Mid-2012 MBP to Refurb Oct-2016 MBP?

[MrMitch]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently running a Mid-2012 Macbook Pro which is now starting to get a little long in the tooth. I have maxed the ram out in the current setup to 16GB but I'm getting to the point that I'm really wanting to upgrade. Current specs are 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 16GB Ram.

Will I have issues with a refurb model? I'm a big fan of my products being in good condition and don't want to pick up something cheap from Apple's refurb department that is scruffy from the get go.

The spec I found consists of:

• 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display; 2560x1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch
• 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
• 256GB PCIe-based onboard SSd

Should I be worried that I can find this spec for $2,549.00 refurbished?

Finally, I do a lot of photo editing in Photoshop as well as just your basic web browsing, email and music. What are your thoughts on upgrading to a refurb October 2016 touchbar Macbook Pro? Do you think that I'll get good performance in day to day use as well as when I'm working in Photoshop or Lightroom compared to my current setup?

Thanks in advance.

 

[The Mercurian]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently running a Mid-2012 Macbook Pro which is now starting to get a little long in the tooth. I have maxed the ram out in the current setup to 16GB but I'm getting to the point that I'm really wanting to upgrade. Current specs are 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 16GB Ram.

Will I have issues with a refurb model? I'm a big fan of my products being in good condition and don't want to pick up something cheap from Apple's refurb department that is scruffy from the get go.

No. Official Apple refurbs are great value and covered by same warranty as new machines. I have bought refurb in the past and I would have no hesitation to do so again. If you were to have, it would likely not be the reason they are refurbs but rather long term issues that would affect any 2016 MBP.

The spec I found consists of:

• 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display; 2560x1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch
• 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
• 256GB PCIe-based onboard SSd

Should I be worried that I can find this spec for $2,549.00 refurbished?

Worried ? I'm not following you.

Finally, I do a lot of photo editing in Photoshop as well as just your basic web browsing, email and music. What are your thoughts on upgrading to a refurb October 2016 touchbar Macbook Pro? Do you think that I'll get good performance in day to day use as well as when I'm working in Photoshop or Lightroom compared to my current setup?

Thanks in advance.

Any new MBP is going to seem blazingly fast compared to your 2012 one because the SSDs are so much faster now. For what its worth unless you really want the new one, I would get a refurb 2015 model and save more money. Also if longevity is a concern the 2015 model is a long established design of known reliability. The 2016 one is a radical redesign that could have issues that pop up after a year or more but nobody has them that long yet so nobody knowns the long term reliability yet

 

[MrMitch]

Any new MBP is going to seem blazingly fast compared to your 2012 one because the SSDs are so much faster now. For what its worth unless you really want the new one, I would get a refurb 2015 model and save more money. Also if longevity is a concern the 2015 model is a long established design of known reliability. The 2016 one is a radical redesign that could have issues that pop up after a year or more but nobody has them that long yet so nobody knowns the long term reliability yet

Thanks for the response. Worried probably isn't the best word, more concerned in regards to it not being in the best condition for that price. But it seems as it's refurbished from Apple, the warranty they provide plus the refurb itself seems to be worth the cost savings.

That is a good point, I haven't considered an older model. I am drawn to the new model and would prefer one, but that is another option that might be worth exploring.

 

[reserves]

Blimey, where's the FAQ, can we add some information about refurbished products there?

Refurbished Apple 2016 MacBook Pro's are AS NEW, if you don't like it when you get it, send it back, you have 14 days.

I've had one, it was mint, same warranty and same AppleCare options.

It's Apple, they are not eBay sellers.

 

[The Mercurian]

Loads of info about refurbs here:
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/buying-refurbished-apple-products/

Not all refurb ever had a problem in the first place. To give you an example. I bought a brand new 2013 MBP top spec machine. I wasn't happen with the performance boost versus my old one, so I returned it within the 14 day window. It had no defects whatsoever. I had the machine turned on for no more than an hour - simply as long as I needed to test speed for my workflow at that time. That would have gone back to them - been thoroughly checked and become a refurb later for someone at a nice discount on what I had paid.

 

[mcpryon2]

I went from a mid-2012 13" MBP to a 2016 15". I first got the 2.7GHz one with the 455, but ended up returning it because I wanted more since I was replacing a desktop, too. I ended up getting the 2.7GHz/1TB/460 refurb and it was in the same new condition as the 455 version.

I've been buying refurbs from Apple for years, including my 2012 13", and they've all been as perfect as a new one. And if it isn't you have the same return period and warranty. It's kind of a no-lose situation.

 

[MrMitch]

Thanks guys.

Quick question: Do you think it's worth going for the i7, or would the i5 still give me a nice jump in performance compared to the Mid-2012 model? Or should I get myself some more storage instead?

RAM is going to be 16GB regardless so this is the next question to toss up...

 

[reserves]

Thanks guys.

Quick question: Do you think it's worth going for the i7, or would the i5 still give me a nice jump in performance compared to the Mid-2012 model? Or should I get myself some more storage instead?

RAM is going to be 16GB regardless so this is the next question to toss up...

i7 will make hardly any difference at all.

 

[ZapNZs]

Stick with the base i5 IMO for your needs. Do you currently utilize enough RAM to warrant 16gb? I ask because, while I am a big advocate for 16gb in many cases, the base MBP model with the 2.0/8gb/256ssd can often be found for some killer sales (I'm talking like in the $1,200 ballpark.) If you can find a base model TB on the same kind of sale as the non-TB model, that might be justification for going for the entry over a BTO?

 

[GoldfishRT]

I'm 'test driving' an M3 MacBook and I don't notice any real performance difference between it and my i7 2012 MacBook Pro. I imagine a new MBP would feel blazingly fast.