Please Recommend Me Best Option For Used Macbook...

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

My 2015 1TB rMBP is giving me a bunch of issues - battery not holding charge, trackpad/keyboard issues & one speaker not working.

I need to replace it but cannot stretch to the latest models. I kept mine as I love having the ports, the expansion slots & HDMI port but will have to do without them now.

To stop having desires for the latest models each year, tbh, I simply stopped myself at looking at them for many years now so do not know how they differ and/or are better from year to year so I really do not know what I should be looking for.

Happy to consider a 15"/14" model & as to spend - I suppose it comes to which offers the best value proposition in terms of features, performance & future proofing? It must be 16GB Ram as a minimum & 1TB Storage.

I understand that some of the Macbook Air's are/can be also a very good option - is this so? Ideally, I would want any Air to have the same sort screen image quality as a Pro model if possible.

What year models & specs should I be looking at - either Pro or Air (if suitable) & which ones would offer the "Best Bang For The Buck" so to speak while still offering best future proofing in terms of MacOS upgrades?

What should I expect to pay for any recommended options? I am in the UK so will probably be looking at Ebay & other classifieds.

Many Kind Thanks!

 

[Bigwaff]

Honestly, your best bet in getting a useful, targeted recommendation would be to provide your budget requirements.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Ideally, I would want any Air to have the same sort screen image quality as a Pro model if possible.

MacBook Air has a "Good" screen, good enough for me, but not as good as MacBook Pro (e.g. for a photographer). Whether the Air is "good enough" for you is a personal metric.

Agree with @Bigwaff, budget is certainly THE most important thing to know.

 

[TechRunner]

Without knowing your budget constraints, I would point you to the Apple refurb store if you have access to it. I've had awesome luck with Apple refurbs in the past. For a lower risk buying experience I would start there.

 

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

Apologies - if we say about £1000 - £1200 would that get me the type of thing I am looking for?

I understand that even though tempting, one should stay away from the Intel based Macbooks?

As I have not ever seen an Air, when watching say live shows, movies, shot HD videos, how to the screens between the Pro & Air differ & is it a notable difference?

Many Thanks!

 

[TechRunner]

I understand that even though tempting, one should stay away from the Intel based Macbooks?

Given how long you kept your previous MBP I would avoid Intel Macbooks as they will be rendered obsolete by Apple fairly soon.

 

[BrianBaughn]

You didn't really say anything about what you'd be doing with the computer or what peripherals would be connected.

 

[Bazzy]

You didn't really say anything about what you'd be doing with the computer or what peripherals would be connected.

Hi,

I do a mix of stuff but nothing that you would consider "Pro". It will be used as my main entertainment portal - watching HD & 4K movies, shows, some basic CAD work, basic photo editing & enhancement, MS Office for Mac for work, connecting to HDTV, Internet/Mail, storing Music & online & stored video courses.

I do wish to expand & learn on the photo side of things though - I have many photos taken on a Canon G9 10.1mp camera & I wish to manipulate them via some sort of software whereby I can then have them printed to large poster sizes without them looking blurry if that makes sense so I need a unit that will allow me this in the future.

As far as connections, HDMI cable, Ethernet Cable, SD Card, Storage Expansion Modules & USB Thumbdrives - I also currently use a Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

Hope that helps!
Thanks!

 

[Bigwaff]

As far as connections, HDMI cable, Ethernet Cable, SD Card, Storage Expansion Modules & USB Thumbdrives - I also currently use a Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

By "a Thunderbolt 2 Adapter", do you mean a TB2 hub/dock?

 

[wonderings]

Without a doubt you should not buy an Intel MacBook Pro/Air. A M1 series MacBook will blow your socks off, from a base model and up. Intel is going to be unsupported soon for new OS releases, and the future is all Apple silicon. It is not just hype, you will be very impressed. It is the biggest and most noticeable transition I have seen from Apple going back from the G3 chips to Intel and now to the M chips. Get an adapter for all your ports.

 

[Parowdy]

I recently also had to upgrade but looking at new prices I couldn’t find myself coughing up 2000€ for a laptop with more than 13“ and 512GB.
Eventually I found a deal on eBay for an upgraded M1 Pro 14“ with 1TB for around 1000€. Because it’s upgraded it is on par with M3 models and even supports Apple Intelligence, or at least the couple of available features.
I really wanted a better screen than my 2017 MBP had, the SD card and HDMI slots are handy too, so are that all USB C ports have the same specs. Only downgrade is the smaller trackpad and no keyboard brightness buttons.

I guess if you can find a good deal on any Pro‘s, go for it. Either that or take that money and but a newer Air. You have to decide if you want power or support. Either you can have an older Pro or a newer Air it seems.

 

[Bazzy]

By "a Thunderbolt 2 Adapter", do you mean a TB2 hub/dock?

Hi

My apologies - I meant Ethernet to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

Thanks

 

[Aleco]

Hi All,

Apologies - if we say about £1000 - £1200 would that get me the type of thing I am looking for?

I understand that even though tempting, one should stay away from the Intel based Macbooks?

As I have not ever seen an Air, when watching say live shows, movies, shot HD videos, how to the screens between the Pro & Air differ & is it a notable difference?

Many Thanks!

I think your best bet is to find a pre-owned 14" MBP (M1 or higher) on eBay, Backmarket etc... A quick search led me to a 3rd-party UK-based eBay Store seems to have good reviews and a selection of items thats reasonably priced.

I checked Apple UK's Refurbished store and it just seems too expensive (but at least with some peace of mind when purchasing):

Refurb 14" MBP M3 8GB / 512GB £1,189
Refurb 14" MBP M3 Pro 18GB / 512GB £1,609

With the education discount (in the US they don't check if you order online), a base 14" MBP M4 (16GB / 512GB) starts at £1,499.

 

[Parowdy]

Without knowing your budget constraints, I would point you to the Apple refurb store if you have access to it. I've had awesome luck with Apple refurbs in the past. For a lower risk buying experience I would start there.

To add something to the contrary, my 2017 MBP was an Apple refurb and it never had no problems. To this day it has WiFi issues that apparently can’t be fixed. That machine has made me hate Apple, and their services, at times. First and probably last time I’ll buy refurbished.

 

[3SQ Machine]

Apple distributed a 16gb/1tb M2 15" MacBook Air fairly widely to retail that might be easier to locate in the used/refurb market. You would not notice any screen difference with your 2015 given its basically the same quality as the Airs. Whether those prices are competitive in the UK, I don't know. Up until just a couple months ago, you could still find them in the U.S. on clearance.

But, agree with commenters on stretching to an M1 Pro 16/1tb or even better an M2 Pro. You don't need it for your use case, but you get a good port selection and, for longevity, you would be better able to squeak more updates out of it than any air. Just keep in mind these machines are not upgradable unlike your 2015.

 

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

If available, there may possibly be an 14" M3 MBP with 16GB RAM, 1TB for about £1K (USD $1352) - is it a good deal?

Many Thanks!

 

[wonderings]

To add something to the contrary, my 2017 MBP was an Apple refurb and it never had no problems. To this day it has WiFi issues that apparently can’t be fixed. That machine has made me hate Apple, and their services, at times. First and probably last time I’ll buy refurbished.

are you saying it never had problems till later on? A refurb is covered by the same warranty as a new machine, so if it is not working right take it to an Apple Store and let them sort it out.

 

[floral]

are you saying it never had problems till later on? A refurb is covered by the same warranty as a new machine, so if it is not working right take it to an Apple Store and let them sort it out.

I think "never had no problems" is an intentional double negative, like there wasn't ever a moment that there wasn't something wrong with it

 

[wonderings]

I think "never had no problems" is an intentional double negative, like there wasn't ever a moment that there wasn't something wrong with it

If that was the case it should have gone back to Apple, they are generally great with warranty work.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Hi All,

If available, there may possibly be an 14" M3 MBP with 16GB RAM, 1TB for about £1K (USD $1352) - is it a good deal?

Many Thanks!

I would say so.
Given you said you like having the HDMI and SD card slot, do not get a MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro still has the SD card slot and HDMI port.
The MacBook you said was available sounds like the one.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Hi All,

My 2015 1TB rMBP is giving me a bunch of issues - battery not holding charge, trackpad/keyboard issues & one speaker not working.

I need to replace it but cannot stretch to the latest models. I kept mine as I love having the ports, the expansion slots & HDMI port but will have to do without them now.

To stop having desires for the latest models each year, tbh, I simply stopped myself at looking at them for many years now so do not know how they differ and/or are better from year to year so I really do not know what I should be looking for.

Happy to consider a 15"/14" model & as to spend - I suppose it comes to which offers the best value proposition in terms of features, performance & future proofing? It must be 16GB Ram as a minimum & 1TB Storage.

I understand that some of the Macbook Air's are/can be also a very good option - is this so? Ideally, I would want any Air to have the same sort screen image quality as a Pro model if possible.

What year models & specs should I be looking at - either Pro or Air (if suitable) & which ones would offer the "Best Bang For The Buck" so to speak while still offering best future proofing in terms of MacOS upgrades?

What should I expect to pay for any recommended options? I am in the UK so will probably be looking at Ebay & other classifieds.

Many Kind Thanks!

Macbook Airs are less good than MBPs in every way [especially the display] except that they are lighter. But the MBAs are superb values (for much less computer).

You are right to think about the future, because any new box is only used in the future. So first determine your desired life cycle. Most folks' choices here will be being limited by buyers' unwillingness to put in enough of Apple's overpriced RAM. IMO how much RAM you manage to buy will determine how long a life cycle you obtain.

So if you buy a [best value] MBA the limited available RAM will limit the life cycle. Sort of a self-limiting proposition. Unless you A) are a super-focused person who can discipline to maintain only one or two apps open at a time and B) can tolerate paging-to-SSD slow downs. To me that would totally defeat the intent of having a computer; I consider fast multi-tasking multi-apps essential.

Buying used IMO an M2 MBP is a superb box that will get 5 more years if it has sufficient RAM, 32 GB RAM minimum. Obviously heavy users will need more. An images person should have 64 GB or 96 GB.

 

[Bazzy]

Macbook Airs are less good than MBPs in every way except that they are lighter. But the MBAs are superb values (for much less computer).

You are right to think about the future, because any new box is only used in the future. So first determine your desired life cycle. Most folks' choices here will be being limited by buyers' unwillingness to put in enough of Apple's overpriced RAM. IMO how much RAM you manage to buy will determine how long a life cycle you obtain.

So if you buy a [best value] MBA the limited available RAM will limit the life cycle. Sort of a self-limiting proposition. Unless you A) are a super-focused person who can discipline to maintain only one or two apps open at a time and B) can tolerate paging-to-SSD slow downs. To me that would totally defeat the intent of having a computer; I consider fast multi-tasking multi-apps essential.

Hi,

Thanks for that & I agree fully - I have 16GB Ram on my 2015 rMBP & it all runs out very quickly indeed - truth be told, I do have a lot of Safari Tabs open so that is what is likely a major cause but I just like going instantly from Tab to Tab as & when needed.

When looking at the M series MBP's - I see a lot of them with just 8GB Ram? I do not understand why it is so little on much newer machines? Is it just Apple againm forcing folks to buy more RAM at Apple Tax prices?

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Hi,

Thanks for that & I agree fully - I have 16GB Ram on my 2015 rMBP & it all runs out very quickly indeed - truth be told, I do have a lot of Safari Tabs open so that is what is likely a major cause but I just like going instantly from Tab to Tab as & when needed.

When looking at the M series MBP's - I see a lot of them with just 8GB Ram? I do not understand why it is so little on much newer machines? Is it just Apple againm forcing folks to buy more RAM at Apple Tax prices?

We do not know how Apple determines its base RAM number. My guess is that it is based on what they can install at least cost. I doubt if they are trying to force folks into buying pricey RAM upgrades, but IDK. Net result however is that Apple does force folks into buying pricey RAM upgrades.

I bought 96 GB RAM in my M2 MBP. To date 64 GB would have been adequate but my open apps are now pushing up into usage of in excess of 64 GB. The only thing I miss with the M2 MBP is that I really like the nano texture displays available on the M4 MBPs.

 

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

Would a M3 MBP allow me to do & explore AI stuff - just looking at future options & needs

Thanks!

 

[Parowdy]

are you saying it never had problems till later on? A refurb is covered by the same warranty as a new machine, so if it is not working right take it to an Apple Store and let them sort it out.

no no, it came with a faulty screen right out of the box. went to the nearest apple service provider and they claimed they couldn't see anything. I don't recall exactly what I did but eventually I had everything but the bottom case and motherboard replaced by another service providers (we have no Apple stores).
I meant it literally that it "never had no problems".