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Macbook pro broke, new one or repair?

Leomacbook

Leomacbook

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2018
7
0
Hi,


So my macbook broke and I took it to a repair shop & they told me it was the motherboard which is wreckt. The cost of the repair would be around 800$... So I thought why not have a look on just getting a new one.

It was a Macbook Pro 2012 (not 100% sure), and I replaced the hdd with a 500gb ssd and the 4gb ram with 16gb of ram.

Looking on getting something similar to this ( like same power / speed)

Unfortunately I‘m not familiar with the new models..

It will be used right now mostly for school and just general stuff. But I am sometimes using final cut for example for some video editing (not that mucht though)& I will install parallel desktop to run windows on it.

Thanks heaps!
 
$800 on a 6 year old laptop seems crazy to me, I only ever see people with macs even entertaining that sort of thing. I would buy a new one myself and even with a busted logic board you’ll probably get a couple of hundred dollars back on the old old sold for spares or repair.
 
Leomacbook said:
Hi,


So my macbook broke and I took it to a repair shop & they told me it was the motherboard which is wreckt. The cost of the repair would be around 800$... So I thought why not have a look on just getting a new one.

It was a Macbook Pro 2012 (not 100% sure), and I replaced the hdd with a 500gb ssd and the 4gb ram with 16gb of ram.

Looking on getting something similar to this ( like same power / speed)

Unfortunately I‘m not familiar with the new models..

It will be used right now mostly for school and just general stuff. But I am sometimes using final cut for example for some video editing (not that mucht though)& I will install parallel desktop to run windows on it.

Thanks heaps!
Click to expand...


Waste of money. Way too dated. Buy a new or refurbished.
 
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Bummer, but definitely not worth repairing a 6-year-old machine for $800. Since you probably can't afford to wait for the next refresh, I suggest selling the broken machine for parts to recoup some money, and then trying to find a refurbished unit with 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM.

Not sure about the exact specs of your old MBP, but for your intended use any recent model will do (you might prefer a 15" with its 4 cores and discrete graphics if you are into video editing with final cut, though).
 
For budget wise i’d like to stay between 1.000-2000€. Do u think the transition of my old 15 inch mbp to a 13inch will annoy me a lot?
 
Leomacbook said:
Do u think the transition of my old 15 inch mbp to a 13inch will annoy me a lot?
Click to expand...
Possibly, it did me.

I've gone back and forth between 15" and 13" models and overall, I much prefer the 15" form factor. Everyone is different, so I can't say for sure in your case. Consider Apple refurbs, and also BH Video was running a promotion for some really cheap 15" MBPs so visit their page as well.
 
I'd go "new", with a refurb from Apple - full warranty, you save 15% or more, you can add Apple Care up until one year, so you'd have a semi-worry free ownership for 3 years. Also, your broken machine _does_ have some value as parts: the chassis/display should fetch a few bucks, pull the SSD and RAM and sell those off, you might be able to get about $200-250 to apply to a replacement machine. Downside is you might have to wait for the right machine to come into stock.

I mean, I'd also consider looking for a used machine (that has warranty or the option for AC), Apple equipment tends to be well cared for, people tend to keep all packaging - that of course is much more of a crapshoot in terms of availability.
 
Leomacbook said:
For budget wise i’d like to stay between 1.000-2000€. Do u think the transition of my old 15 inch mbp to a 13inch will annoy me a lot?
Click to expand...
If it were me, it would, but that's largely a personal thing (I code, write and edit photos a lot, and the more screen estate I can have the happier my eyes are). I'd just drop by an Apple Store and try out both before deciding.

In Europe, staying below 2000€ for a 15" with 512GB of storage is quite difficult, you might have to settle for a refurbished 2015 model or hunt for a used machine with warranty/AC. If budget is an issue and having a smaller screen isn't a huge deal, go for the 13".
 
D.T. said:
I'd go "new", with a refurb from Apple - full warranty, you save 15% or more, you can add Apple Care up until one year, so you'd have a semi-worry free ownership for 3 years.
Click to expand...

Apple Care+ now has to be purchased within the 1st 60-days..
 
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raqball said:
Apple Care+ now has to be purchased within the 1st 60-days..
Click to expand...

Ahh, my last AC purchase was pre-AC+, didn't realize they had changed the policy - no matter, same difference cost of 3 years total warranty factored in the first 2 months, vs. first 12 :)

AC+ is a [probably] a better deal anyway, and with the accident incident coverage, probably sooner than later makes sense.

Thanks for the clarification.
 
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Don't spend $800 to repair.
Look for a replacement -- new, Apple-refurbished, even used.

Why don't you tell us what went wrong with it?
 
What do
Fishrrman said:
Don't spend $800 to repair.
Look for a replacement -- new, Apple-refurbished, even used.

Why don't you tell us what went wrong with it?
Click to expand...

What do you mean what went wronf with it? It just stopped working. Never dropped it, I just remember that a few drops of water got onto my keyboard thats it...

The problem is that I’ll need a new one asap, as I need it for latest start of next week due to handing in assignments...

I’m actually living in Australia as an international student, if anyone knows about any promotions maybne here?

And I’ve acutally never heard of refurbished machines? I’ll need to have a look at it

Thanks so far!
 
Who gave you the $800 estimate?

I ask because I got got an $800 estimate for my 2012 15"MBP from the genius bar. I took to a a computer repair shop and got it fixed for $120. So, I'm suggesting getting a second estimate...
 
Idefix said:
Who gave you the $800 estimate?

I ask because I got got an $800 estimate for my 2012 15"MBP from the genius bar. I took to a a computer repair shop and got it fixed for $120. So, I'm suggesting getting a second estimate...
Click to expand...

I got it from an apple authorized repair shop.
[doublepost=1520547488][/doublepost]Ooooh ****... I acutally totally forgot about the keyboard... like all the umlauts... well that sucks
 
Leomacbook said:
I got it from an apple authorized repair shop.
Click to expand...

Well, getting a second estimate never hurts, right?

Mine was also the keyboard--the qwertyuio keys got some coffee on them, the other keys all worked. For years I used an apple bluetooth keyboard that I just laid right on top of the laptop keyboard. Worked great. Awkward, but it worked.
 
the 2017 MB re design is not getting good reviews. Look at a 2015 or early 2016
 
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Another user found a 2015 15" for $1500, if you get the 2016 or 2017 rMBP, it is a must to get apple care+, the 2016 and 2017 models have generated a bad review and even though its only a few compared to all mac users, its a possibility you should be prepared for.
 
Natzoo said:
Another user found a 2015 15" for $1500, if you get the 2016 or 2017 rMBP, it is a must to get apple care+, the 2016 and 2017 models have generated a bad review and even though its only a few compared to all mac users, its a possibility you should be prepared for.
Click to expand...

Will keep that in mind, thanks!
 
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