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MBP 13 or 15, refurb, financing?

B

btr94

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 8, 2009
42
0
I need advice. I'm looking for a powerful laptop to allow me to do general word processing, internet browsing, iChat, etc... as well as video editing with FCP.

So:
1) Should I go with a 13" or 15" MBP?
2) What about refurbished MacBook Pros? Are they any good?
3) Would you recommend AppleCare?
4) What's the best place to finance a computer like this? I am looking to spend no more than $1699 on it, but less is always better. I'd only consider no interest for x months financing.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance!
 
1. 13" is more portable but for FCP, you definitely want a bigger screen. It's up to you

2. Refurbs are great. You save money and get a machine which is basically new but someone has booted it couple of times. I would get this MBP, because it has dedicated 9600M GT which you may not need but it's the biggest bang for your buck

3. Yes, but you don't have to buy it with the computer, you have a full year to buy it (must be activated within original 1-year warranty). There are places like LA Computers which sells it for discounted price
 
Hellhammer said:
2. Refurbs are great. You save money and get a machine which is basically new but someone has booted it couple of times. I would get this MBP, because it has dedicated 9600M GT which you may not need but it's the biggest bang for your buck
Click to expand...

Do you think 2GB will be enough RAM? Or is it cheaper to upgrade to 4GB aftermarket? And will a 2.4GHz processor be speedy enough for FCP? I'm spoiled because at school my computer is an 8-core Mac Pro with 4TB and 16GB RAM. :)
 
btr94 said:
Do you think 2GB will be enough RAM? Or is it cheaper to upgrade to 4GB aftermarket? And will a 2.4GHz processor be speedy enough for FCP? I'm spoiled because at school my computer is an 8-core Mac Pro with 4TB and 16GB RAM. :)
Click to expand...

You'll see a noticeable improvement in performance with 4GB vs 2GB. Yes, it's much cheaper to upgrade RAM yourself....Apple charges way too much for RAM.
 
btr94 said:
Do you think 2GB will be enough RAM? Or is it cheaper to upgrade to 4GB aftermarket? And will a 2.4GHz processor be speedy enough for FCP? I'm spoiled because at school my computer is an 8-core Mac Pro with 4TB and 16GB RAM. :)
Click to expand...

2x2GB DDR3 is ~100$ when bought from 3rd party and installing it is super easy. Because all MBPs use Core 2 Duos, differences are relatively small so you won't notice any difference between 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz. 9600M GT may help with FCP though, especially when using e.g. Motion.
 
So would the $30 difference in price after factoring in the RAM make a difference in your opinion? Or should I still shoot for the 2.4GHz.

How old is that model? I notice they don't offer it anymore.
 
btr94 said:
So would the $30 difference in price after factoring in the RAM make a difference in your opinion? Or should I still shoot for the 2.4GHz.

How old is that model? I notice they don't offer it anymore.
Click to expand...

It's 2008 but it's better than current ones. It cost 1999$ when it was the current gen so you would be getting 700$ discount.

It's definitely worth it over any current MBP, because it has the 9600M GT, which is available in +1999$ models.
 
And it's gone from stock. What's your suggestion now? Is there another place to buy refurbs?
 
btr94 said:
And it's gone from stock. What's your suggestion now? Is there another place to buy refurbs?
Click to expand...

Apple's refurb store is the best one. There are web sites like RefurbMe which will send an email to you when the model you're looking for is back in stock. You have to be fast though, some models like the one I linked you go pretty fast so if you see one, buy it
 
you should only finance it if it's a business investment, i.e. this machine will help you bring in money and pay for itself. If it is for mostly personal/recreational use, you should consider buying a computer you CAN afford, or save until you have enough money to pay in full.
0% financing may sound enticing (and you may think you're actually saving some money), but you should really consider if you can really afford a $1700 computer if you have to borrow money for it.
 
Just to clarify:

I most certainly can afford this laptop... I just prefer to finance it because it's costs less per month. If it's cheaper (ie a place w/o financing), I'll lay the money down.
 
caonimadebi said:
you should only finance it if it's a business investment, i.e. this machine will help you bring in money and pay for itself. If it is for mostly personal/recreational use, you should consider buying a computer you CAN afford, or save until you have enough money to pay in full.
0% financing may sound enticing (and you may think you're actually saving some money), but you should really consider if you can really afford a $1700 computer if you have to borrow money for it.
Click to expand...

I wondered when i'd see one of these posts in this thread.
 
snakelda said:
Best buy has a 18 months with no interest with purchase of 249 and up.
Click to expand...


Seems to be one of the best deals - it is just annoying because their prices are also the highest - no student discounts and no sales - ever!
 
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