Sell MBP now for SR or sell for Penryn?

[superspiffy]

I have a MBP (15'' matte, 2.33Ghz, stock) and I'm trying to decide which option would give me the better resale value: I sell my MBP now and pay the difference for a new one, or wait for the next revision (with Penryn) and pay the difference then?

Some things to consider are:
I get education discount so the midrange MBPs only cost me 2300.
The resale value of MBPs slides down as newer generation appears.

I want to know:
-How much does a 15'' 2.33ghz MBP usually sell for now? (so hard to gauge from craigslist because the prices range from 1800-2200)
-How much would it sell when another generation gets release?

Since we'd be speculating on the last question, then historically, how much value does the MBP usually loose when it's 2 generations behind? Like how much would the original midrange Core Duo MBPs sell now? I think they're 2 gens behind now aren't they?

If it's the case that I can get a good resale value for my 1-gen-off-MBP now (say 2000), then I'll sell it now and probably end up paying a $500 penalty for a new SR MBP (edu discount + tax = 2500). But if it's the case that the resale value plummets by over a thousand after Penryn, then reselling my then 2-gen-off-MBP by less than half its original price means I would be loosing more money buying a Penryn MBP then, because I could've bought the SR MBP now for 500 and then resell that when Penryn comes out for another 500 to buy the Penryn MBP

Sorry about that last paragraph. It sounds poorly worded as I read it now. Tell me if it indeed doesn't make sense. lol

 

[mr_matalino]

I have a MBP (15'' matte, 2.33Ghz, stock) and I'm trying to decide which option would give me the better resale value: I sell my MBP now and pay the difference for a new one, or wait for the next revision (with Penryn) and pay the difference then?

Some things to consider are:
I get education discount so the midrange MBPs only cost me 2300.
The resale value of MBPs slides down as newer generation appears.

I want to know:
-How much does a 15'' 2.33ghz MBP usually sell for now? (so hard to gauge from craigslist because the prices range from 1800-2200)
-How much would it sell when another generation gets release?

Since we'd be speculating on the last question, then historically, how much value does the MBP usually loose when it's 2 generations behind? Like how much would the original midrange Core Duo MBPs sell now? I think they're 2 gens behind now aren't they?

If it's the case that I can get a good resale value for my 1-gen-off-MBP now (say 2000), then I'll sell it now and probably end up paying a $500 penalty for a new SR MBP (edu discount + tax = 2500). But if it's the case that the resale value plummets by over a thousand after Penryn, then reselling my then 2-gen-off-MBP by less than half its original price means I would be loosing more money buying a Penryn MBP then, because I could've bought the SR MBP now for 500 and then resell that when Penryn comes out for another 500 to buy the Penryn MBP

Sorry about that last paragraph. It sounds poorly worded as I read it now. Tell me if it indeed doesn't make sense. lol

Macs are like BMW's; they tend to hold their resale value pretty well. While they do depreciate in value (especially with new models released) they will tend to sell for more than you would get with a similiar dell. Why is it important to you to sell your MBP anyway? It's a great computer and will last a long time until you need a new one.

 

[jjmaximum]

Points to consider

The recent upgrade was minor so I don't see what you would really gain for your effort and $500.

And based on your math, the later upgrade would cost $1,000 but if you ugraded now for $500, it would likely be another $500 to upgrade next time so it really isn't much different either as 500+500=1000.

 

[zioxide]

Your laptop is practically brand new. It should be great for at least another year. Upgrading to SR and even Penryn next spring will offer you a very minimal performance gain.

If I was in your position, the soonest I would worry about upgrading would be when Apple releases a Montevina based MBP.

 

[superspiffy]

Your laptop is practically brand new. It should be great for at least another year. Upgrading to SR and even Penryn next spring will offer you a very minimal performance gain.

If I was in your position, the soonest I would worry about upgrading would be when Apple releases a Montevina based MBP.

I agree that's probably the most rational choice. But I'm just trying to get the most out of my edu discount while I'm still at college, which would only last till June of next year. I had planned on buying one more MBP before that time so I can get the most of the discount and get the "latest and greatest" and have it last me for a good 3-4 years before I upgrade again. After college I'm gonna be in major debt so upgrading would probably have to wait until I pay off the loans.

But if in your opinion, upgrading to SR or even Penryn is not worth it compared to the advantage of Montevina, I'll take that seriously. I don't know much about Intel chipsets, but what do I get from Montevina and when is the projected release?

 

[zioxide]

I agree that's probably the most rational choice. But I'm just trying to get the most out of my edu discount while I'm still at college, which would only last till June of next year. I had planned on buying one more MBP before that time so I can get the most of the discount and get the "latest and greatest" and have it last me for a good 3-4 years before I upgrade again. After college I'm gonna be in major debt so upgrading would probably have to wait until I pay off the loans.

But if in your opinion, upgrading to SR or even Penryn is not worth it compared to the advantage of Montevina, I'll take that seriously. I don't know much about Intel chipsets, but what do I get from Montevina and when is the projected release?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrino#Montevina_platform_.282008.29

More power effecient, faster FSB, possibly WiMAX, DDR3-800 ram.

If you're absolutely set on replacing the laptop before you graduate, you'll want to wait until at least Penryn. Upgrading to SR would give you about a 5% performance increase, Penryn will probably give an additional 5-10%.

 

[James L]

I upgrade my laptop every 3 years. Many professionals I know (in the web and graphic design industries) feel they get the best bang for their buck by upgrading every 2 years. There are people on these forums running on 4 or 5 year old laptops.

Your model came out less than 10 months ago! It would be pointless to upgrade right now.... the performace boost would be negligble.

If it is dependent on your education discount running out in June '08 (if I read that properly) than that is when I would buy. Your current laptop will still be well under 2 years old, will hold a decent resale, and you can then get whatever is available to you at that time.

 

[superspiffy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrino#Montevina_platform_.282008.29

More power effecient, faster FSB, possibly WiMAX, DDR3-800 ram.

If you're absolutely set on replacing the laptop before you graduate, you'll want to wait until at least Penryn. Upgrading to SR would give you about a 5% performance increase, Penryn will probably give an additional 5-10%.

Wow. only 5% improvement for SR and 5-10% for Penryn. Thanks zioxide. I'll probably hold out for Montevina then. If I am going to upgrade before I graduate on June then it'll be for a must have directx 10 game which the x1600 just won't cut. Yes I know I might as well get a PC desktop for games, but I rather have a MBP anyway.