Should I get a reburb or new MPB?

[marleya]

I'm a student trying to decide between these two 15" MBP computers. The main thing is, I want the anti-glare upgrade so I can use it outside.

Refurbished MBP at a cost of $1679

Originally released February 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Hi-Res antiglare widescreen display, 1680-by-1050 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
1GB GDDR5 graphics memory
http://store.apple.com/us-hed/product/G0M18LL/A#overview

New MBP at a cost of $1799 (student price with anti-glare upgrade)

15-inch: 2.3 GHz

2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
4GB 1600MHz memory
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
Built-in battery (7 hours)2


I know the new one has a faster processor and RAM. My main concern is that on the refurb, the video card has 1GB memory and the new one has only 512MB. I'm not a gamer, but I know the video card memory is important. Also, the new one has a smaller HD, but I'm not really worried about that. What is the better deal? What else should I consider?

Thanks!

***Sorry, title should obvi say refurb not reburb!!

 

[Stetrain]

I would go with the 2012 model. The new Intel and Nvidia chips seem to run cooler than the previous generation, and you also get USB 3.

You might also want to think about upgrading to an SSD at some point in the future, that would probably make the single biggest difference in how fast the computer feels in daily use.

 

[InlawBiker]

Given the small price difference I would get the newer model.

 

[Zwikker]

I would get the one with 1gb of Vram of course. It will be a must have in a long run.
* I had the same exact question and went with the refurb one u listed above.
It had 3 cycles on it and we all know apple's refurbs are just like new. Save ur money and go with the better one, model year is not important in this case i would say.

 

[marleya]

I was kind of thinking what zwikker said, that in the long run, I'd want the extra Vram, but it's hard not to go for the brand new machine!

also, if you consider i could by the new one at a site with no sales tax, the actual price difference is only about $30 more for the new model.

either way, i would probably upgrade to 8gb ram at some point and possibly a ssd drive when the prices come down significantly (assuming that happens in the next couple of years).

so wish i could get the new base model with 1GB VRAM, but i'm assuming everyone else does too!!

 

[Zwikker]

I know how you feel. Spending +$1500 on a refurb and over a year old machine doesn't feel right. That being said, new machines with 512mb vram don't feel right either. High end early 2011 is way to go in this case.
I opened so many threads askin the same question over and over and finally came to the conclusion to buy a refurb 2011 one.
If u have any question u can always ask me, I will be more than happy to answer.
Good luck

I was kind of thinking what zwikker said, that in the long run, I'd want the extra Vram, but it's hard not to go for the brand new machine!

also, if you consider i could by the new one at a site with no sales tax, the actual price difference is only about $30 more for the new model.

either way, i would probably upgrade to 8gb ram at some point and possibly a ssd drive when the prices come down significantly (assuming that happens in the next couple of years).

so wish i could get the new base model with 1GB VRAM, but i'm assuming everyone else does too!!

 

[marleya]

I know how you feel. Spending +$1500 on a refurb and over a year old machine doesn't feel right. That being said, new machines with 512mb vram don't feel right either.

^^Yes! Thank you for articulating that for me! I think I will go with the 2011 model (although will probably change my mind 10 more times before I pull the trigger)!

 

[boomhower]

With the minimal price difference I would go with the new one unless you really want the hi res screen and don't want to add more the new ones price.

 

[Sheller]

Hey guys, long time reader, first time poster.

I'm going through the same decision making process as a lot of folks these days. I was originally going to get the new 2012 15" cMBP with student discount, but the price was just too high to justify (esp if I wanted to upgrade RAM to 8 or 16GB). I then switched my thinking to the 13" MBP with the thought that I could get the computer, and do the upgrades all for the cost of the 15" base model. I'm going to be using it mainly for day to day stuff, but would be doing some light video editing (possibly on FCPX) and audio recording (maybe logic pro eventually)

I was just about to purchase the 13" but figured I should check the refurb section and found this....good deal?

$1379.00
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7

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

Would love to hear your thoughts on which machine I should go with.
Thanks!

 

[InlawBiker]

I was just about to purchase the 13" but figured I should check the refurb section and found this....good deal?

$1379.00
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7

That's exactly the reasoning I went through. I was set upon the 13" but I thought it was overpriced at $1499. The 2011 15" - cheaper with quad core and a real video card made a lot more sense. I'm sitting here copying my files to it right now.

I do prefer the smaller size of the 13. I will miss USB 3.0. But I don't travel much and I could use the extra horsepower.

If I carried it a lot I would probably get the base 13" MBP or consider the Air.

 

[Stetrain]

^^Yes! Thank you for articulating that for me! I think I will go with the 2011 model (although will probably change my mind 10 more times before I pull the trigger)!

Are you actually doing anything that will stress the GPU? You said you weren't really a gamer.

Just wondering if the 1GB VRAM will actually make any difference to you at all.

 

[ladydub]

Are you actually doing anything that will stress the GPU? You said you weren't really a gamer.

Just wondering if the 1GB VRAM will actually make any difference to you at all.

Probably not...at least not right now. I know both computers would be more than enough for my current needs. More thinking of this in terms of longevity. In a couple of years, what is more important..a slightly faster chip and RAM or 1GB vram.

I went with the 2011. I actually compared the 2011 model to the high-end 2012 (with 1GB vram). I added the cost of an additional 4GM ram to the 2011 so they were more comparable. Then figured out that if I bought the high-end 2012, I would be paying about $340 extra for the newer, faster components and USB 3.0 vs. the refurb 2011. I decided that wasn't worth it.

Also, if the 13" came with a matte screen option, I would definitely have gotten that instead.

 

[Zwikker]

As i posted above I bought the same exact refurb you're thinkin of buying. My answer is, Hands down awesome deal! I returned this item after I received it because I thought it would be nice to have 1gb Vram for only $180 more. I got the same exact one with 1gb Vram and I'm so happy with that.
But again, for light video editing, $1379 one will be just fine for you, if not then you can add $180 to your budget and buy the one with 1gb Vram in it.
Either way, good luck mate Hope you will be happy with your decision.

Hey guys, long time reader, first time poster.

I'm going through the same decision making process as a lot of folks these days. I was originally going to get the new 2012 15" cMBP with student discount, but the price was just too high to justify (esp if I wanted to upgrade RAM to 8 or 16GB). I then switched my thinking to the 13" MBP with the thought that I could get the computer, and do the upgrades all for the cost of the 15" base model. I'm going to be using it mainly for day to day stuff, but would be doing some light video editing (possibly on FCPX) and audio recording (maybe logic pro eventually)

I was just about to purchase the 13" but figured I should check the refurb section and found this....good deal?

$1379.00
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7

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

Would love to hear your thoughts on which machine I should go with.
Thanks!

 

[snaky69]

Probably not...at least not right now. I know both computers would be more than enough for my current needs. More thinking of this in terms of longevity. In a couple of years, what is more important..a slightly faster chip and RAM or 1GB vram.

I went with the 2011. I actually compared the 2011 model to the high-end 2012 (with 1GB vram). I added the cost of an additional 4GM ram to the 2011 so they were more comparable. Then figured out that if I bought the high-end 2012, I would be paying about $340 extra for the newer, faster components and USB 3.0 vs. the refurb 2011. I decided that wasn't worth it.

Also, if the 13" came with a matte screen option, I would definitely have gotten that instead.

Since you're not a gamer and OS X can actually run quite nicely on 64 to 128mb of VRAM(heck, I have a powermac G4 on 16mb vram running OS X Leopard just fine), I don't see you getting limited by VRAM any time soon. 512mb is quite a bit to fill up with textures and shades!

Personally, I'd go with the newer model.

 

[leez]

Refurb, buying end of this week. Same model, 15" 2011. Will skip this generation and wait 2-3 years, then upgrade. I'm jumping from MacBook Air 2008 now, so will be a huge difference for me anyway...

 

[CosmoPilot]

No brainer...get the 2012. You can always upgrade HDD and RAM later. In terms of the graphics...you're not a gamer so why worry about it?

With the 2012, you get USB 3.0 which would be the tipping point for me.

 

[Zwikker]

Not only gamers need better graphics. There are so many softwares that requires a good graphic card.

No brainer...get the 2012. You can always upgrade HDD and RAM later. In terms of the graphics...you're not a gamer so why worry about it?

With the 2012, you get USB 3.0 which would be the tipping point for me.

 

[stevelam]

Not only gamers need better graphics. There are so many softwares that requires a good graphic card.

Um like what? Certainly nothing the OP is going to use by the looks of it. Sorry but VRAM is literally going to be completely useless to you. You won't notice any difference in performance whatsoever.

Also you realize the hd4000 and 650m are WAY better GPUs right? Sorry a lot of people in this thread are giving the worst and most uninformed advice ever.

 

[stevelam]

Edit: Double post and no way to delete in tapatalk apparently

 

[thekev]

I was kind of thinking what zwikker said, that in the long run, I'd want the extra Vram, but it's hard not to go for the brand new machine!

also, if you consider i could by the new one at a site with no sales tax, the actual price difference is only about $30 more for the new model.

either way, i would probably upgrade to 8gb ram at some point and possibly a ssd drive when the prices come down significantly (assuming that happens in the next couple of years).

so wish i could get the new base model with 1GB VRAM, but i'm assuming everyone else does too!!

Outside of gaming it typically comes down to OpenCL /OpenGL applications and functions where a certain amount of vram is required to run it in such a manner. The reason Apple put that amount on the lower option is because they're cheap. They had 256MB on an early 2011 15" which is less than intel's integrated gpus grab by default. That is just skimping. If you're going for a 2011, it won't make much sense if you want one that includes some of the cto options such as high res antiglare display. There is a 15" at $1359, but it lacks some of that stuff.

^^Yes! Thank you for articulating that for me! I think I will go with the 2011 model (although will probably change my mind 10 more times before I pull the trigger)!

I'd take a look at the authorized retailers to see if you can find a better deal before pulling the trigger here.

That's exactly the reasoning I went through. I was set upon the 13" but I thought it was overpriced at $1499. The 2011 15" - cheaper with quad core and a real video card made a lot more sense. I'm sitting here copying my files to it right now.

I do prefer the smaller size of the 13. I will miss USB 3.0. But I don't travel much and I could use the extra horsepower.

If I carried it a lot I would probably get the base 13" MBP or consider the Air.

They really aren't that heavy.

Also you realize the hd4000 and 650m are WAY better GPUs right? Sorry a lot of people in this thread are giving the worst and most uninformed advice ever.

There are some things relative to photo/video editing (mentioning those as they're the most common) that can be run via OpenCL, yet they won't run unless they can fit within Vram. Most require a minimum of 512 and recommend 1GB at least with Adobe's applications. The HD4000 is better than the HD3000. It's still over-hyped. Neither is very good. The 650m is better for games, and even there looking at what is bottlenecked matters. Overall I'd end up buying the 2012 unless the savings was better than that.

 

[dHk]

I'm a student trying to decide between these two 15" MBP computers. The main thing is, I want the anti-glare upgrade so I can use it outside.

Refurbished MBP at a cost of $1679

Originally released February 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Hi-Res antiglare widescreen display, 1680-by-1050 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
1GB GDDR5 graphics memory
http://store.apple.com/us-hed/product/G0M18LL/A#overview

New MBP at a cost of $1799 (student price with anti-glare upgrade)

15-inch: 2.3 GHz

2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
4GB 1600MHz memory
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
Built-in battery (7 hours)2


I know the new one has a faster processor and RAM. My main concern is that on the refurb, the video card has 1GB memory and the new one has only 512MB. I'm not a gamer, but I know the video card memory is important. Also, the new one has a smaller HD, but I'm not really worried about that. What is the better deal? What else should I consider?

Thanks!

***Sorry, title should obvi say refurb not reburb!!

The 512mb is way to weak for the 650m. Get the 6750m!

 

[riveting]

How much is the refurbished high resolution 15 model? I saw it once and it is going OOS quickly, the 1440*900 is really a bit low in resolution for a 15. Also, does it make sense to save another $100 on early 2011 15 with 2.0G quad core, that one has quite a bit worse video card (6490m 256m vram).

 

[M10eer]

From what I understand hd4000 and 650m 1gb is not what he is considering of buying. He is between a 512mb of 650m and a 1gb of 6750m(2011) here.

Tell me how come a 512gb of Vram GPU is better than a 1gb of Vram? It isn't a newer is better case always.

Besides gaming, 1gb vram is required on many applications such as auto cad etc.

That being said, 1gb Vram is a must have in a long run, no matter how much of a gamer you're or not.

In conclusion, you don't have to apologize from him, people gave him the right advices from what I read.

Um like what? Certainly nothing the OP is going to use by the looks of it. Sorry but VRAM is literally going to be completely useless to you. You won't notice any difference in performance whatsoever.

Also you realize the hd4000 and 650m are WAY better GPUs right? Sorry a lot of people in this thread are giving the worst and most uninformed advice ever.

 

[stevelam]

From what I understand hd4000 and 650m 1gb is not what he is considering of buying. He is between a 512mb of 650m and a 1gb of 6750m(2011) here.

Tell me how come a 512gb of Vram GPU is better than a 1gb of Vram? It isn't a newer is better case always.

Besides gaming, 1gb vram is required on many applications such as auto cad etc.

That being said, 1gb Vram is a must have in a long run, no matter how much of a gamer you're or not.

In conclusion, you don't have to apologize from him, people gave him the right advices from what I read.

please tell me exactly where vram will come into play according to the OP's usage. absolutely nowhere. really? you think the OP is suddenly going to use autocad? for what? photoshop is absolutely fine with 256 vram. its only when you start dabbling in 3d in photoshop (and who really bothers to do that?) that you would really notice anything going to 512mb vram, let alone a gb.

OP, if you want the inferior built-in gpu, inferior discrete card, a last gen cpu as well as inferior clock speed at the expense of a measly 512mb of vram that you won't miss or use at all, then by all means, listen to these completely misguided 'tips' from people.

 

[marleya]

How much is the refurbished high resolution 15 model? I saw it once and it is going OOS quickly, the 1440*900 is really a bit low in resolution for a 15. Also, does it make sense to save another $100 on early 2011 15 with 2.0G quad core, that one has quite a bit worse video card (6490m 256m vram).

The hi-res anti-glare 15" is $1679 plus tax..here's the link. I think they have a decent amount in stock. Resolution is 1680-by-1050. It's the cheapest 15" with the anti-glare I could find. I also checked macmall and portable one.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M18LL/A

From what I understand hd4000 and 650m 1gb is not what he is considering of buying. He is between a 512mb of 650m and a 1gb of 6750m(2011) here.

Yes..She is debating between the refurb with 1GB 6750M or new with 512MB 650M.

I guess I should be more specific about my usage. Mostly office, email, Internet (video streaming), skype, etc. Light photoshop/photo editing. Heavy use of Acrobat Pro..converting large docs to pdf, etc.