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Refurb MBP HELP Please

B

Blu-Ray

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 12, 2008
240
0
Colorado
Looking to get a refurb MBP and have narrowed it down to one of three choices that are within $40. With these choices, I have to either compromise on the processor or on the display. Having a hard time deciding... Thoughts?

1) Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 - $1,369.00
Originally released April 2010
15.4-inch LED-backlit antiglare Hi-Res widescreen display (1680 x 1050 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory

2) Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 - $1,329.00
Originally released April 2010
15.4-inch LED-backlit antiglare Hi-Res widescreen display (1680 x 1050 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory

3) Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7 - $1,359.00
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
 
You can't upgrade the processor, whereas you can always hook it to an external monitor if you need higher resolution. Unless you're hooking up to an HDMI TV, and nearly all LCD monitors are anti-glare.
 
Is the 1440-by-900 resolution display bad? If it isn't, I would rather put the money into the newer and more powerful processor (and GPU) that is in the Oct '11 version.
 
Personally, I'd take the 2.8 2010, but that's me.

I guess another consideration is RAM (as well as thunderbolt), the 2011's can go up to 16GB vs 8Gb on the 2010.
 
I myself, just purchased the 2010 2.8 for $1369. Actually got it for $1300 by using my Discover Card account. The hi-res matte screen is what did it for me. I'm a writer; love that screen!! Lots of real estate, and very crisp. Plus, a core I7 2.8 processor ain't too shabby either. Even being two years old, it's a screaming CPU. Throw in another 4 GB of ram, and eventually an SSD, and this Macbook will get 5 years of use easily. My opinion, go for the 2.8.
 
Go a little higher

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Hi-Res antiglare widescreen display, 1680-by-1050 resolution

4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
$1,439.00

I don't trust Nvidia ever since the fiasco with the defective Nvidia Chip on the Core 2 Duo MBP.
 
durruti said:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Hi-Res antiglare widescreen display, 1680-by-1050 resolution

4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
$1,439.00

I don't trust Nvidia ever since the fiasco with the defective Nvidia Chip on the Core 2 Duo MBP.
Click to expand...

So if a company makes one mistake or has one mishap, then they shouldn't be trusted ever again? Apple made a mishap with MobileMe. Microsoft made a huge mistake with Vista. Netflix made a mistake with Qwikster. The list goes on and on.

Personally, I'd go with the newer model (#3) in the OP although the option specified by durruti is what I would buy. Even if you put an SSD into the 2010 models, it's limited by the SATA 2 connection. I'd rather have SATA 3 + an SSD than a small pixel resolution bump. But that is just me and it depends on your usage. Unless there is a dying need for slower speed but higher resolution, the 2011 models are the best bang for your buck.
 
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