Refurbished MacBook Pro 15" 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo --- Worth It?

[Dr. Scientist]

Hey Everyone.

I'm thinking the 13" may not be big enough for me, but I don't have the money to shell out $1,700 for a 15" i5. Is a Core 2 Duo worth it? I've read that in a few years they may be obsolete, but I'm just looking to use it for school work.

Also, were there any major problems with this version of the laptop? Overheating? Hinge issues? Physical defects? I'm going to get it refurbed.

http://store.apple.com/us_edu_404000/product/FC118LL/A?mco=MTA4MzI1OTk

 

[csnplt]

Hey Everyone.

I'm thinking the 13" may not be big enough for me, but I don't have the money to shell out $1,700 for a 15" i5. Is a Core 2 Duo worth it? I've read that in a few years they may be obsolete, but I'm just looking to use it for school work.

Also, were there any major problems with this version of the laptop? Overheating? Hinge issues? Physical defects? I'm going to get it refurbed.

http://store.apple.com/us_edu_404000/product/FC118LL/A?mco=MTA4MzI1OTk

That looks pretty nice. For normal use, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to notice the difference between the Core 2 Duo and a Core i5. The graphics on the newer models are much improved (this refurbished one only has the nVidia 9400m integrated graphics), but otherwise, they'll both be pretty fast.

The current 13-inchers have faster graphics, but if the screen size is what you're most concerned about, the 15'' refurbished looks like a better deal.

You may get slightly better battery life with the older model 15'' vs. the current 15'', as well, depending on use.

 

[mooty]

Is a Core 2 Duo worth it?

I recently did some tests of this very machine up against a new Core i5 2.5Ghz. I still believe this machine is pretty damn good

http://www.reynoldsftw.com/2010/04/macbook-pro-15-core-i5-vs-core-2-duo/

 

[Dr. Scientist]

That looks pretty nice. For normal use, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to notice the difference between the Core 2 Duo and a Core i5. The graphics on the newer models are much improved (this refurbished one only has the nVidia 9400m integrated graphics), but otherwise, they'll both be pretty fast.

The current 13-inchers have faster graphics, but if the screen size is what you're most concerned about, the 15'' refurbished looks like a better deal.

You may get slightly better battery life with the older model 15'' vs. the current 15'', as well, depending on use.

Thanks for the reply, this makes me feel better about potentially getting one.

 

[Dr. Scientist]

I recently did some tests of this very machine up against a new Core i5 2.5Ghz. I still believe this machine is pretty damn good

http://www.reynoldsftw.com/2010/04/macbook-pro-15-core-i5-vs-core-2-duo/

Dude! Awesome link, but I had one question. I thought the refurbished model I posted was the 2009 model, not the 2008 model. If I read correctly, your review is of the 2008 model vs updated 2010 model.

I see that the only real difference is the graphics card, with nVidia 8600M 512 MB Graphics vs NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. Would this have impacted your numbers?

Also, I read that the 2010 screen and the 2009 screen in the 15" was relatively the same, with the 60% color gamut update blah blah.

Do you have any information on this?