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Need Help with my upgrade decision

J

jjedwards

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
8
0
Hi All,

I am planning on upgrading from my 2007 white MacBook 2.2 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo 1 GB Ram.

I got the MacBook as a Christmas present in 2007 and it has been wonderful, no complaints. But it is time to upgrade! It is so slow!

Anyways, I am not a gamer. I don't edit movies, music, or videos. My full time job is as an investigator and I am an evening division law student. Majority of the time, I have Chrome, Spotify, Evernote, Thunderbird, and sometimes powerpoint and word open all at the same time. So I would like something that will last 6 more years like my current laptop and capable of running multiple apps at one time.

What are your thoughts? I would like a 15 inch, because I like the bigger screen, but that is a requirement. I am more worried about the longevity (I want my monies worth) and speed.

Thanks!
 
If your computer is working fine and you are looking for more speed - have you thought of upgrading your ram and either a hybrid-drive or SSD?
 
greenchiliman said:
If your computer is working fine and you are looking for more speed - have you thought of upgrading your ram and either a hybrid-drive or SSD?
Click to expand...

I have, but the fact of the manner is that the computer is six years old. Upgrading my RAM to 4 GB when the computer can only process 3 GB doesn't seem worth it. Also, it may buy me some time, but eventually I would have to upgrade. Also, it doesn't work fine. It over heats, freezes, and so on.
 
If you are set on 15 inch notebook, and you are on a budget a very good option is the 15 inch 2011 MBP on Apple's website. They are still available for a very competitive price point. One of the best deals IMO
 
Another option is to lurk the refurb store on Apple's website. They carry the same warranty and are must cheaper. Any 2011 or 2012 model will do you just fine. Highly recommend the SSD upgrade option as soon as you can drop the money on one, it make the computer super fast. If at all possible, 8GB RAM as a minimum to grow with you for those future years.

To be honest, any MBP you purchase is going to be worth it. IMHO, the difference between Apple and the other machines is quality. I'm not saying you can't get a lemon from time to time, but a Mac is going to last many, many years (as you already know). The other guys maybe a year or two...to me, that's money down the drain.
 
CosmoPilot said:
Another option is to lurk the refurb store on Apple's website. They carry the same warranty and are must cheaper. Any 2011 or 2012 model will do you just fine. Highly recommend the SSD upgrade option as soon as you can drop the money on one, it make the computer super fast. If at all possible, 8GB RAM as a minimum to grow with you for those future years.

To be honest, any MBP you purchase is going to be worth it. IMHO, the difference between Apple and the other machines is quality. I'm not saying you can't get a lemon from time to time, but a Mac is going to last many, many years (as you already know). The other guys maybe a year or two...to me, that's money down the drain.
Click to expand...

What is a 2012 MBP doing in the refurb store? Is it just people returning them?
 
jjedwards said:
Is this a good choice? http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD101LL/A?

Or http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD103LL/A?
Click to expand...

You can buy the same models, with the same warranty in the refurbished section. They're quite a bit cheaper too.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD101LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-25ghz-dual-core-intel-i5

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD103LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7

My bad: the first choice is 8 GB Ram and 128 GB SSD; the second choice is only and upgrade to 8 GB Ram.
Click to expand...

Don't waste your money on Apple upgrades, they charge too much. You can upgrade the RAM and SSD yourself very easily. It doesn't affect your warranty.
 
jjedwards said:
Is there a way to find out what the repair was?
Click to expand...

No, but would that matter? Apple performed the repair and offers a full year of AppleCare, just like they do on their new computers. All of the Macs I've owned have been refurbs and I've only had trouble with one of them(I purchased it as an open box model so I don't know what kind of abuse the previous owner had put it through.)
 
T5BRICK said:
No, but would that matter? Apple performed the repair and offers a full year of AppleCare, just like they do on their new computers. All of the Macs I've owned have been refurbs and I've only had trouble with one of them(I purchased it as an open box model so I don't know what kind of abuse the previous owner had put it through.)
Click to expand...

Something to think about. It seems to save a lot of money, even from a new one with a student discount.
 
jjedwards said:
Is there a way to find out what the repair was?
Click to expand...

It's really a non-issue.

IMO, a refurb is better than a brand new computer. Here's why:

A refurb could've been returned to Apple for a couple reasons: (a) defective, (b) customer satisfaction, (c) other.

When a computer is returned, Apple will actually bench test the machine to ensure every part is woking as advertised. Conversely, a brand new machine is sent down the assembly line and does not undergo the same bench testing a refurb goes through. Therefore, a brand new computer may have defects not caught at the factory. A refurb gets a top to bottom inspection to ensure it works correctly.

If any cosmetic blemishes are on the device (dents, scratches, etc.) those parts are replaced with new parts. In other words, you cannot tell the difference between a reburb or a new computer by looking at them.

Reburbs carry the exact same warranty as a brand new computer, but are much cheaper.

The downside of purchasing a refurb...packaging. You may or may not receive the original factory box.

My 2011 iMac (see signature) is a refurb. I haven't had a single issue with it and it arrived to my house in pristine condition.
 
jjedwards said:
What is a 2012 MBP doing in the refurb store? Is it just people returning them?
Click to expand...

Probably. I get refurbs by preference when I can, and I've had no trouble. Well. I have crashes on mine right now, but they're very specialized and limited to a pretty obvious graphics driver bug.
 
jjedwards said:
Something to think about. It seems to save a lot of money, even from a new one with a student discount.
Click to expand...

I just bought a refurb 2012 cMBP...like everyone else says, "refurbs" are the best deal.

Aside from the box it looks/feels/smells brand new. In fact mine was manufactured 4 weeks before I got it (not sure if the refurb process changes that date).
 
CosmoPilot said:
It's really a non-issue.

IMO, a refurb is better than a brand new computer. Here's why:

A refurb could've been returned to Apple for a couple reasons: (a) defective, (b) customer satisfaction, (c) other.

When a computer is returned, Apple will actually bench test the machine to ensure every part is woking as advertised. Conversely, a brand new machine is sent down the assembly line and does not undergo the same bench testing a refurb goes through. Therefore, a brand new computer may have defects not caught at the factory. A refurb gets a top to bottom inspection to ensure it works correctly.

If any cosmetic blemishes are on the device (dents, scratches, etc.) those parts are replaced with new parts. In other words, you cannot tell the difference between a reburb or a new computer by looking at them.

Reburbs carry the exact same warranty as a brand new computer, but are much cheaper.

The downside of purchasing a refurb...packaging. You may or may not receive the original factory box.

My 2011 iMac (see signature) is a refurb. I haven't had a single issue with it and it arrived to my house in pristine condition.
Click to expand...

OK. I think I am convinced. I appreciate the help. One last question: is Apple Care worth it? I didn't have it on my current laptop and only had to fork over $200 for a new keyboard after a family member spilled on it. But other than that I have had no problems. I tend to think it is a waste of money if you are someone who takes good care of the computer. And Macs are built to last, so I am not really worried about the internals crashing.
 
jjedwards said:
Something to think about. It seems to save a lot of money, even from a new one with a student discount.
Click to expand...

If possible I always buy refurbished Macs. Although you can find better deals on occasion. Over black Friday weekend, Fry's had the low end 13" model for $950. It goes on sale for $999, so if you've got a Fry's nearby you could actually get a new one for slightly less than the refurb(that's not to say that refurbs aren't a good deal).
 
jbsmithmac said:
I just bought a refurb 2012 cMBP...like everyone else says, "refurbs" are the best deal.

Aside from the box it looks/feels/smells brand new. In fact mine was manufactured 4 weeks before I got it (not sure if the refurb process changes that date).
Click to expand...

Thanks! I think I am going to do it.
 
jjedwards said:
OK. I think I am convinced. I appreciate the help. One last question: is Apple Care worth it? I didn't have it on my current laptop and only had to fork over $200 for a new keyboard after a family member spilled on it.
Click to expand...

You have a full year to decide if you want AppleCare. If you decide you want it on the very last day the warranty is valid, you can call Apple and buy it. Keep in mind that a liquid spill like you mentioned would not be covered as Apple would consider it "abuse" and charge for the repair.
 
T5BRICK said:
You have a full year to decide if you want AppleCare. If you decide you want it on the very last day the warranty is valid, you can call Apple and buy it. Keep in mind that a liquid spill like you mentioned would not be covered as Apple would consider it "abuse" and charge for the repair.
Click to expand...

+1

After a year, you'll know if you have a solid machine or not. I take care of my computers and am willing to eat the cost of repairs/replacement costs if something happens down the road. Like you said, Macs are built to last.
 
jjedwards said:
OK. I think I am convinced. I appreciate the help. One last question: is Apple Care worth it? I didn't have it on my current laptop and only had to fork over $200 for a new keyboard after a family member spilled on it. But other than that I have had no problems. I tend to think it is a waste of money if you are someone who takes good care of the computer. And Macs are built to last, so I am not really worried about the internals crashing.
Click to expand...

Over the course of the last decade or so, I've consistently gotten longer warranties on hardware. I actually managed to get a full five years on my ThinkPad, which was totally worth it. (Got it in 2001. It is still usable.)

Most of the time, I probably end up getting no service that's particularly worth much. On the Pismo, I think it paid for itself just in replacement power adapters -- man, that power adapter was a piece of crap. On the other hand, my 2008 MBP, the GeForce 8600 one with the tendency for total logic board failures if you loaded the GPU for very long? One month before the end of the three years, it failed in such a way that they basically replaced the logic board. Free. I've gotten replacement screens through AppleCare, too. Replacements for batteries that suddenly started expanding; I don't think it covers merely low-power batteries, but batteries that start bending the case? Covered.

My thought is: I am pretty sure that I am overall ahead of the game on AppleCare on laptops. Sure, probably half of them never end up needing anything significant. But the ones that do... Laptops can be really pricey to repair. You can't just get a cheap video card off the shelf and toss it in. So I think that over a large enough number of laptops, it's a pretty decent deal for me. Yeah, obviously it has to cost Apple less to provide than they sell it for. But! The amount they charge me for repairs can be larger than what it costs them to provide those repairs. I think AppleCare's cost is somewhere in that intermediate range.

I basically never do it for desktop-type systems, although I'm buying a mini for a friend, and including AppleCare on that, because she probably can't afford to repair it if doing so costs money.

Also, if you know anyone at Apple: They can get AppleCare 15% off, or 25% off if it's one of the variants that is sold in the on-campus retail store. They can also get it for friends. (However, they can't take more money from you than they spend buying it, because that'd be a firing offense, so don't expect them to do it except as a genuine favor to you.)
 
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