MBP 2.4 GHz i5 vs. MBP 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo

S

socalvin

macrumors newbie
I'm planning on buying a refurbished MacBook Pro within the next week. I have narrowed my choices down to two options:

1) Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 from Apple Store for $1,189

Originally released April 2010
15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1440 x 900 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
320GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 memory

OR

2) Unofficial-Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo from Local Store for $999

Originally released June 2009
15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1440 x 900 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT* graphics processor with 256 MB of DDR3 memory

If I purchase the MBP 2.8GHz C2D as opposed to the MBP 2.4GHz i5 I won't have to pay for shipping, it comes with a 90 day warranty (upgradable to a year for $99), and I've seen its conditions (nearly flawless).

However, it is still a third party computer where as the i5 would be from Apple and I could purchase AppleCare for it.

Please let me know if you have any input or suggestions. Thank you!
 
Last edited:
socalvin said:
I'm planning on buying a refurbished MacBook Pro within the next week.

If I purchase the MBP 2.8GHz C2D as opposed to the MBP 2.4GHz i5 I won't have to pay for shipping, it comes with a 90 day warranty (upgradable to a year for $99), and I've seen its conditions (nearly flawless).
Click to expand...
If it comes with a 90 day warranty, it's not a certified Apple refurbished model; it's just a used model.

  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are only available from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold by any 3rd party or local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.

Also, you may have better success in attracting responses to your thread, and you'll make your thread easier to find for those browsing the forum for the same answers, if you change your thread title to something more descriptive. To do so, click the "Edit" button on your original post, then click "Go Advanced" and you will see where to edit the thread title.
 
GGJstudios said:
If it comes with a 90 day warranty, it's not a certified Apple refurbished model; it's just a used model.

  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are only available from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold by any 3rd party or local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.

Also, you may have better success in attracting responses to your thread, and you'll make your thread easier to find for those browsing the forum for the same answers, if you change your thread title to something more descriptive. To do so, click the "Edit" button on your original post, then click "Go Advanced" and you will see where to edit the thread title.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions.

Do you have any particular advice on which model would be a better bang for the buck?
 
socalvin said:
Thank you for the suggestions.

Do you have any particular advice on which model would be a better bang for the buck?
Click to expand...
I prefer to buy Macs only from Apple, to make sure I'm not inheriting someone else's problems. For that reason alone, I'd go with an Apple refurb model, rather than any used Mac. Also, upgrading RAM and hard drives are simple and relatively inexpensive, should you find a refurb model that meets your needs in other aspects.
 
socalvin said:
I'm planning on buying a refurbished MacBook Pro within the next week. I have narrowed my choices down to two options:

1) Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 from Apple Store for $1,189
....
However, it is still a third party computer where as the i5 would be from Apple and I could purchase AppleCare for it.

Please let me know if you have any input or suggestions. Thank you!
Click to expand...
The i5 would be much better.
 
Liquinn said:
What do you mean?

You won't buy Macs from Amazon?
Click to expand...
I know some do, but I prefer dealing directly with Apple. There's nothing wrong with buying a new Mac from Amazon. I just wouldn't buy a used Mac from anyone. My comments were referring to Apple refurbs (available only directly from Apple) vs used.
 
socalvin said:
I've familiarized myself with all of the models and I'm pretty much set on the 15".

Thanks for the website - it was definitely helpful.
Click to expand...

First off, I'd definitely go for the refurb from Apple - not only does it have a much better warranty, the Core i5/i7 models are noticeably faster (even the dual core ones) than the core 2 Duo ones.

What do you plan to do with the MBP? For most people, that i5 model will be plenty powerful enough. No, it's not the newest model, but a lot of times that's not necessary for what people use their computers for. Not to mention the newer 13" MBAs and MBPs utilize the dual core i5/i7s just fine. So I'd be careful of taking the "that's too old!" comments too seriously, especially when it would be a $600+ difference in getting a new computer vs. that refurb for what might not even be a detectable performance boost based on what you do with it.
 
Queen of Spades said:
First off, I'd definitely go for the refurb from Apple - not only does it have a much better warranty, the Core i5/i7 models are noticeably faster (even the dual core ones) than the core 2 Duo ones.

What do you plan to do with the MBP? For most people, that i5 model will be plenty powerful enough. No, it's not the newest model, but a lot of times that's not necessary for what people use their computers for. Not to mention the newer 13" MBAs and MBPs utilize the dual core i5/i7s just fine. So I'd be careful of taking the "that's too old!" comments too seriously, especially when it would be a $600+ difference in getting a new computer vs. that refurb for what might not even be a detectable performance boost based on what you do with it.
Click to expand...

The Core2Duo macs are more than powerful enough for well over half of computer users both now and for the next 3 years.
 
ender land said:
The Core2Duo macs are more than powerful enough for well over half of computer users both now and for the next 3 years.
Click to expand...

Not disagreeing with that, but for for $189 + a better warranty, the Core i5 is a much better buy and will last the OP longer. The i5s are noticeably faster with some tasks over the C2D's, so it'd help if the OP gave us his uses.
 
GGJstudios said:
I know some do, but I prefer dealing directly with Apple. There's nothing wrong with buying a new Mac from Amazon. I just wouldn't buy a used Mac from anyone. My comments were referring to Apple refurbs (available only directly from Apple) vs used.
Click to expand...

GGJ has hit the nail on the head. If I was in your position, I would only buy used Apple products if they were sold as official refurbs by Apple. As GGJ stated before, I would rather not pay a premium and inherit somebody else's problems by buying a previously used Apple product from anywhere else other than Apple.

Another advantage with buying a used/refurb from Apple is that if anything does happen to go wrong with your new purchase, you are entitled to contact Apple directly and have them help you sort the problem out with your purchase.

Buying from Apple vs not buying from Apple aside, I would definitely pay the not unreasonable extra amount of cash and buy the i5. The more powerful CPU and GPU that comes with the i5 Mac will serve you better in the long run compared to the C2D Mac. :D
 
Thanks everyone for all of the helpful information.

I decided to go with the i5 refurb from the Apple Store. Couldn't be happier with my decision.

Cheers!
 
socalvin said:
Thanks everyone for all of the helpful information.

I decided to go with the i5 refurb from the Apple Store. Couldn't be happier with my decision.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

In my opinion, you made the right choice. Congratulations on your purchase! I hope that your new machine gives you many years of trouble free computing. :)
 
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