I need some help from the community. In early 2008, I bought my first Apple computer and I loved it. It been the best laptop I owned and it has outlasted my others computers before that, a Dell (biggest piece of crap I ever owned, had it warrantied 8 different time and three different motherboards replaced and yet the problem never went away) and a Sony. Well, the time has come that I decided I want to replace it. It ran really good for a solid 4 years and it still runs good today. But I running into overheating issues and screen issues. I know about the graphics card defect in this model but my screen has bad/bright pixels and it starting to annoy me. Plus the case seams to be coming apart. So I been roaming around craigslist that past few days looking at how much I going to break down and spend to upgrade to a newer machine. I upgraded to Lion but found that my computer is a the limit for Lion. So, with how my Mac is now, I think I will look for a newer machine. MY Question is which one should I get? I wanting something for HD video edition, so something with a big video card. Which MBP would be a stable MBP to get, I 09 or 10 version. The I series is still pretty much up in price so I not really looking into those yet. I was thinking of the mid 09 macbookpro5,3, 2.8 Ghz C2D with NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT. What do you all think, I on a tight budget so I have a limit.
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Looking to buy used MBP
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If you're not going to get an i* series MBP you might as well wait until you can afford it. Why bother sinking money into a very marginal upgrade?
A marginal upgrade is better than nothing when my current MBP can't even play youtube videos correctly. I on a college budget. I work, go to school full time, and I still have my hobby on the side. For the price of a referb unit, I might as well buy a new unit.
Buying refurb saves you money and it has 1 year Apple warranty. If you are on the budget then every penny counts.
Then it sounds like there's a problem with your Mac that you might want to look into first. Every Mac built in the past 5 years should be able to play Youtube videos just fine.
I'd try and troubleshoot what you have first. I agree that if at all possible wait until you can upgrade to an i series CPU if at all possible. If you can't, just get the newest that you can afford. The performance difference with just the first generation i series is a really a massive difference with what come before it.
I have just sold a 17 inch version of this model. I sold it to fund the purchase of the retina MacBook pro. One of my main reasons for selling was due to the power upgrade I would get from the retina MacBook pro for editing HD movies.
The mid 2009 model is adequate, it's just wasn't fast enough for me.
First, make a genius appointment to have your current rig looked at:
1. They can check to see about the graphics problem and possibly replace the motherboard and graphics card. (I've read reports on MR that they've still been replaced even though the deadline has passed.)
2. They can open it up and check on your cooling fans to see if they're clogged with dust or have stopped working.
3. The appointment/consultation is free.
If they can fix one or both problems for free or inexpensively, you could either soldier on with your old unit a bit longer, OR sell it for a modest sum on CL to help pay for an upgrade to a later I series MBP.
1. They can check to see about the graphics problem and possibly replace the motherboard and graphics card. (I've read reports on MR that they've still been replaced even though the deadline has passed.)
2. They can open it up and check on your cooling fans to see if they're clogged with dust or have stopped working.
3. The appointment/consultation is free.
If they can fix one or both problems for free or inexpensively, you could either soldier on with your old unit a bit longer, OR sell it for a modest sum on CL to help pay for an upgrade to a later I series MBP.
Performance wise, you'll not really see a very large increase in speed, between an 08 and an 09 and personally if you're looking at video editing. I'd look for an i-series MBP.
Failing that, I believe the 2010 model has a better GPU then the prior models so I'd focus on that model
They definitely do still replace these. I was at the Apple Store a week ago, this girl was complaining about issues, I asked her (when the Genius went to get paperwork) if she had graphics issues, and it would be covered by Apple if it did. Lo and behold they did a graphics test and she ended up with a new motherboard and problem was fixed (I was there next day to pick up my computer).
I take it sometime this week to Apple and have them look at it again. On the fans, I run smc fan control to keep the speed up a bit to keep it cool. I run normally around 3000 rpms. right now, with only Safari open on MacRumors, I running a current 150 on GPU diode, heatsink 1 at 145, and CPU is 120.
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I don't know why but with my youtube, when playing a video, it lagging. Audio and video are not in sync, video is choppy and it takes itself a minute to realize the play/pause button has been hit. I have to use FireFox to get decent video. Sometime it will also lag in Firefox but it alway lags in Safari.
Usability upgrade part deux:
Let's say you get your video card checked, and it's either replaced or determined to be in working order. Your fans are either cleaned or cheaply replaced.
You can then find 4 gigs of DDR2 memory from newegg for as little as $60 or go to the maximum of 6 gigs for roughly $100. Or get a matched 6 gig set from OWC for $125.
The 250gb, 5400 rpm drive is a bit of a dog by todays standards, and a bit slow, especially if it's 80% or more full. Back in the day, I experienced what I thought was a night and day difference going to a larger, 7200 rpm drive on mine. OWC has 750 gig 7200 rpm drives for $100, and you can find 256gb SSD drives for a bigger difference for $200 or a bit less if you do some careful shopping.
My suggested game plan is:
1) Make genius bar appointment to have your fans and video card checked out for free.
2. If they both pass muster or are repaired, you can:
A. Spend $60 on 4 gigs of ram and put it on craigslist. Also have a copy f the genius bar final report showing the video card passed inspection or was replaced. Use the money obtained towards getting a 2011 or newer MBP.
B. Roll the dice and love the one you're with a bit longer. Bit of a chance considering the history of the graphics card, but you'll probably see a world of difference if you can cram the ram and stick in a larger and/or faster HDD/SSD. You'll also be able to stick an SSD into a new MBP later one (assuming you get a sata III model) or use your HDD as a external drive once you do upgrade.
Just my three cents worth...
Let's say you get your video card checked, and it's either replaced or determined to be in working order. Your fans are either cleaned or cheaply replaced.
You can then find 4 gigs of DDR2 memory from newegg for as little as $60 or go to the maximum of 6 gigs for roughly $100. Or get a matched 6 gig set from OWC for $125.
The 250gb, 5400 rpm drive is a bit of a dog by todays standards, and a bit slow, especially if it's 80% or more full. Back in the day, I experienced what I thought was a night and day difference going to a larger, 7200 rpm drive on mine. OWC has 750 gig 7200 rpm drives for $100, and you can find 256gb SSD drives for a bigger difference for $200 or a bit less if you do some careful shopping.
My suggested game plan is:
1) Make genius bar appointment to have your fans and video card checked out for free.
2. If they both pass muster or are repaired, you can:
A. Spend $60 on 4 gigs of ram and put it on craigslist. Also have a copy f the genius bar final report showing the video card passed inspection or was replaced. Use the money obtained towards getting a 2011 or newer MBP.
B. Roll the dice and love the one you're with a bit longer. Bit of a chance considering the history of the graphics card, but you'll probably see a world of difference if you can cram the ram and stick in a larger and/or faster HDD/SSD. You'll also be able to stick an SSD into a new MBP later one (assuming you get a sata III model) or use your HDD as a external drive once you do upgrade.
Just my three cents worth...
I actually have a WD 500 GB 7200 PRM installed. I had a friend install it. I used about 400 GB of it.
You've mentioned long term wear and tear with yours including case coming apart and screen issues. These things can happen with other machines. Battery aging occurs, and these things require a battery to function correctly. Many of them rely on the battery for spikes in power consumption even when plugged into the wall. Chargers have long term wear and tear issues, especially the older ones. If a 2009 or 2010 is on its first battery, it may eventually require replacement. I personally had the dreaded expanding battery in a 2008 model. Unless it's cheap, I think secondhand computers that are more than a year old are often a source of headaches. The safari thing is most likely a software issue. It may include network problems. Changing computers is not a guaranteed method of resolving software issues, as you're likely to go with the same basic configurations and run them on the same internet connection.
Anyway if these things are used hard as portable computers, they do not necessarily last forever. Some users still have running 2006 notebooks. Others are broken. It's an issue of usage patterns and sample variation, but I wouldn't drop too much on something of the 2009 era. If it's above $500 I'd definitely walk.