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Just destroyed Macbook (2.16ghz) screen. What to do?

D

DJLanglois

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 21, 2008
39
0
Yesterday morning, I completely destroyed the screen the white Macbook I purchased in the fall of '07 (2.16ghz, 2GB of RAM, etc.).

Apparently having the screen replaced will run me ~$500. That seems like a lot of money for a relatively old system. I figure that I should probably sell this current (broken-screen) system for a couple hundred bucks and buy a new laptop. Will people pay money for this system, despite the screen? Could I make a couple hundred bucks? Thoughts?

If I buy a new system, what should I do? I primarily want something light and durable that'll be quick (and stay quick, for a few years) with e-mail, web browsing, watching movies, etc. (and having a lot of these things going at once). Should I just buy the basic $999 white Macbook? Is there any reason for me to buy a lower-end Pro?

Help/advice would be appreciated.

Oh, one further question. Is there any downside to purchasing a refurbished Macbook/Pro (with Apple Care) from Apple? And are any current models available refurbished? (I see some units that *seem* like the current models, but I have a hard time telling the difference between the most current units and the ones from before refreshes/updates, etc.)
 
Selling it with a broken screen is probably more difficult than you have it fixed first and then sell it. So I would advice to have it repaired in the first place and then you can sell it quite well and can expect also much more than only a few bucks. For the things you plan to do a white MacBook should be just fine.
 
angemon89 said:
Yeah, eBay will probably fetch you between $100-200 bucks easily.

I would recommend this
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB990LL/A?mco=MTA4MzIzMzA

This is the current 13" MBP. I've purchased refurbished in the past and my computer came to me looking just like new.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the advice and link. I appreciate it. Is there any reason to prefer that MBP to this refurbished Macbook?: http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC207LL/A?mco=MTU5MjkwMjk

(I think that's the current [Nov '09] Macbook, but I'm not positive.)

DeLoradore said:
Selling it with a broken screen is probably more difficult than you have it fixed first and then sell it. So I would advice to have it repaired in the first place and then you can sell it quite well and can expect also much more than only a few bucks. For the things you plan to do a white MacBook should be just fine.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about repairing it and then selling it. But it seems doubtful to me that I'll get $500 more for a repaired unit than I would for this broken-screen unit. (Basically, my fear is that the cost of repairing the unit would eliminate any gains I'd make by landing a higher selling price.) What do you think?
 
DeLoradore said:
Selling it with a broken screen is probably more difficult than you have it fixed first and then sell it. So I would advice to have it repaired in the first place and then you can sell it quite well and can expect also much more than only a few bucks. For the things you plan to do a white MacBook should be just fine.
Click to expand...
IMO not a good idea. His computer is probably worth between 500-600. The cost to fix the screen will cost him that alone.

Unless he does the repair himself I would not recommend doing this.


BTW what exacty is wrong with the screen?


DJLanglois said:
Thanks very much for the advice and link. I appreciate it. Is there any reason to prefer that MBP to this refurbished Macbook?: http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC207LL/A?mco=MTU5MjkwMjk

(I think that's the current [Nov '09] Macbook, but I'm not positive.)
Click to expand...
Yep, thats it.

Well, because it has more features. But both MacBooks will run exactly the same they basically have the same parts.
 
angemon89 said:
BTW what exacty is wrong with the screen?

Well, because it has more features. But both MacBooks will run exactly the same they basically have the same parts.
Click to expand...

1. The screen is cracked/smashed at the bottom, so it there is a substantial amount of blackness in a big semi-circle at the bottom edge of the panel. The rest of the screen just completely phases out (into a mess of blue and white) unless I apply some pressure to the back of the lid. Pretty whacked out.

2. The features seem to be: firewire, sd slot, backlit keys, aluminum case, etc. A couple of those features sound good... just having a hard time deciding whether they're worth $150.
 
Due to the screen being broken i would pay like 500 for a new one with a cracked screen but since it is 3 years old used i would only pay 100-200. email me at
 
Last edited:
OP, this is just a thought...

Would you have any use for a music server/small htpc? I was thinking that you could hide the broken guy somewhere by your tv and have something to host all of you music, some tv, and a few movies connected to your receiver. If not, you could market the broken machine as such.
 
kindablue09 said:
OP, this is just a thought...

Would you have any use for a music server/small htpc? I was thinking that you could hide the broken guy somewhere by your tv and have something to host all of you music, some tv, and a few movies connected to your receiver. If not, you could market the broken machine as such.
Click to expand...

I second this suggestion. For years I used an old PIII laptop with a broken battery and screen as a server. I've recently switched my old 933Mhz iBook G4 to being a media server and it works very well in that role. Alternatively, if you have an interest in repairing it yourself you can always get one of the iFixit guides and try and find a similar broken MacBook for sale where the screen is good and switch parts to get a working machine.

Edit: For example http://cgi.ebay.com/White-Macbook-B...aultDomain_0?hash=item4a9d71e954#ht_500wt_924 seems like a good candidate and you would get a spare charger and battery as part of the deal. $200 for the spares and a replacement LCD seems like a good deal to me.
 
kindablue09 said:
OP, this is just a thought...

Would you have any use for a music server/small htpc? I was thinking that you could hide the broken guy somewhere by your tv and have something to host all of you music, some tv, and a few movies connected to your receiver. If not, you could market the broken machine as such.
Click to expand...

Along the same lines, you could also get a monitor/keyboard/mouse and use it as a desktop and get a mbp or netbook depending on your budget
 
this sounds suspiciously like the OP maybe had one drink too many over the festive period and his machine met an untimely end? :rolleyes:
 
DJLanglois said:
Yesterday morning, I completely destroyed the screen the white Macbook I purchased in the fall of '07 (2.16ghz, 2GB of RAM, etc.).

Apparently having the screen replaced will run me ~$500. That seems like a lot of money for a relatively old system. I figure that I should probably sell this current (broken-screen) system for a couple hundred bucks and buy a new laptop. Will people pay money for this system, despite the screen? Could I make a couple hundred bucks? Thoughts?

If I buy a new system, what should I do? I primarily want something light and durable that'll be quick (and stay quick, for a few years) with e-mail, web browsing, watching movies, etc. (and having a lot of these things going at once). Should I just buy the basic $999 white Macbook? Is there any reason for me to buy a lower-end Pro?

Help/advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

A MacBook with a broken screen but otherwise working is just a flat + wide MacMini. So the obvious choices are selling it on eBay and buying a new MacBook, or if you don't actually need a portable computer than you can obviously buy a mouse + keyboard + monitor. If you consider a low-end MacPro at all, then you should consider this first. 2007 MacBook should be able to use 4 GB RAM, and you can add an external 1 TB hard drive quite cheap. If you want to stay portable then either MacBook or MacBook Pro is a good choice; you can also look for refurbished ones at lower price.

You might also give a call to your home insurance and ask if the MacBook is covered.
 
If only the display is broken, you can make a couple of hundred of $ easily. A brand new display panel is sold for less than $ 100 by various vendors on eBay, so if anyone isn't afraid of replacing the display him/herself. You might even do it yourself, if you're a bit of a technician. iFixit.com offers excellent manuals for these kind of jobs.

But make sure you know what you're doing before you start such a job!

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Device/MacBook_Core_2_Duo
 
sheareb said:
this sounds suspiciously like the OP maybe had one drink too many over the festive period and his machine met an untimely end? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Pretty damn close. Fell asleep ridiculously drunk with my Macbook on my chest. Woke up to a loud crash as it slid off my chest, off the bed, and onto the floor. Fail.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm reading it all and taking it all into account. Keep it coming!
 
Contact Smalldog.com in Vermont. They recently blogged about how they
are replacing MB screens at a fraction of the price Apple charges because they sourced the parts themselves. They are a fully authorized Apple reseller with their own service department.
 
Hey everyone. Thanks for the help. I went ahead and purchased the refurbished Macbook for $849. Seems like a pretty darn good price to me. I'm going to be selling my broken late-07 Macbook to a local shop for $250. So after taxes and stuff, I'll be out about $600. But hopefully this new Macbook will last me a few years. Grr.

One final question:

If I want to upgrade from 2GB of RAM to 4GB of RAM, what is my best route? Do I have any options?
 
DJLanglois said:
Hey everyone. Thanks for the help. I went ahead and purchased the refurbished Macbook for $849. Seems like a pretty darn good price to me. I'm going to be selling my broken late-07 Macbook to a local shop for $250. So after taxes and stuff, I'll be out about $600. But hopefully this new Macbook will last me a few years. Grr.

One final question:

If I want to upgrade from 2GB of RAM to 4GB of RAM, what is my best route? Do I have any options?
Click to expand...

www.crucial.com :)
 
Is it not a possibility to run your broken macbook in clamshell mode attached to external display and run it like that?
 
I see you already bought a refurbished macbook (congratulations on the new purchase) so maybe my comment is a little too late, but here it goes anyway:

I had the screen of my 2008 blackbook ruined one day while working at a coffee shop in the late afternoon. I didn't notice one of their employees place a small candle on my table near my computer, and by the time I noticed a strange distortion on my screen it was too late. A big heat blister developed, warping the laptop's out case and the LCD (leaving a large dead area on the screen). Needless to say, when I paid I did not leave a tip.

I am sort of a DIY kind of guy, so I decided to try and order a replacement screen and do the install myself. I found a screen on ebay for $75, and it arrived in less than a week. The install was quick and easy using this guide: http://www.screentekinc.com/lcd-removal-instructions_en,macbook.shtml
I also found a replacement for the case/shell for about $20.

I'm pretty happy with these results. It's much better than the ~$500-$600 it would have cost to have Apple do it for me.
 
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