and not a single MBP is offered for less than $1000. You may want to look in the used market.
I suggest getting a mid-2010 15" or early-2011 13". Use the remaining cash towards a SSD and/or 8GB RAM.
You could get something like:
MacBook Pro 13" Early-2011 (used):
Dual-core Core i5 2.3GHz
4GB RAM
Intel HD 3000
320GB hard drive
$800
+
128GB SSD for the optibay ($100)
+
2x4GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM ($40)
Total: $940
OR
MacBook Pro 15" Mid-2010 (used):
Dual-core Core i5 2.4GHz
4GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
320GB hard drive
$900
+
128GB SSD for the optibay ($100)
+
2x4GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM ($40)
Total: $1040
I suggest getting a mid-2010 15" or early-2011 13". Use the remaining cash towards a SSD and/or 8GB RAM.
You could get something like:
MacBook Pro 13" Early-2011 (used):
Dual-core Core i5 2.3GHz
4GB RAM
Intel HD 3000
320GB hard drive
$800
+
128GB SSD for the optibay ($100)
+
2x4GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM ($40)
Total: $940
OR
MacBook Pro 15" Mid-2010 (used):
Dual-core Core i5 2.4GHz
4GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
320GB hard drive
$900
+
128GB SSD for the optibay ($100)
+
2x4GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM ($40)
Total: $1040
Last edited:
T5BRICK
macrumors G3
The current model 2.5GHz i5 13" MBP is just a few bucks over $1k in the refurb section.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD101LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-25ghz-dual-core-intel-i5
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD101LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-25ghz-dual-core-intel-i5
rockyroad55
macrumors 601
AlexMaximus
macrumors 65816
no matter what model, go for a dedicated gpu..
My recomendation to you: No matter what model or size you get, get always a model with dedicated gpu.
For a 2009 model, look for the 9600 GT gpu, for a 2010 model, look for a Gforce 330M. This way you make sure to have a longer product live cycle and better balanced system. Since the damand on the used market for a 17' MBP is low compared to other models, you may watch out for an 17'er. They are the best machines anyways.
My recomendation to you: No matter what model or size you get, get always a model with dedicated gpu.
For a 2009 model, look for the 9600 GT gpu, for a 2010 model, look for a Gforce 330M. This way you make sure to have a longer product live cycle and better balanced system. Since the damand on the used market for a 17' MBP is low compared to other models, you may watch out for an 17'er. They are the best machines anyways.
Probably not a big enough screen for my liking. Leaning towards 17"
----------
Where would I find the 15" mid-2010 macbook?
I just picked up a similar MacBook Pro as this except came with 8 GB RAM and the hi-res antiglare for $890 on Amazon.com.