I have been stalking the Apple Store's refurb store for the elusive October 2008 15" unibody MBP with the 2.53Ghz T9400 C2D. It finally showed up - ONLY ONE AVAILABLE - loaded with 4GB of RAM, the 512MB 9600M GT and a 320HD for only $1449 with the academic discount. These are so hard to catch. I was going to settle for the October 2008 15" 2.4 C2D for $1299 and just upgrade the RAM and HD, but I caught it!!
I stuck a 500GB Toshiba in it (only $79 at NewEgg) and I'm as happy as can be. Catching that model is tough - it has the giant 6MB cache on the processor AND the high-end Nvidia card for way, way less than the current 2.66 that you'd have to get to get close to matching the specs. And I really wanted to have an ExpressCard slot as well. I really lucked out. You can still get the older model 2.66 with the same specs for $1699 (w/ academic discount) but this model with these specs and this price just hits the sweet spot. I have been using different 13" MBs (white poly and aluminum) for the past 4 years as my personal machines and moving to a nice big 15" widescreen is just fantastic. Plenty of speed, plenty of space, and for way, way, way less $$ than a new MBP. Granted I'm not getting the extended battery life, but for the specs on this and the price it's totally worth the compromise.
I don't know if anyone else stalks the refurb store in similar ways, but I personally love it. There is that little thrill that comes with getting a brand new machine, but I have to say that it is surpassed by the thrill of saving a serious chunk of change and getting what was a top of the line $2600 MacBook Pro just one year ago for almost half the cost. Hell, I can still buy a AppleCare plan in a year and still have saved a ton of money.
My one question for those of you who own this model (or similar): I have read mixed reports on whether it will take a full 8GB of RAM or just 6GB. In terms of the specs on the board itself from Nvidia's site, it can take up to 8GB (two 4GB chips). But Apple's specs say it maxes out at 6 (one 4GB + one 2GB). The cost of 4GB chips is VERY prohibitive right now, but I am curious - anyone know what the true maximum functioning capacity is?
I stuck a 500GB Toshiba in it (only $79 at NewEgg) and I'm as happy as can be. Catching that model is tough - it has the giant 6MB cache on the processor AND the high-end Nvidia card for way, way less than the current 2.66 that you'd have to get to get close to matching the specs. And I really wanted to have an ExpressCard slot as well. I really lucked out. You can still get the older model 2.66 with the same specs for $1699 (w/ academic discount) but this model with these specs and this price just hits the sweet spot. I have been using different 13" MBs (white poly and aluminum) for the past 4 years as my personal machines and moving to a nice big 15" widescreen is just fantastic. Plenty of speed, plenty of space, and for way, way, way less $$ than a new MBP. Granted I'm not getting the extended battery life, but for the specs on this and the price it's totally worth the compromise.
I don't know if anyone else stalks the refurb store in similar ways, but I personally love it. There is that little thrill that comes with getting a brand new machine, but I have to say that it is surpassed by the thrill of saving a serious chunk of change and getting what was a top of the line $2600 MacBook Pro just one year ago for almost half the cost. Hell, I can still buy a AppleCare plan in a year and still have saved a ton of money.
My one question for those of you who own this model (or similar): I have read mixed reports on whether it will take a full 8GB of RAM or just 6GB. In terms of the specs on the board itself from Nvidia's site, it can take up to 8GB (two 4GB chips). But Apple's specs say it maxes out at 6 (one 4GB + one 2GB). The cost of 4GB chips is VERY prohibitive right now, but I am curious - anyone know what the true maximum functioning capacity is?
