MBA or MBP? Refurb or new?

[GodWhomIsMike]

I found myself in need to a new Macbook upon arriving home from a long and very very expensive vacation to Japan.

Luckily, the new models came out while I was away. Problem is, the new ones (esecially the MBA) seems like sooo much money.
RIP mid-2010 Macbook.

The taxes and apple care add soooo much to the price. It's a killer.


Needs:

- I definitely need a minimum of 256GB.
- MUST be able to output hours of 1080p streaming video to 50" HDTV.
- Prefer 13" size.

I love the looks and the weight of the Air. I am also a huge fan of SSD drive. Either way, I plan on getting an SSD (self upgrade w/ MBP, or a 256GB in a MBA).

Looking at the Air prices, I am kinda tempted to just get a MBP base model, open it up and toss in a 6G SSD drive from newegg and 8GB+ ram.

I am afraid that I am going to spend about $1200-$1300 on a refurb MBA, and find that the HD3000 sucks at streaming 1080p video to a 50" HDTV.

If I didn't have 6+ years worth the applications, iTunes stuff, and data all tied to Apple, I would probably just get a 14" Lenovo with a 2GB dedicated video card for $799. For $1000, I could have a 14" powerhouse with 256GB SSD in it.

Getting the refurb, I feel like I am going to be paying just a little less for something that is going to age poorly.

I know people here sell their Macs after a year or two of use, I hate selling stuff. I find that in general, people suck, and I can't be bothered. I also like running computers for years until they no longer work.

Thoughts and suggestions?

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Cheapest route would obviously be to go with the late 2011 13" refurb for $929 and add additional components as necessary (prices are going lower and lower for that SSD). Even if you did all of the upgrades now you could get the 13" Pro ($929) plus the 8GB ram upgrade (~$50) and 256GB SSD ($180) for around $1,160. MBA would be only about $30 more, but you wouldn't get the the 8GB of RAM.

One thing you could try is to look around at your local Best Buy and see if they have any open box models of the 2011 MBA. They have them listed on their website now for $1224 and they take 10% off of open box items. So if they have one in stock (my local BB has 2 at the moment) you could get it for right at $1100.

 

[GodWhomIsMike]

Cheapest route would obviously be to go with the late 2011 13" refurb for $929 and add additional components as necessary (prices are going lower and lower for that SSD). Even if you did all of the upgrades now you could get the 13" Pro ($929) plus the 8GB ram upgrade (~$50) and 256GB SSD ($180) for around $1,160. MBA would be only about $30 more, but you wouldn't get the the 8GB of RAM.

One thing you could try is to look around at your local Best Buy and see if they have any open box models of the 2011 MBA. They have them listed on their website now for $1224 and they take 10% off of open box items. So if they have one in stock (my local BB has 2 at the moment) you could get it for right at $1100.

How was the HD3000 at streaming 1080p video to a 50" HDTV? That is a large concern, because it's something the machine will be doing often.

The mid-2010 MB I had came with the Nvidia 320M, which did a fairly good job of it.

 

[BryceWallace]

Don't go for the refurb. I have had bad experiences at Apple with refurbished products. That's why I bought my MacBook Pro 2011 brand new. But if you aren't concerned about a greater risk for potential problems with your device, being it a refurb, then go for it! *But I highly recommend purchasing a brand new one.

 

[hashholly]

Don't go for the refurb. I have had bad experiences at Apple with refurbished products. That's why I bought my MacBook Pro 2011 brand new. But if you aren't concerned about a greater risk for potential problems with your device, being it a refurb, then go for it! *But I highly recommend purchasing a brand new one.

Maybe you had a fluke, I've gotten refurbs in the past from Apple without any issue, plenty of others have had issues with brand new machines, at times its a crapshoot.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Put me down too as someone who would recommend a refurb. I have bought two of them (still own them both) and have had no issues at all.

 

[GodWhomIsMike]

I don't mind a refurb at all. I am more concerned with the 4GB ram and the HD3000 graphics.

 

[gngan]

I don't mind a refurb at all. I am more concerned with the 4GB ram and the HD3000 graphics.

You shouldn't be worrying about ram cause it's very easy to upgrade it yourself (i just did it).

I do connect my 13'' refurb MBP to my 37'' TV but not 1080 though. Just some movies i download. I don't think 1080 should be an issue.

My first 13'' refurb MBP has serious issue (kenel panic all the time) so i return it and got another one and it's issue free.