MBP Intel Core 1 - Sell or Keep? Value Inquiry

[lilnyc]

I do heavy video rendering with Final Cut Studio 2. My MBP from May of 2006 doesn't cut it anymore. Rendering takes forever.

BUT it still has 2 years and 8 months of Apple Care, and 8 months of Pro Care remaining INCLUDING One On One.

2 GHz Intel Core Duo 1
2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

And all of the standard specs with some natural wear, but it's in great condition.

I noticed some white spots on the screen this afternoon, but I'm going to take it to the Apple store to have that checked out.

If Apple cannot remove the spots, I probably can't sell it for much. If they can, what should I ask for it? What do you think I can get? Or should I just keep it as a 2nd computer?

If I can't get $2,000, I'll keep it.

 

[NewSc2]

I doubt you could even get $1500 for that. I've seen them go for around $1250.

If rendering doesn't cut it on your current MBP, I don't think a new one would be much better. True the MBP with SR is faster, but not by that much. Mac Pro is probably your only way to go.

 

[DoFoT9]

farout its not cutting it?? my MBP is awsome. neways. i would probably keep it for a while, it might come in handy as some kind of net surfer or whatever. maybe give it to a family member to use??

the money would be tempting tho...

 

[Mac One]

Chances are that you'll have the same problem in a year and a half if you buy a new MBP.
As NewSc2 said the MP would probably be the way to go. If you have the cash you could keep the MBP for light usage.

 

[steamboat26]

^ Agreed, if you want a rig that can handle rendering for a longer period of time, I'd suggest a Mac Pro, unless you really need the portability

 

[robPOD]

As metentioned before in a year and a half you will be facing the same issue of your new machine "not cutting it" I suggest buying a Mac Pro rig. I belive you would be able to get around $1700 max for your MBP.

 

[NewSc2]

As metentioned before in a year and a half you will be facing the same issue of your new machine "not cutting it" I suggest buying a Mac Pro rig. I belive you would be able to get around $1700 max for your MBP.

Just to chime in again... CoreDuo 15" MBP refurbs are going for $1299 in the Apple Store. You'd probably be able to get around that because of your upgrades, but people still put a premium on purchasing directly from Apple, vs. some guy on the internet.

 

[teflon]

Right now the 2.0 CD/512mb/80gb 15'' mbp sells for 1350 on apple's refurb page. If you're lucky, you might get up to $1500 because of your warranties. $2000 would be impossible. The new SR baseline mbp would be the same price, bt with a bigger hard drive (i'm assuming yours is stock 80gb) and faster (2.0 CD vs 2.2 C2D), LED screen, future expandability etc. Someone who can get an educational discount or other discounts can get an even better deal.
Also, if you want to sell, sell it now. You machine's value can only decrease, not increase with time. Right now it might worth $1500, by the year's end it can be $1000, as your warranty would be running lower and lower too. Get a MP like the others have suggested (a refurb 2.66 runs $2200 right now) and if later on you find you really need portability, you can always get a refurb mbp or mb when they're updated.

 

[gdesalvo@umail.]

I do heavy video rendering with Final Cut Studio 2. My MBP from May of 2006 doesn't cut it anymore. Rendering takes forever.

Rendering takes forever...well you have been using the same machine so I doubt your performance changed. I think that if you have outgrown a macbook pro in perf requirements in such a short time a MP is the only way to go. You can get a low end MP for the same price as a MBP in the refurb store. Or you might want to consider an xserve just as a rendering station to keep around the house.

 

[booksacool1]

Right now the 2.0 CD/512mb/80gb 15'' mbp sells for 1350 on apple's refurb page. If you're lucky, you might get up to $1500 because of your warranties. $2000 would be impossible. The new SR baseline mbp would be the same price, bt with a bigger hard drive (i'm assuming yours is stock 80gb) and faster (2.0 CD vs 2.2 C2D), LED screen, future expandability etc. Someone who can get an educational discount or other discounts can get an even better deal.
Also, if you want to sell, sell it now. You machine's value can only decrease, not increase with time.

Mmm I think your probably being a bit optimistic. People will always pay less for a private sale than one from apple. Even with warranty I doubt the OP would get much more than $1300.
But your right, the OP definitely wouldn't get 2000. Would be an out-of-this-world price for a superceeded machine.

And yeah you wouldn't get more money by waiting and your warranty would run down. If you want to get a decent amount of your money (albeit much less than 2k) you'd be better off selling sooner rather than later.

 

[iBunny]

The Core 2 Duo is significantly better than the Core 1 Duo. But I dont think its worth selling your current MPB, to but a new SR one.

 

[teflon]

Mmm I think your probably being a bit optimistic. People will always pay less for a private sale than one from apple. Even with warranty I doubt the OP would get much more than $1300.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of people that doesn't even know about Apple's refurb store. Looking around ebay and Craigslist, even the ones that don't have the extra warranty goes close to $1500. Some of them have less ram also. I'm not saying that the OP would definitely get that much, but hey, he might just get lucky .

 

[rjrufo]

Considering that I could go to the Apple Store today and pay $1999 for a brand new one with a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory, and a 120GB hard drive, I don't think you'll get anywhere close to $2k. I'd say keep it, save up your money and buy a MP.

 

[iSee]

15" MBP Core Duo, 100GB (? not sure on this spec), 512MB, 2.16GHz was available as a refurb on the Apple store this morning for $1499. So even with the RAM and Applecare, I think $2000 is optimistic.

And the highest end MBP available today is not exactly going to blow the doors off the one you have now, so what's the point?

Keep it.