i5/8gb/256 ssd UK refurb

[DuckSoupX]

Hello,

Just wondering if an i5/8gb/256ssd refurb for £759 is a good deal?

I would prefer 512 but many say that external would be fine. I am currently using a 128 ssd i5 8gb macbook pro from 2015, and have 20gb free. My main concern is xcode taking up space as I am a developer. Other apps such as affinity photo, keynote etc which I don't use much will be placed on an external drive. I don't plan to bootcamp, but if I do, then I'll do so from an external ssd.

Just wondering if I'm getting a good deal, or if I'm shooting myself in the foot for not getting the 512.
Plan to keep for a year or 2, and then sell for a macbook pro when covid settles down and I need to be mobile again.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[wardie]

I have one of those exact spec its fine but I use as a server, you can just stick fast SSD drives off it externally either TB3 or USB3. I think I paid £900 refurb a couple of years back now so that looks like a good deal.

 

[DuckSoupX]

I have one of those exact spec its fine but I use as a server, you can just stick fast SSD drives off it externally either TB3 or USB3. I think I paid £900 refurb a couple of years back now so that looks like a good deal.

Thanks for the reply. Do you think I'll regret not having the 512 when it comes time to resell?

 

[wardie]

Thanks for the reply. Do you think I'll regret not having the 512 when it comes time to resell?

Only you can tell if you’d regret it! Would it have a massive impact on resell price years later beyond the additional cost difference, I doubt it.

 

[DuckSoupX]

Only you can tell if you’d regret it! Would it have a massive impact on resell price years later beyond the additional cost difference, I doubt it.

Thanks, you're right.
Honestly if I don't care about the write speeds then why does everyone on this forum keep saying its better to go for the 512?
If the mac mini never moves and you can just get an external USB3 ssd, then why is it better to pay 200 more for it to be internal?
I am trying to understand this logic but it doesn't make sense. Surely 256gb extra internal storage is not worth £200, when you can get a 250gb ssd for like £40....
Maybe I'm missing something here...

 

[wardie]

I think the larger internal drives are a bit faster at large sequential r/w speeds, but that’s like saying a Ferrari is rubbish as its not a Bugatti. All the SSD internal drives on new Macs are relatively fast. It depends on what you do with it whether that would matter at all to you.

 

[Boyd01]

UK prices are going to be different from ours in the US, so I don't know if it's a good deal. Is this a refurb purchased directly from Apple? IMO, those are very attractive, I bought one myself this summer. They have been completely checked and brought to "like new" condition with the same warranty as new, but the price is typically 15% less. However, if you are not buying directly from Apple, then "refurb" could mean almost anything.

Regarding SSD speed/size, only you can say. But there's a huge difference between the Mini's internal disk and a cheap external USB disk. I have the 2tb internal SSD and that is faster than the smaller ones, I get write speeds about 2700 MB/sec and IIRC the 512gb internals are closer to 2000 MB/sec write.

But a cheap external USB SSD (such as a Samsung T5) will probably be about 500 MB/sec and a more expensive external (like a Samsung T7) will be around 900 MB/sec. Of course, just a few years ago these would have been considered very fast, and whether it matters depends on how you use your Mac.

 

[deksawyer]

Sounds like a good deal to me. I have the i7/512 and run an external TB3 drive for mainly Logic projects & files. Speeds are surprisingly fast. Orico TB3 enclosure and a 1TB Sabrent rocket SSD. All for less that 200 quid.