Is it stupid to by a refurb 2019 MBP?

[ilikewhey]

but that's not for everyone. and again, the base model only has 1 fan which is going to exacerbate heat issues.

I've seen a base model 2020 stay at 6000rpm and 90celsius by just video calling via Zoom.
or watching youtube on an external display (not even 4K).

my experience with the 2019 was similar and I was very happy to not have any of those issues on the 2020 4-port.
since the 2020 4-port runs a little bit warmer than the 2019 4-port, I don't see why the 2019 should be avoided at all costs.
the keyboard experience is completely subjective and the 4-year Apple program offsets some of the negatives.
I'm not going to suggest pretending to have keyboard issues just to get battery replacements of course, but 4 years is a long time especially considering ARM is coming.
4 years from now I'd expect a lot more progress in terms of power than the last 4 years have been with Intel.

because the 2019 keyboard is prone to heat issues, while the 2020 keyboard is not, heat related keyboard failure is not well documented, since most folks just blame crumbs or other cause, but it does exist.

the number of years you keep your laptop is up to the individual. the reason why i dont mind dropping 2-3k on a mac cause i expect them to last a long time, i on avg use my macs for 6-8 years before upgrading. thats why im still typing on my 2015 mbp. if your telling me my mac is build only for 4 years, i rather go buy a cheaper window laptop with same or better spec for much much less, and just upgrade more frequently.

 

[involuntarheely]

because the 2019 keyboard is prone to heat issues, while the 2020 keyboard is not, heat related keyboard failure is not well documented, since most folks just blame crumbs or other cause, but it does exist.

the number of years you keep your laptop is up to the individual. the reason why i dont mind dropping 2-3k on a mac cause i expect them to last a long time, i on avg use my macs for 6-8 years before upgrading. thats why im still typing on my 2015 mbp. if your telling me my mac is build only for 4 years, i rather go buy a cheaper window laptop with same or better spec for much much less, and just upgrade more frequently.

as the other poster said there seems to be a lot less issues on the 2019 keyboard
the mbp 2020 has been out for 3 months with the new keyboard I'm not sure how that is any indication of its lifespan for 4+ years.

 

[ilikewhey]

as the other poster said there seems to be a lot less issues on the 2019 keyboard
the mbp 2020 has been out for 3 months with the new keyboard I'm not sure how that is any indication of its lifespan for 4+ years.

the only reason why i'm holding off on the 2020 is the arrival of arm, it will be a generational leap for these who doesn't need x86. so yeah the 2020 will have a longer span than the butterfly, but with arm coming its a no buy for me.

 

[Yebubbleman]

It depends, right?
My most recent Mac is from 2009. I need a new machine, I’m an illustrator, designer, and musician. Therefor, I cannot afford a new MBP😂

Eyeing refurb MBPs, which seem to sell before I can even input my payment info.

Is it a colossal waste of money for me to by a refurb 2019 model? Quad core i5, 8gb ram, 128gb hd fits my budget. Also, is 8gb ram really enough?

Age-old questions, no easy answer.

Yes. It is a colossal waste. For one, that keyboard is god-awful. For two, 128GB is not enough storage unless you're browsing the internet and maybe installing one or two serious programs. Unless you're rocking music/design/illustration apps that are Mac only (and in this day and age, that is extremely unlikely), you'll be able to afford a decent Windows PC with ample storage (at least user-upgradable storage) and RAM you can upgrade yourself later when the time is right (8GB is going to hurt before too long).

If you could get a model with the fixed keyboard, that would be one thing, but not enough. If you could get bigger than 128GB, that would also be one thing, but not enough. Same with the RAM. But all of those handicaps basically mean that you're spending enough money to buy a PC that doesn't have these issues on a Mac that will hinder you for having them.

And yes, as others have said, if you HAVE to go Mac platform, the impending switch to Apple Silicon from Intel means that a 2019 MacBook Pro is not worth it, especially since that will likely drop even the Intel 2020 models with the improved keyboards down in price. So, I'd either save for a 2020 model and/or wait for the Apple Silicon 13" MacBook Pros to drop later this year or go Windows. (It's true that there are many bad Windows PCs out there; but that's not to say that there aren't also many good ones too. I'm typing this on one! )

Sorry if all of that is harsh; I've been where you've been before and trust me, it's just not worth it.

 

[bluecoast]

Personally I’d steer clear of any model with butterfly keys - and that includes the 2019 13 MBP models. Plus Apple Silicon is on the horizon (but I know the OP needs a new Mac now).

I think that refurb models are fine, but it’s a sad state of affairs that Apple allowed their new models to become so error prone because of the butterfly keyboard that it’s hard to recommend any refurb MacBook pre 2020 (except for the 2019 16 inch MBP).

 

[Alex W.]

But not everyone is eligible for this deal.

Yes everyone is, just log into apple education store and buy it, you dont need to verify your education status.

 

[Anthony Whiskey]

It depends, right?
My most recent Mac is from 2009. I need a new machine, I’m an illustrator, designer, and musician. Therefor, I cannot afford a new MBP😂

Eyeing refurb MBPs, which seem to sell before I can even input my payment info.

Is it a colossal waste of money for me to by a refurb 2019 model? Quad core i5, 8gb ram, 128gb hd fits my budget. Also, is 8gb ram really enough?

Age-old questions, no easy answer.

In 2015 I bought two 13 inch refurbs for my duaghters. Now late 2020 and to date these machines have been flawless. No expanding batteries or other high profile, MAC killing problems.

 

[ilikewhey]

In 2015 I bought two 13 inch refurbs for my duaghters. Now late 2020 and to date these machines have been flawless. No expanding batteries or other high profile, MAC killing problems.

2015 mbp are build like tanks, the last most well engineered Mac in many opinions, the butterfly gen mbp, not so much

 

[ght56]

It depends, right?
My most recent Mac is from 2009. I need a new machine, I’m an illustrator, designer, and musician. Therefor, I cannot afford a new MBP😂

Eyeing refurb MBPs, which seem to sell before I can even input my payment info.

Is it a colossal waste of money for me to by a refurb 2019 model? Quad core i5, 8gb ram, 128gb hd fits my budget. Also, is 8gb ram really enough?

Age-old questions, no easy answer.

If you have not decided yet, it's an easy question for me - yes, it's a potential waste, and a potential hassle, and a potential money pit. I would personally not buy any 2016 to 2019 13-inch, as the butterfly mechanism is a hot mess, and any money you save may eventually be offset by frustration, downtime, and out-of-pocket repair costs (that keyboard replacement program only lasts 4 years...and if your current machine is 4 years old, I assume you plan to keep the new one longer than 4 years, meaning you could very well face an expensive out-of-pocket repair bill when your keyboard fails outside of this warranty period. Further, the replacements are still butterfly keyboards.)

Also, as others have noted, 128GB is barely enough for a phone these days, and I would try for at least 256GB on something you plan to keep for a long time. And even 256GB isn't much...three or so years down the road you might really regret only getting 256. If money is a factor, a refurb MacBook Air with the scissor mechanism keyboard + at least a 256 SSD might be worth consideration if you are not using the computer for serious processing tasks.

All that said, it looks like you can get a refurb 2020 13-inch with a 1.4 GHz i5, 8GB RAM, and a 512 SSD for $1,270 direct from Apple. For a MacBook Pro, that isn't a bad deal at all. Micro Center also has had some pretty wild refurb deals so yo may want to check them out. They had base 16-inch MacBook Pros for like $1,400 or something crazy like that, so they might have solid 2020 13-inch deals in the future?