New MacBook vs Secondhand MacBook Pro

[AzzedinR]

Hi guys,

Need an honest opinion.

Am currently using a 2010 MacBook white. While it has served me well, it has started to become laggy and unresponsive.

I was thinking of getting an upgrade. But I'm caught in between two decisions. Do I get a brand new MacBook Air or purchase a secondhand MBP (circa 2011/2012) and just upgrade the RAM and hard drive? Am leaning towards the latter as it's a cheaper option and I really like the look and feel of the MBP.

Is it a good idea for me to do so? I really can't decide and would really appreciate your opinions. Thanks heaps!

 

[maerz001]

Even a 2012 used retina 15" MBP is cheaper than the air. 13" even cheaper. No need for upgrading RAM or SSD. It's faster and the screen is superb.
The "new" air has a 6year old screen which is really bad.

If u prefer the look of the MBP than u answered ur own question. go for the rMBP and not the cMBP.

 

[AzzedinR]

Even a 2012 used retina 15" MBP is cheaper than the air. 13" even cheaper. No need for upgrading RAM or SSD. It's faster and the screen is superb.
The "new" air has a 6year old screen which is really bad.

If u prefer the look of the MBP than u answered ur own question. go for the rMBP and not the cMBP.

Thank you for the advice sir!

 

[cerberusss]

If I were you, I'd try and get anything from the 2013 era. These moved one CPU generation ahead, from Ivy Bridge to Haswell chipset. These puppies will last you a loooong time. Is that within your budget?

 

[AzzedinR]

If I were you, I'd try and get anything from the 2013 era. These moved one CPU generation ahead, from Ivy Bridge to Haswell chipset. These puppies will last you a loooong time. Is that within your budget?

Thank you for the advice. So far, the 2013 MBPs are still within my budget. But most come with the usual 4GB RAM. Do you recommend upgrading the RAM and SSD?

 

[maerz001]

Thank you for the advice. So far, the 2013 MBPs are still within my budget. But most come with the usual 4GB RAM. Do you recommend upgrading the RAM and SSD?

Oh I thought all rMBP came with standard 8GB of RAM. Sorry. But is was only the 15" model.
U didn't tell us if u want 15 or 13". If its 13" than look for a machine with at least 8GB if u want to keep it for a few years. U can't upgrade by yourself because RAM is soldered to the mainboard.

But without knowing ur use case how can we know how much storage/memory u need? Usually people asking this are fine with the base models
I think it would be cheaper to get the used model with ur desired SSD already installed. E.g. an aftermarket SSD with 240GB is about 250$.

Here u find the different options and differences between early and late 2013 models:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-pro-retina-display-early-2013-late-2013.html

 

[cerberusss]

I agree with maerz001. Get one with 8 gigs of RAM. It's soldered on. Extra disk space can be had in a number of ways;

• Simply get an external SSD (a bit clumsy, I find)
  
• Use a Sandisk Ultra Fit thumbdrive; they're so small you just leave it in a USB port
• Get a 200 GB micro-SD card and use it with a Nifty Minidrive, or one of the cheap knockoffs, like the BaseQi
  
• Or like maerz001 said, get an aftermarket SSD