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Purchasing "Classic" MacBook Pro

D

Droogan Leader

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I've decided that the best way to go for me is the "classic" previous generation MBP. I like the matte screen, firewire and the fact that it it still pretty powerful. What model should I get, and how much are they usually going for? I was thinking the 2.5 GHz with the 512 MB card.

I do intensive editing in both photoshop and final cut, so I need the horsepower.

Where's the best place to find one? eBay?

Thanks!
 
Droogan Leader said:
I've decided that the best way to go for me is the "classic" previous generation MBP. I like the matte screen, firewire and the fact that it it still pretty powerful. What model should I get, and how much are they usually going for? I was thinking the 2.5 GHz with the 512 MB card.

I do intensive editing in both photoshop and final cut, so I need the horsepower.

Where's the best place to find one? eBay?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB134LL...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225586394&sr=8-2

I want this but without matte. 🙁

But for someone who wants it as is, you hit the jackpot.
 
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as long as you get a good one (no defects), you can't go wrong. i looove my SR MBP. the new ones are nice, but they are not doing it for me. max out the ram and you'll be very happy with it.

oh...don't buy off ebay. 50% chance you'll get burned. go amazon, macmall or something.
 
Are those the cheapest ones you have found? I thought some users have found pretty good deals on eBay using the live.com discount?

I plan on upgrading the ram as well. I'm pretty sure this model would be perform better than the newer baseline MBP (according to some of the benchmarks I've seen...)
 
If your really thinking of going with that a Ram upgrade is a must, I would suggest going with Crucial at newegg.com. They have some great deals going on.
 
Amazon has the 2.5GHz model for $1,794.00 (no tax, free shipping). I agree with the others: max out the RAM, since it's cheap and easy to do.
 
i ordered mine last week from the apple store for $1599. It is the 2.5GHz w/512MB VRAM. I have since upgraded tp 4GB RAM.
 
Phrasikleia said:
The newest (glassy) ones run very, very hot. There are already some threads here about it.
Click to expand...

That is not true. My new "Glassbook Pro" runs very cool. It stays in the 40 to 60 c range under better battery settings and runs 50-70 c under better performance. I do not hear the fans until they get to 4000 rpms.
 
Hmm... I would have thought they would have come down more than that in price. I can't remember off the top of my head, but did they make the previous generation with a 2.4 GHz AND the beefer 512 MB card?

Oh, and I'm definitely planning on maxing out the ram.
 
I'd strongly consider a refurb from the online Apple store. Same warranty as new, completely rebuilt, might as well be new. Plus, they're rebuilt by hand and individually checked out, compared to the new ones slammed out on the assembly line where they probably check every 100th one.

Refurbs directly from Apple are the best deal for your buck.
 
I was about to create a new thread, but I noticed the Original Poster was in a similar boat as me so I decided to just ask her. Basically I am looking for a new laptop (low $1000's) and was aiming at a blackbook, glassbook, or a pc. But recently I just found this deal for closeout laptops on a college website for macbooks. The 2.4 pro is going for $1300, while hte 2.5 is $1600. I am really interested in the 2.4 pro, as it is $1300 and seems to beat out laptops near that range, but as I have been researching about it on these forums, I have become a bit reluctant in buying one. This is because of all the 8600 gpu problem threads I have been reading. What would you guys suggest? I don't want to spend that money and just have to be replacing the laptop and have to be dealing with those issues since it seems so widespread. On the other hand the price is really getting to me, so it is a little hard trying to decide.
 
I don't understand why people are so nervous about the graphics card. Apple has acknowledged the issue and will cover it in Apple Care past the one year coverage to three years if I read it correctly. Buy it and wait until the eleventh month and buy Apple Care in case a different problem arises. You have one year to buy the extended coverage, so take advantage of the program.
 
tcphoto said:
I don't understand why people are so nervous about the graphics card. Apple has acknowledged the issue and will cover it in Apple Care past the one year coverage to three years if I read it correctly. Buy it and wait until the eleventh month and buy Apple Care in case a different problem arises. You have one year to buy the extended coverage, so take advantage of the program.
Click to expand...

Did you mean Apple would cover it past the 1-3 years coverage, or were you saying that they would cover it just within AC? For something like this I would expect them to replace the faulty units even out of AC, since it was publicly declared all those cards were faulty.
 
I got the legacy 2.5 GHz on clearance from MacMall. $1650 after rebate with tons of stuff "free" after rebate.

I love this thing. And I am not worried about the graphics.
 
If you don't purchase AppleCare, Apple will replace a failed 8600 GPU up until two years after the date you purchased your laptop. If you have AppleCare, then the GPU is of course covered for the entire three-year period that you have the AppleCare coverage.
 
pdxflint said:
I'd strongly consider a refurb from the online Apple store. Same warranty as new, completely rebuilt, might as well be new. Plus, they're rebuilt by hand and individually checked out, compared to the new ones slammed out on the assembly line where they probably check every 100th one.


Refurbs directly from Apple are the best deal for your buck.
Click to expand...

Agree completely, it's an excellent way to get a terrific computer.

Phrasikleia said:
Amazon has the 2.5GHz model for $1,794.00 (no tax, free shipping). I agree with the others: max out the RAM, since it's cheap and easy to do.
Click to expand...

Again, agree completely. Don't touch eBay, rather try Aple themselves, or perhaps, Amazon. Also, get Applecare if you can afford it, which will ensure peace of mind for three years should anything go wrong.

Cheers and good luck
 
If you need a matte-screen, buy the 17" inch model still on sale, isnt it available with a matte-screen?

It should have the most horsepower of all the "classic" macbook pro´s out there.
 
I would recommed ebay right now as the deals are just too good with live search and a paypal coupon.

I just bought a 3 month old MBP 2.4 with multi-touch for 1050. Was 1350, 200 off for live search, then 100 for paypal. It's brand new, no problems.

Was a no brainer. Just buy from someone with good feedback and has done high end sales before. Also use paypal and pay with a credo card so if things do go wrong you can just have your credit card company reverse the charges.
 
kellen said:
I would recommed ebay right now as the deals are just too good with live search and a paypal coupon.

I just bought a 3 month old MBP 2.4 with multi-touch for 1050. Was 1350, 200 off for live search, then 100 for paypal. It's brand new, no problems.

Was a no brainer. Just buy from someone with good feedback and has done high end sales before. Also use paypal and pay with a credo card so if things do go wrong you can just have your credit card company reverse the charges.
Click to expand...

The lowest I can find on live search for a macbook pro is around $1534, and that is bottomline pricing(with the livesearch discount). You must have gotten reeeeally lucky on that deal.
 
kellen said:
I would recommed ebay right now as the deals are just too good with live search and a paypal coupon.

I just bought a 3 month old MBP 2.4 with multi-touch for 1050. Was 1350, 200 off for live search, then 100 for paypal. It's brand new, no problems.

Was a no brainer. Just buy from someone with good feedback and has done high end sales before. Also use paypal and pay with a credo card so if things do go wrong you can just have your credit card company reverse the charges.
Click to expand...

Is it a 3-month old MBP, or brand new? Three months old is what I'd call a used MBP, and a used computer should be cheaper than a new one. Was it a factory-sealed box with an unregistered laptop, with less than 3 recycles on the battery and a full 12-month warranty?
 
Droogan Leader said:
Hmm... I would have thought they would have come down more than that in price. I can't remember off the top of my head, but did they make the previous generation with a 2.4 GHz AND the beefer 512 MB card?

Oh, and I'm definitely planning on maxing out the ram.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I have a 2.4GHz with a GeForce 8600M GT @ 256MB VRAM. Could be wrong but I don't recall a 512MB option at the time I got mine...

I have 4GB RAM and it runs fine! Not sure what "maxing out" means these days as 4GB is the max according to Apple, but have heard some reports that 6GB will be recognized.
 
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