Should I buy Refurbished 2012 15" MBP Retina from Apple?

[phillyfan9090]

I was going to buy the 13" MBP with retina but the specs just arent there. So i want to buy the 15". However, buying new is 2000+ and is just too expensive.
So, I have a few questions that need to be answered if you can help..

1) Should i buy a refurbished laptop from Apple? Will my battery life be worse?
2) Is the 2012 15" MBP retina safe to buy? Will I be happy with it because I have read a lot of complaints with IR, lag, dead pixels.. etc
3) What are the chances they send me one with 16 GB ram because I have seen people on this forum get lucky with that?
4) Should I buy 2012 refurbished 15" or just get the 2013 and spend couple hundred more?

Any help would be appreciated

 

[taptic]

Refurbished is always the way to go, battery should be fine.

Should be alright, but newer is generally better.

No chance as far as I know.

Buy refurbished 2012

 

[Akack]

I was going to buy the 13" MBP with retina but the specs just arent there. So i want to buy the 15". However, buying new is 2000+ and is just too expensive.
So, I have a few questions that need to be answered if you can help..

1) Should i buy a refurbished laptop from Apple? Will my battery life be worse?
2) Is the 2012 15" MBP retina safe to buy? Will I be happy with it because I have read a lot of complaints with IR, lag, dead pixels.. etc
3) What are the chances they send me one with 16 GB ram because I have seen people on this forum get lucky with that?
4) Should I buy 2012 refurbished 15" or just get the 2013 and spend couple hundred more?

Any help would be appreciated

1) yes, no...you still get the standard one year warranty
2) yes....if unhappy you have warranty
3) slim
4) 2012

 

[Trey M]

1) Battery life on a refurbished model should be absolutely no different. They use new batteries in refurb models so not something you'll have to worry about

2) The whole IR thing is so blown out of proportion it's dumb. Just use the cmd line to check which manufacturer you have (Samsung or LG). If you have a Samsung panel, you should be good, period. If you get an LG screen, and it's not an SJA-2 panel, just keep an eye out to see if IR develops over time. I'd say it's more likely to not occur than it is to occur, so just enjoy your laptop and IF it develops, take it in and get the panel swapped. Like someone above said, you still have full year warranty even on refurbs...

3) You just have to get lucky. I got 8GB RAM in my MBA refurb when it was only supposed to come with 4GB; again this was out of pure luck. Again, something I'd say is more likely to not occur than to occur, but you could be one of the lucky few

4) Really can only be decided by you. There are a lot of people on these forums that only buy Apple refurbs and they swear by them...my MBA I got not too long ago is my first refurb so I can't speak from too much experience, but I've had no issues with my laptop. The full warranty is really peace of mind, and you can always purchase Applecare extended warranty. If I were you, I'd pick up the 2012 refurb and I'd use the money you saved on Applecare so you're covered for 3 years.

 

[tgi]

I would go for the 2012 refurb. I actually ordered one but I ended up cancelling it because I found a smoking deal on 2013 open box from Best Buy.

 

[sonicrobby]

1) Should i buy a refurbished laptop from Apple? Will my battery life be worse?
2) Is the 2012 15" MBP retina safe to buy? Will I be happy with it because I have read a lot of complaints with IR, lag, dead pixels.. etc
3) What are the chances they send me one with 16 GB ram because I have seen people on this forum get lucky with that?
4) Should I buy 2012 refurbished 15" or just get the 2013 and spend couple hundred more?

Any help would be appreciated

1) yes you should, battery life worse than what? the 13" or a new 15"?
2) It is safe to buy, if there is anything physically wrong with the screen, you have a 1 year apple warranty, they will replace the screen for free.
3)slim chances, usually you get what you order.
4) I would suggest the 2012, there is no real difference that is worth an extra few hundred for the 2013

 

[phillyfan9090]

I would go for the 2012 refurb. I actually ordered one but I ended up cancelling it because I found a smoking deal on 2013 open box from Best Buy.

do you mind saying how much you paid for the open box?

if i wasnt buying refurbished from apple i was going to get open box..

 

[tgi]

do you mind saying how much you paid for the open box?

if i wasnt buying refurbished from apple i was going to get open box..

$1,699 out the door for a base 2013 rMBP. Open box is nice cause it comes with original retail box which helps with resale. (Some people care about that stuff).