I'm looking to get the previous version macbook pro 15" off ebay. Is this a good idea? considering all the problems with the logic board and such.
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Looking to get a macbook pro
- Thread starter jumpman23j
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I'd prefer to say positive things than negative so here goes.
I feel you would appreciate the reliability, performance, features, quality and longer lifespan of the Unibody MacBook Pro. Consider buying one used or refurbished from Apple. The next Mac I purchase will be refurbished simply because it knocks a bit off the price. That's the only difference, honest! Same warranty and the same stuff is included.
I feel you would appreciate the reliability, performance, features, quality and longer lifespan of the Unibody MacBook Pro. Consider buying one used or refurbished from Apple. The next Mac I purchase will be refurbished simply because it knocks a bit off the price. That's the only difference, honest! Same warranty and the same stuff is included.
i will be brutally honest with you,
if you are talking a macbook pro with a 8600GT , its its more then $600 save your money, there trash
my company had 3 of these and all three failed, were replaced 1 of them 4 times.
there tickin time bombs, some do work, and work well, but thats a small number.
i beg you to buy a unibody on the refurb store....save your money if you have to, do not invest in pre unibody !
good luck!
if you are talking a macbook pro with a 8600GT , its its more then $600 save your money, there trash
my company had 3 of these and all three failed, were replaced 1 of them 4 times.
there tickin time bombs, some do work, and work well, but thats a small number.
i beg you to buy a unibody on the refurb store....save your money if you have to, do not invest in pre unibody !
good luck!
Yeah sadly the 8600gt's going gentle into that good night is but the last of the plagues that anti-Christ-like mac haters can run around with on the end of a flag pole. The unibodies are a fresh start, iMacs included.
People want to hang onto the tiniest and most illogical stuff. They complain about ONE single experience for the rest of their life so that it seems like they know what they're talking about. "oh don't get a mac, I had: an iMac G5 that got hot and warped the disk drive slot, iBook G3 that lost its pretty little handle and made it fall to the ground destroying my data, Power Mac G4/5 that sounded like a damn jet taking off even when the fans were low, iMac G4 that lost all tension in the arm and caused the screen to sit an inch off the desk, eMac that just died one day with no signs of pending doom and no hope of recovery, PowerMac G4 that just "popped" one day when I pressed the power button and was never seen sucking air/electricity again".
It's ridiculous, really. It would be like me complaining that I had serious driver issues when I upgraded to Win95, it would be stupid to assume that the same case would be an issue 14 years later. Right?
People want to hang onto the tiniest and most illogical stuff. They complain about ONE single experience for the rest of their life so that it seems like they know what they're talking about. "oh don't get a mac, I had: an iMac G5 that got hot and warped the disk drive slot, iBook G3 that lost its pretty little handle and made it fall to the ground destroying my data, Power Mac G4/5 that sounded like a damn jet taking off even when the fans were low, iMac G4 that lost all tension in the arm and caused the screen to sit an inch off the desk, eMac that just died one day with no signs of pending doom and no hope of recovery, PowerMac G4 that just "popped" one day when I pressed the power button and was never seen sucking air/electricity again".
It's ridiculous, really. It would be like me complaining that I had serious driver issues when I upgraded to Win95, it would be stupid to assume that the same case would be an issue 14 years later. Right?
Thanks guys, if I do intend on upgrading from my macbook to a macbook pro than I will get a unibody. I currently have a macbook from 2006 and it has brought nothing but joy to me as I currently have only replaced the harddrive once for failure with no other problems. Any big differences from the 13" over the 15" mbp's?
For me screen size was the big thing. I was ok with the low end 13" specs for my use but when I saw them side my side and spent time messing with the 13" I realized I preferred the larger screen due to comfort. Sure I got 4GB RAM and a bigger HD over the low end 13" but since it cost more you pay for those things anyway.
Nothing beats getting your hands on them and seeing what "feels" right. Specs can be compared all day but 10min in the shop can tell you a lot.
I just got the early 2009 MBP 15" off of the refurb store and couldn't be happier. They have the base model for $1299 there right now and that is quite honestly a fantastic deal. I was lucky to get the mid model (retails for $1999) for $1599 and the computer is amazing. I have been getting around 4+ hours of battery life under normal use and it is light years better than the 2006 MB Core Duo that I replaced.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB470LL/A?mco=MTA4MzQ4MjQ
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB470LL/A?mco=MTA4MzQ4MjQ
Go refurb or buy new from Ebay. They are under warranty anyway.
Depending on what you are trying to do, you may want to be careful with the config:
If you want more than 4gb of ram you need either the latest model (mid 2009) or the 2.66GHz or 2.93GHz from the early 2009 models.
I you will want to change your hard drive for any reason, avoid the mid 2009 models since they seem to have problems with the SATA II EFI/board design for some drives.
I currently own a late 2008 2.4GHz model and was trying to do both. The best compromise for me was an early 2009 high end model (2.66GHz) which I bought on Ebay. It is available refurbished for $1,599 from Apple.
Depending on what you are trying to do, you may want to be careful with the config:
If you want more than 4gb of ram you need either the latest model (mid 2009) or the 2.66GHz or 2.93GHz from the early 2009 models.
I you will want to change your hard drive for any reason, avoid the mid 2009 models since they seem to have problems with the SATA II EFI/board design for some drives.
I currently own a late 2008 2.4GHz model and was trying to do both. The best compromise for me was an early 2009 high end model (2.66GHz) which I bought on Ebay. It is available refurbished for $1,599 from Apple.
Buddy looking to go from 13" to 15", all I'll say is once you play with a higher resolution larger screen it's hard to downsize ever again. I once had a 15" unibody MacBook Pro that a client had shipped to my house and gave me the privelage to use it for a whole week. I did a time machine restore onto it and once I felt like it was mine...I cried when I saw it leave. Ok not really but I was close to huffing and I did miss it. It's not like my aluMacBook isn't a marvel but once you have an extra pound of gold it's hard to let go 
How can I tell which model I am getting? I don't need too much ram but want a nice size hard drive.
1 make sure it's a unibody
2 if it has a removable battery it is the earlier 15"
3 Apple will always advertise the speed of the processor as something like "2.53ghz". All of the 2.53ghz processors of the unibodies are the same architecture and this applies for any similar speeds in the unibody line.
2 if it has a removable battery it is the earlier 15"
3 Apple will always advertise the speed of the processor as something like "2.53ghz". All of the 2.53ghz processors of the unibodies are the same architecture and this applies for any similar speeds in the unibody line.
Yeah I'm thinking of getting a 13" refurb. I want to have a decent size hd that I can store music and videos on so I would think a 160 gb hd would be good enough. I do have the option to upgrade the hd without any issues tho right?
I'm getting a 15" new UNIBODY MBP with a SSD. I'm sure it'll be a great computer, and hopefully it will last me 5 years at least
How long do you think they'll last?
How long do you think they'll last?
I'm getting a 15" new UNIBODY MBP with a SSD. I'm sure it'll be a great computer, and hopefully it will last me 5 years at least
How long do you think they'll last?
4 years and 364 days.
It depends on what "last" means. Physically, they will last a while. Whether they are still able to run programs that you desire is another story. It also depends how well you take care of it, how much you use it, etc. There are notebooks that don't make it past two years for some users and others can get 7 years easy. If you want it to, you can make it last that long.
1 Look at how much hard drive space you're using right now. If you want a good long life without replacing the hard drive then at least get a drive with a capacity double that of what you're using now.
2 I'm not certain if Apple considers the HDD user-replaceable on the new enclosed MacBook Pros, definately ask.
3 Depending on what programs you use and the lowest performance you will tolerate your Mac could last anywhere between a year and a decade. Believe it or not I still regularly use a clamshell iBook for web browsing and using office-oriented programs, the only downside being that the Flash performance is...nearly non-existent. And if that sounds far out, I happen to know that there are people using pre-G-series PowerBooks!
2 I'm not certain if Apple considers the HDD user-replaceable on the new enclosed MacBook Pros, definately ask.
3 Depending on what programs you use and the lowest performance you will tolerate your Mac could last anywhere between a year and a decade. Believe it or not I still regularly use a clamshell iBook for web browsing and using office-oriented programs, the only downside being that the Flash performance is...nearly non-existent. And if that sounds far out, I happen to know that there are people using pre-G-series PowerBooks!
Mr Cheeto is correct.
Look at this guide:
http://guides.macrumors.com/MacBook_Pro
The current version is rev G. with the larger battery non user removable, 8GB RAM support but with the SATA issue which apparently was patched for most people by the performance upgrade of SL but some are still reporting problems.
13" MB990*/A 2.26GHz, MB991*/A 2.53GHz,
15" MC118*/A 2.53GHz, MB985*/A 2.66GHz, MB986*/A 2.8GHz,
or 17" MC226*/A
Rev F. has the door on the backside of the computer which accesses the hard drive and the battery.
15" MB470LL/A 2.4GHz, MC026LL/A 2.66GHz,
or 17" MB604LL/A 2.8GHz
Look at this guide:
http://guides.macrumors.com/MacBook_Pro
The current version is rev G. with the larger battery non user removable, 8GB RAM support but with the SATA issue which apparently was patched for most people by the performance upgrade of SL but some are still reporting problems.
13" MB990*/A 2.26GHz, MB991*/A 2.53GHz,
15" MC118*/A 2.53GHz, MB985*/A 2.66GHz, MB986*/A 2.8GHz,
or 17" MC226*/A
Rev F. has the door on the backside of the computer which accesses the hard drive and the battery.
15" MB470LL/A 2.4GHz, MC026LL/A 2.66GHz,
or 17" MB604LL/A 2.8GHz