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Prices for refurbished MBPs

B

Bob Coxner

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 24, 2011
855
58
I'm curious about the prices for 13" refurbs. The Apple Store charges the same price ($1019) for the 2010 and 2011 models. The specs are identical, except for the CPU and the discrete graphics in the 2010. Can that graphics card really be worth so much, especially given the i5 vs C2D. It seems to me that the 2010 is overpriced.

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.3GHz dual-core Intel i5
Originally released February 2011
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
320GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM


Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Originally released April 2010
13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
320GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
 
DWBurke811 said:
The 2.66 2010 is the "upgrade" model, like the 2011 i7 is to the i5. That's why it's more, they sell the base 2010 for $900.
Click to expand...

Yes. Its also good to take note that if you aren't doing anything CPU intensive like editing or things that have to do a lot of processing then the C2D will be just fine. The new machines are faster but after taking my Blackbook into an Apple store the other day and opening applications side by side, the new models only opened applications a hair faster.

If you don't have either and you aren't going to be playing a lot of games,get the newer model.I don't thing going from a 2010 Pro to a 2011 pro is worth it though.
 
I do not think that the refurbished are a great buy. When you add your local sales tax on top of the price, it doesn't compare well to online sellers like MacMall. Considering that Apple has had to replace a customers computer and then run it through the refurbishment process and then resell it for 10-15% under retail, I think that the online reseller makes more sense to me.
 
yep, you are comparing a base model to an upgraded model, that is why the prices are similar. the 2.4ghz model is $899 refurbished.
 
tcphoto said:
I do not think that the refurbished are a great buy. When you add your local sales tax on top of the price, it doesn't compare well to online sellers like MacMall. Considering that Apple has had to replace a customers computer and then run it through the refurbishment process and then resell it for 10-15% under retail, I think that the online reseller makes more sense to me.
Click to expand...

Are the online sellers running the Macs through the same rigorous tests? If not don't you run a higher chance of getting a broken machine?

I'm not challenging you, just wondering what the, I guess, quality of the refurbs off site would be.

They're all used and/or previously broken. I know that, but what makes the MacMall's Macs more appealing other than a lack of sales tax?
 
DWBurke811 said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Mac mall sells new stuff.
Click to expand...

They do right? I was under the assumption he was talking about refurbished machines as well. Now if they're selling new ones for a similar price then by all means get it and ignore what I said :)

And again I wasn't challenging or questioning anyone, just wondering why someone would buy from them and not the Apple store when getting a refurbished model.
 
No worries, I'm not positive but I Always thought they were like microcenter, just selling new for a lower price.
Not sure about it though, I just used the student discount in the Apple Store; it was worth it to me to just be able go hand them my debit card and walk out with a laptop.
 
DWBurke811 said:
No worries, I'm not positive but I Always thought they were like microcenter, just selling new for a lower price.
Not sure about it though, I just used the student discount in the Apple Store; it was worth it to me to just be able go hand them my debit card and walk out with a laptop.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm doing. It cuts some off and I get the 100 back; depending on the prices of the new Airs I'm probably going to get the cheapest one and be done with it.
 
The refurbished still come with the same 1 year warranty so if you dont need the newest specs, that is a good way to save some money.
 
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