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Im thinking this refurb to save $1000...thoughts?

quicksilver77

quicksilver77

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 30, 2005
278
13
Nova Scotia, Canada
I want to get a new MBP 15" and plan to mostly do internet and some IT management on it. I would like to get back into gaming a little bit and use Steam to play some older games. I do not plan to run any new games should I get this refurb model for $1599? Or the 2.6 new MBP for $2600 with the 750?

Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display
Originally released June 2012
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage
720p FaceTime HD Camera
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
 
For your uses, no, buying the new model wouldn't make sense.

If you're all about the cool factor though (which is 99% of the people on this forum), then by all means, spend the extra $1000 to get a slightly faster system :p.
 
Ha. Thanks. Are they not exactly the same in looks? Im not about the cool factor...I am about buying the system that fits my needs. I can upgrade every 2-3 years so I was figuring this refurb at its current price point would be perfect for me. I have never gamed on a Mac so thats why I ask...
 
Look wise, they are the exact same. The new ones are thinner though and thus, weigh less.
 
quicksilver77 said:
Are you sure? I just looked up the specs for the mid 2012 Mbp and it is 1.8cm thick and weighs 4.6 pounds. From what I can tell that's the same as the new ones??? Am I kissing something?
Click to expand...

I think the 13" is thinner, not the 15". I don't really see how the 15" could get much thinner.

I bought the same model (mid-2012, $1599) that you're looking at about 3 weeks ago and really like it. I don't want to get your hopes up, but some of us who ordered this model were pleasantly surprised to find 16GB memory instead of 8GB installed. There was not a 16GB option online for the certified refurbs, so evidently some who originally purchased the entry-level mid-2012 model had upgraded to 16GB and then returned the computer before the 14 days were passed.
 
quicksilver77 said:
Thanks. I think I will grab this model tomorrow. Seems like a decent deal.
Click to expand...

That model has been in and out of stock, back and forth, for the past couple of weeks.

However, check out the February 2013 rMBP refurb. Apple dropped the price of it $210 today. Now it's $1659, which is a great deal. It has a bump in the processor from the June 2012 model and some tweaks to lessen the possibility of image retention. I considered that model but it was $1869 till today.
 
For $1k....I'd wait the 30 days.

They are generally pretty conservative with their shipping estimates too, so I would imagine it won't take that long.
 
Broadus said:
That model has been in and out of stock, back and forth, for the past couple of weeks.

However, check out the February 2013 rMBP refurb. Apple dropped the price of it $210 today. Now it's $1659, which is a great deal. It has a bump in the processor from the June 2012 model and some tweaks to lessen the possibility of image retention. I considered that model but it was $1869 till today.
Click to expand...

I am thinking whether to go with this 2.4GHz refurbished, or the new base model for $250 more (student pricing)

The new one runs cooler
 
Ive never bought a new mac, always refurb or used. There is no real downside to getting a refurb, Id highly recommend that option. 2 of macbook pros were bought used and 1 on refurb. No problems on any :D

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quicksilver77 said:
Ha. Thanks. Are they not exactly the same in looks? Im not about the cool factor...I am about buying the system that fits my needs. I can upgrade every 2-3 years so I was figuring this refurb at its current price point would be perfect for me. I have never gamed on a Mac so thats why I ask...
Click to expand...

Oh I must ask. Do you plan on installing Windows on a partition? If you use steam on OSX make sure the games you want to play are compatible. Out of my 80 games on steam, only 25 are mac supported.
This is my supported game list:

 
I went ahead and ordered it. 30 days is not too long and hopefully it shows up sooner. I plan to sell my mid 2010 15" anyways so that gives me some more time to advertise it.

Thanks for the tip on gaming through steam. I didnt' plan to install Windows at all as I can remote into any machine I need on my network and work network for the times i may need windows.

I was thinking my first game might be Bioshock (Original) as I haven't played it since it was originally released on the 360.

Both my 27"iMac and 27" Thunderbolt display are refurbs so I never hesitate with buying refurb I was more worried about power...:)
 
quicksilver77 said:
I want to get a new MBP 15" and plan to mostly do internet and some IT management on it. I would like to get back into gaming a little bit and use Steam to play some older games. I do not plan to run any new games should I get this refurb model for $1599? Or the 2.6 new MBP for $2600 with the 750?
Click to expand...

If it's still in stock I would get the refurbished 2.4Ghz model. It's only $60 more and you're getting the February 2013 revision instead of the June 2012 revision. That's what I ordered.
 
quicksilver77 said:
Thanks....I got the February Model....couldn't pass it up. Now the wait begins. Going to be along Movember :)
Click to expand...

Good move. I would have ordered the February 2013 model if it had been only $60 more when I ordered mine a few weeks ago. Instead, it was $270 more. Getting the extra 8GB for free made me feel a little better.

You're going to have a really good computer and I don't think you've lost anything noticeable by getting the refurb instead of the newly-released refresh.
 
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