I'm in the market for a used pre 2012 (don't ask why) 15 and 17. I've concluded that the best would be the mid 2010 with the i7 and antiglare screen (both 15 and 17.) I gather any mbp in 2011 is non grata. How about the '09s. i don't want to go any earlier. I llook forward to the experts opinion. Probably be being on eBay, so what's best to loo for and what's reasonable prices.
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The safest year for used mbp
- Thread starter RUGGLES99
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09's 15" are core2duos. So it might be a bit slow.
2011's have an extended warranty to change the logic board for those who have GPU failures. So it's not really a problem.
2011's have an extended warranty to change the logic board for those who have GPU failures. So it's not really a problem.
Don't buy dedicated graphics
Whatever you do...do not buy the ones with the dedicated graphics...Apple really has a poor track record there....
Whatever you do...do not buy the ones with the dedicated graphics...Apple really has a poor track record there....
Try your best to get one that's a Core i5, and save $100 for a 256gb solid state drive. The upgrade is well worth it.
OP you say pre '12 (by that I am assuming you mean a cMBP), but there is a 2012 cMBP 15". That to me would be the one to go for.
https://support.apple.com/kb/SP694?locale=en_US gives you details as to the spec.
https://support.apple.com/kb/SP694?locale=en_US gives you details as to the spec.
Like someone else said - why not a 2012 cMBP 15"?
i7, quad core, dedicated graphics card that seems to be without issues, ..
I had it before I upgraded to retina, and it was a beast. I put an SSD and 16 gigs ram, and it flew.
I never had any issues with the dGPU, and it benches very comparable to the 2014 i7 15" retina I just bought.
I sold it for $1,100 with the SSD and 16gigs ram.
If you're looking for a classic MacBook pro - that's the one to get in my opinion.
09, 10, or 12 should be fine. I have a mid-09 13" that's still going as a desktop replacement, and my parents have a 2010 17" (possibly late-09 model?). My 09 tends to short out SATA cables when I take it out of the house (a known problem with 13" cMBPs; I don't think 15" and 17" have the same issue) and runs Yosemite a little slow, but other than that it's been a good computer. As far as I know my parents' 17" still runs Snow Leopard like a champ for what they use it for (light web surfing and photo management). A 2012 should still have some AppleCare coverage left if anything goes wrong.
Older MBP`s with dGPU should be avoided, they are all literally time bombs, as validated by Apple`s recent warranty extension of the dGPU across multiple models (2011 - 2013). The Retina models have significantly improved cooling equally the dGPU is still pushed to the limits and in time will likely fail prematurely, as per Apple`s expectation.
Anyone thinking of purchasing one of the afflicted 15"MBP`s should think very carefully as the odds are against you. If you have owned the system from new, if the dGPU was used lightly, if you have been successful in moderating the systems temperature, if your lucky, or you can always join the 10`s of thousands of owners with dead systems. Doubtful ? one petition alone to Apple has more than 30K subscribers, let alone those who are not tech savvy, and not aware of the same issue.
The MBP with dGPU is a "buyer beware product"; if you need the dGPU for work purpose etc. then it makes sense as the cost of the machine will be rapidly recovered. If you don't need the dGPU avoid it, as there is a good chance it will fail after 2-3 years of use. If you want to game buy a console or build a cheap gaming PC, as gaming on the MacBook Pro is an expensive proposition.
Q-6
Anyone thinking of purchasing one of the afflicted 15"MBP`s should think very carefully as the odds are against you. If you have owned the system from new, if the dGPU was used lightly, if you have been successful in moderating the systems temperature, if your lucky, or you can always join the 10`s of thousands of owners with dead systems. Doubtful ? one petition alone to Apple has more than 30K subscribers, let alone those who are not tech savvy, and not aware of the same issue.
The MBP with dGPU is a "buyer beware product"; if you need the dGPU for work purpose etc. then it makes sense as the cost of the machine will be rapidly recovered. If you don't need the dGPU avoid it, as there is a good chance it will fail after 2-3 years of use. If you want to game buy a console or build a cheap gaming PC, as gaming on the MacBook Pro is an expensive proposition.
Q-6
I know this thread is over a month old but they have the 2012 15" cMBP on the Apple refurb store for $1099.
As others have suggested, if it isn't too expensive for you, the 2012 cMBP is definitely the way to go. You get Bluetooth 4.0 LE, USB 3 and a dGPU without known issues. Far superior to any 2010 and 2011 models.
But you won't be able to get a 2012 17", since they don't exist.
But you won't be able to get a 2012 17", since they don't exist.