non retina Macbook Pro 13 inch 22%discount

[pokopelo]

Hello need some guidance. I have an old Macbook 2010, still pumin' basic use is for social media, and I also use it for editing photos with aperture, and of course the storage and management of precious memories... i don't have any money, an certainly know that i must replace it badly. Here in Mexico, Mac stores have a promo that is reducing 22% the price of 2012 Macbook pro NON RETINA! they're also offering 18 months no interest with credit cards, which now make it doable for me to purchase...

I know it's already 4 years into the release of this model, i plan to upgrade RAM to 8GB, and maybe add 1TB HDD or solid state 512GB... with those changes i'd plan (assuming OS upgradeable) to keep it for the next 3-4 years....

like the fact it has many ports and i plan to get a monitor to use when at home...

Thoughs? do i really need to spend the extra for the 13" air? 13" PRO still out of my budget...

PROS CONS? what do the experts here think?

thanks a lot for your help!

These are the SPECS for the macbook
2.5GHz Processor
500 GB Storage

• 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
• 4GB 1600MHz memory
• 500GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• Built-in battery (7 hours)2
• Multi-Touch trackpad

 

[tubeexperience]

Still a ripoff. Get a used one from eBay.

 

[pokopelo]

*i have posted already, but title seemed to sell a macbook thus decided to make a new post as title is not editable*

Hello need some guidance. I have an old Macbook 2010, still pumin' basic use is for social media, and I also use it for editing photos with aperture, and of course the storage and management of precious memories (with proper backup)... i am poor and don't have any money to spend, and i certainly know that i must replace my old mackbbok badly and fast!

Thing is here in Mexico, Mac stores have a promo that is reducing 22% the price of Macbook pro NON RETINA! I assume it's like the last year Apple will have this model available, they're also offering 18 months no interest with credit cards, which now make it doable for me to purchase...

I know it's already 4 years into the release of this model (maybe more?), i plan to upgrade RAM to 8GB, and maybe add 1TB HDD or SSD 512GB... with those changes i'd plan (assuming OS upgradeable with no issues) to keep it for the next 3-4 years....

like the fact it has many ports and i plan to get a monitor to use when at home...

Thoughs? do i really need to spend the extra for the 13" air? 13" PRO still out of my budget...

PROS CONS? what do the experts here think?

thanks a lot for your help!

These are the SPECS for the macbook
2.5GHz Processor
500 GB Storage

• 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
• 4GB 1600MHz memory
• 500GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• Built-in battery (7 hours)2
• Multi-Touch trackpad

 

[pokopelo]

Still a ripoff. Get a used one from eBay.

Thank you for your response... could you elaborate please? i'm trying to put some facts and the reason i'm holding off to buy is still not certain it is a good offer since it's already a bit old...

thanks again.

 

[r6mile]

Do you already have an SSD and 8GB of RAM in your 2010 MBP? If not, this is a must upgrade which will greatly extend the life of your laptop. the SSD is not wasted money because you can always stick it into a USB 3.0 enclosure as a very fast external when you decide to upgrade in the future.

 

[treekram]

The model has been around since 2012 and Apple usually doesn't lower the price of it's products but what they will do is let retailers or it's refurb site offer them for bigger discounts than the other models. Typically refurbs from Apple have a 15% discount. The base model non-Retina 2012 model has a discount of 25%. If you get a used model, they would have been produced anytime from 2012 to now so you would have to decide whether it's worth it to you. I got the 2012 from the Apple refurb site for $829. When they're in stock, that's still what they go for. For a lot of people, it's a good choice because of the price and the technology, while old, still can meet their needs. The one I got was manufactured the month before I bought it so it's not like their waiting to get rid of a huge stockpile that they built up.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

What is the price compared to a current retina MBP?

You dont mention price which makes the question pointless.

 

[pokopelo]

Non Retina Apple price $22,999.00 > Discounted to $17,999.00 Discount -22%
Retina $26,999.00 > Difference to Non Retina -$9,000.00 Difference 33%

Here's the comparison prices are in Mexican Pesos.

Difference from discounted non retina to retina model is nearly $530 US Dollars, I can buy many things with that difference...

 

[squarebreathing]

Don't get the old cMBP.

Not only are the internals reaching four years old, but there are other issues as well. The display on these is awful. It's barely HD (1200x800 is essentially 720p) and is so much worse that the Retina screen. The cMBPs also have a tendency to have screen problems after about 3 years of use. I've personally seen four different cMBPs with weird burn in issues near the apple logo (weird blotches when you have anything black on screen in that area).

Why would you waste money to upgrade RAM when the rMBP come with 8gb as standard? Also, if you need more hard drive space there are drives out there that go into the SD Card port that can upgrade memory cheaply. They are called Jet Drives (here is a link to one, you need to match it with the model macbook you are going to use http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Storage-Expansion-TS128GJDL130/dp/B00K73NT0S). Also, external USB3 harddrives are super cheap now too.

There is no HDMI out which means you need a dongle to hook it up to most TVs. There are many monitors that also accept HDMI input now. It does have firewire, but if you really need that you can use a firewire thunderbolt adaptor on the retina. The battery life on the cMBP is not as good. If you need something that writes CD's and DVDs you can get an external LG drive for $20.

This hardware was created for when Mountain Lion was out. That was 3 operating systems ago and El Capitan is best used with a Retina display (or at least a 1080p+ quality monitor).

Don't buy one of these unless you can get them for like $300 used. It's a waste.

 

[benzkid89]

Personally if there was not any serious issues with your current Macbook I would install the SSD and expand the RAM in your current machine.

Especially if you are tight on money you could upgrade the RAM cheaply and put in a SSD which should boost up performance. Then you could save some cash for a newer Macbook later.

 

[PTLove]

Honestly, not to be THAT guy, but do you need OSX? There are several Windows laptops that I think would fit your needs very well, such as http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ,
which comes with much more RAM, a Good SSD, a retina quality screen and a discrete GPU.

If you NEED OSX, I still wouldn't recommend the old Pro. While I can completely appreciate you do not want to spend the extra money unnecessarily, the reality is the screen on those old Pros is, in my opinion, not usable. Way too low a resolution.

 

[Closingracer]

Honestly, not to be THAT guy, but do you need OSX? There are several Windows laptops that I think would fit your needs very well, such as http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ,
which comes with much more RAM, a Good SSD, a retina quality screen and a discrete GPU.

If you NEED OSX, I still wouldn't recommend the old Pro. While I can completely appreciate you do not want to spend the extra money unnecessarily, the reality is the screen on those old Pros is, in my opinion, not usable. Way too low a resolution.

Yeah unless you need OS X I would suggest getting a Windows device. The Dell XPS is $799 base in the States and it's a fairly good laptop specially for what you want to use it for. Has an Intel i3 6th gen, 4GB of RAM and a 1080p screen. For what you want it would work fine. Honesty it's also better than the Macbook Air if your platform agnostic.

 

[pokopelo]

i believe i'm anal about OSX, after big issues with windows back in the day and really sad memories of lost data... i'm sure things have changed in 6 years, and the ever resounding question about windows vs mac throws millions of threads at you in different forums and publications, that will further confuse you to the point where many agree that it's a matter of spending more money, and familiarity to OS... so i'm back to square one here, unfortunately i don't have the money at this point for the MBP retina... might as well wait 2-3 months and save for it... really don't know what to do, but certainly appreciate all your responses.

 

[tubeexperience]

Thank you for your response... could you elaborate please? i'm trying to put some facts and the reason i'm holding off to buy is still not certain it is a good offer since it's already a bit old...

thanks again.

Here in the US, a new MacBook Pro (13-inch 2012) is still $1099 new.

I can get a used one from eBay for ~$450.

 

[treekram]

Obviously, a big concern for the OP is money. One big factor for me was that while I've heard of the monitor burn-in issues with the 2012 model, you hear much more about problems with the Retina monitor - staingate, this-gate, that-gate. For me, if I had bought the Retina model, I would have bought AppleCare because of all those issues. I didn't buy AppleCare for my 2012 MBP. In the Retina model, it's much more expensive to replace the SSD if it's broken and out-of-warranty and you can't replace the RAM - it's a logic board replacement. The Retina screen is also more expensive to replace out-of-warranty and it's not as durable as the 2012 model. The battery costs $199 to replace vs. $129 and it's much easier to use a non-Apple (cheaper) battery in the non-Retina models if need be.

With the Retina models, you need to buy what you need at the start, with the 2012, you can incrementally increase RAM and disk capacity as one's funds permit.

 

[Closingracer]

i believe i'm anal about OSX, after big issues with windows back in the day and really sad memories of lost data... i'm sure things have changed in 6 years, and the ever resounding question about windows vs mac throws millions of threads at you in different forums and publications, that will further confuse you to the point where many agree that it's a matter of spending more money, and familiarity to OS... so i'm back to square one here, unfortunately i don't have the money at this point for the MBP retina... might as well wait 2-3 months and save for it... really don't know what to do, but certainly appreciate all your responses.

Honestly if you're open to at least trying out windows why not buy one and if not return it if you don't like it? Who knows it might work well for you and you got yourself a new computer. I have always been a Windows guy myself but I needed a device to last all day and after trying out a surface pro 4 and it's poor battery life I tried out a Macbook Pro and love it.

 

[BoneDaddy]

If your primary use is social networking, your current Mac will be fine for another 50 years. If not, this all depends on what you need it for. If it is not music production, photography, videography, coding, design, then just get the SSD and 8GB ram, and be done with it. You'll be good.

I was fine using my mid 2010 for professional music production. However, some new VSTs, programs, libraries, higher quality recording, and a list of other things, made it essential for me to get a new Mac.

I suspect that if you were doing any high resource tasks, you'd had listed it. So just get a good SSD and some ram, and you will be fine.

 

[FayeDash]

Hi Pokopelo! I'm new here, and I thought I'd chime in as the owner of one of these machines. ^.^

Mine is upgraded with 16 gigs of RAM and a 500 gig SSD, and it is starting to show its age. What BoneDaddy says was true a few years ago, but some really complex webpages like FaceBook have become demanding enough that it now takes my MacBook Pro a few seconds to "process" the page after rendering it, before I can scroll down. Opening many tabs in Safari can be slow and even with an SSD, new apps like Word 2016 are kind of sluggish.

On the bright side, the trackpad and backlit keyboard are still amazing. After 3 years of intensive use (it was my only computer for 2 years) the advertised battery life holds up well and it still lasts 6 hours on a single charge. Not much has changed about the webcams and microphones on macbooks since the 2012 model so the nonretina MBP is current in that regard. The screen is bright and easily legible when I look at it outside.

On the not so bright side, newer versions of Mac OS use fonts and menu bar icons that don't always look great on a non-retina screen. If you do anything somewhat intensive, like using Photoshop, the bottom of the notebook gets hot to the touch. SATA SSDs feel sluggish when you're worked with PCIe SSDs for a while, and so simple things like opening an application or opening an iTunes movie take several seconds, but that's no big deal to me personally. There's only one Thunderbolt (v.1) port, so you can connect only one monitor and no 4k monitors at full resolution. It doesn't have 802.11ac wifi.

At this point, if you can afford it, I'd go with the least expensive retina MacBook Pro option.

 

[pokopelo]

Just to bring all up to date.

I was very close on the decision, and I did take a very hard look into going back to windows, i truly did. I was also able to get some additional cash in, so my budget went slightly up from what I was initially planning, still not breaking the bank... I entirely dismissed the MBnR after a lot of reading here and there, and for a lot of the good reasons you all wrote about here.

So basically at the end I was looking at the MBPr with 128GB SSD, vs Dell XPS 13.

I was really leaning towards trying windows again, just because there still was lower price on the XPS with similar or same specs.

But then, I feel I was very lucky as I was able to land a "new" (open box) MBPr 256GB SSD 2.7GHz i5 with apple warranty until Mar'17 for $989 USD in Amazon... I really think that was a very good deal, it looks brand new, as if it was never used, battery cycle 3 (if that means anything)...

I'm really happy with this, and wanted to share with you.

I also got a Jet Drive to drop my music there and free that space up from SSD.

 

[matt_on_a_mtn]

Great deal and good for you! Enjoy it!