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Question about dates in refurbished Apple Store MBP units

Z

zenofchaos

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 6, 2012
5
0
Arizona
I am looking to buy my first Macbook, a 15" Macbook Pro. Due to budget limitations, I am planning on buying a refurbished unit from Apple. My question is this: what exactly is "refurbished" on the units? Only things that don't work, or are they given a complete overhaul? The reason I ask is that there is a unit right now that I am interested in that is a 2.66 GHz Core i7 with NVIDIA graphics that states it was "originally released in April 2010." I don't believe that the i7 processor was out then, so am I to assume that the processor has been replaced? And the video card?

I am a digital imaging student and will be using the laptop for Adobe CS5.5 including Photoshop and Premiere Pro on a routine basis. I do plan to upgrade the RAM and potentially add an SSD after purchase.

I am very familiar with PCs including building/upgrading them, but this will be my first personal Mac (having used them at work years ago) so pardon my ignorance. I just want to make sure I am getting the best computer for my somewhat limited budget and the date thing has me stymied.

Thank you in advance for your help.
 
Just to add....They are great value, buy from Apple and you won't have issues...I wish I'd bought a reurb when I got my 27" iMac...I have had no problems with it, it's just a good way of saving some cash.
 
Thank you for the prompt replies. I did read the description on the Apple site about refurbished units prior to posting here and noted where it says that any parts deemed defective are replaced. Am I to assume that this means the CPU and video card were defective and replaced with new ones?

I am not trying to be dense here, truly. I just want to be certain what I am spending my money for. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the date thing, and should just select a model based on its technical specs?
 
zenofchaos said:
Thank you for the prompt replies. I did read the description on the Apple site about refurbished units prior to posting here and noted where it says that any parts deemed defective are replaced. Am I to assume that this means the CPU and video card were defective and replaced with new ones?
Click to expand...
It doesn't mean the graphics will be replaced, simply because its NVIDIA. If a part doesn't pass inspection, it would be replaced, but if it hasn't failed, it won't.
 
zenofchaos said:
Thank you for the prompt replies. I did read the description on the Apple site about refurbished units prior to posting here and noted where it says that any parts deemed defective are replaced. Am I to assume that this means the CPU and video card were defective and replaced with new ones?

I am not trying to be dense here, truly. I just want to be certain what I am spending my money for. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the date thing, and should just select a model based on its technical specs?
Click to expand...

No. The 2010 models with the i7 are not a quad core processors, they're dual core processors. If anything had been defective on it, they would have just replaced the entire logic board, and not individual parts of it. That model you're looking at came with those exact specs brand new, nothing's been changed or upgraded. I've had nothing but awesome luck with refurbs, and many here recommend them highly.

Personally, I think the 2010 2.66 i7 model is a bit overpriced in the refurb store. I'd either go for the early 2011 base model ($1359), or save some money and get the 2010 base model ($1189) unless you absolutely need the extra 256MB of video RAM. With the 2011 model you'd get a quad core processor, Thunderbolt, etc. And with the 2010 model you'd save a few hundred by getting the base model of that year instead of the high end model of that year.
 
zenofchaos said:
Thank you for the prompt replies. I did read the description on the Apple site about refurbished units prior to posting here and noted where it says that any parts deemed defective are replaced. Am I to assume that this means the CPU and video card were defective and replaced with new ones?

I am not trying to be dense here, truly. I just want to be certain what I am spending my money for. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the date thing, and should just select a model based on its technical specs?
Click to expand...

You are spending your money on an older model with a new body, new battery and full warranty. The date is only when computers of that spec came out, nothing else. Mine is from February or March 2008(can't remember for sure) but I bought it new.

FYI, one cannot change single parts on 99% of laptop's logicboards, everything is soldered on as one piece, thus, you cannot upgrade a processor nor a graphics card in a laptop.
 
Typing this from my refurb 2010 15" (i5, 330M) and I've been very pleased with the quality of the laptop. It arrived in pristine condition and I spent a lot of time looking for issues (cosmetic or otherwise) and it's perfect.
 
Refurbs are not necessarily defective machines. New machines that are returned by customers end up there, and I guess also some machines that are delivered to retailers but not sold find it's way back to apple.
In any case, they come with full warranty so it's as good as a new machine.

The single best deal currently is:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0LZ2LL/A

It's very hard to find the low end model with the high-res screen normally.
 
zenofchaos said:
Thank you for the prompt replies. I did read the description on the Apple site about refurbished units prior to posting here and noted where it says that any parts deemed defective are replaced. Am I to assume that this means the CPU and video card were defective and replaced with new ones?

I am not trying to be dense here, truly. I just want to be certain what I am spending my money for. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the date thing, and should just select a model based on its technical specs?
Click to expand...

Yes, choose what you need based on specs. When you purchase a refurb, you won't know what's been done to it, but rest assured that Apple has checked it over well and fixed anything that might have needed to be fixed. They come with the standard 1-year warranty, and you can purchase Applecare to up the warranty to 3 years. My current MBP is a refurb and it's been perfect so far. I've purchased other Macs as refurbs and they've all been just as good as buying new, but quite a bit cheaper.
 
Thank you for all of the detailed replies! This is the exact information I was looking for. Now that I look closer, I do see that some of the i7's say quad-core and some do not. It also makes sense that the specs would be the same as the original release date.

I think I will hold out for a quad-core model, as I am intending for the laptop to last for a period of years. Even the Windows laptops I have had have gotten 3-4+ years of use (passed down to my kids or other family members). I take very good care of my tech, so I have no problem investing a bit more in something that will last for a while. There is nothing wrong with my current 2 year old Compaq laptop - I just want to upgrade to a Mac. ;) My nine year old will be getting this one and will be quite happy with it. :)

The link that was posted to the February 2011 model does look like a good deal, but I will not have the cash in hand until the end of this month when my student loan money comes through. Hopefully, I will be able to get a similar deal at that time.

Thanks again, everyone.

Beverly
 
Refurbs from apple are a great deal. However i bought my early 2011 base 13" mbp from bestbuy as an open box unit for just $800. The apple refurb version of that same model now sells for $929. Bb only had it back a week from tne first buyer who returned ut. It was mint, original box etc. refurbs dont come in original box. Bb has same 14 day return policy as apple. After a few days of testing i registered it with apple just like a new machine or refurb and git applecare. So open box bb deals are a great alternative to apple refurbs. Plus yoh can see and test it before you buy it. I had the bb guy open 4 boxes of open bix returns before i picked mine. This was in october. Before i bought the bb unit i had ordered a refurb from apple but it came with a dent on the top and i returned it.
 
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