Thinking of sell my 15" MacBook Pro for Mac Mini and MacBook Air

[warehouse40]

I'm thinking about selling my Early 2011 15" MacBook Pro (specs below) and getting a Mac Mini and a 13" MacBook Air.

Early 2011 MacBook Pro specs:

15" high res anti glare display
2 ghz intel core i7
500GB 7200 rpm HDD
8GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256MB

Looking at eBay, it seems anywhere from $1400-1700 is the selling range. Does that seem right? I think I paid about $2200 new. It's in great shape, the bottom is scratched up a little though.

Ever since I got my iPad, my MacBook Pro has been used as a desktop. The couple of times I've used it out of my house I wished for something smaller. I bought it last year to replace an 2007 MacBook Pro and I thought I need the screen size and power but I really don't.

I use my Mac mainly for photo editing (Lightroom and photoshop) and regular work stuff, word, excel, and things that i can't do or are uncomfortable on the iPad. I don't do any gaming or video editing nor do I plan to.

I'm thinking a Mac mini should suffice in terms of power for photo editing. I can upgrade the ram to 8GB and swap out the hdd if I need to, later. It would also serve as my Apple TV hub and storing my iTunes library, etc.

Will the MacBook Air suffice for using Lightroom and Photoshop? I was thinking the lower end 13" should be fine for portable editing and the mini for my main editing platform. My photo editing is really hobby/enthusiast, nothing Pro.

I'm looking to try to spend as close to what I'll get for my MacBook Pro, maybe a few hundred dollars or so more. I am aware of the eBay PayPal fees but I'm not sure there is a better place to move it

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

- Adam

 

[GGJstudios]

Looking at eBay, it seems anywhere from $1400-1700 is the selling range. Does that seem right?

As a starting point, you can check Mac2Sell, eBay (including completed sales), or Amazon for prices of similar models, to get an idea of what a reasonable price may be. Then adjust the price to account for condition, configuration, remaining AppleCare coverage (if any), etc.

 

[mgartner0622]

I think the low end value you give sounds fair. I've seen them sell from 1300 to 1500 depending on warranty, condition, and what's included in the sale. Maybe try craigslist and you could get a bit better offer. Depending on what you're working on in photoshop, you may need the 13" MAcBook Air for the 1440x900 screen. Personally, I've found the 11" and the 13" MacBook Pro to have too low of resolutions for everyday use (i.e. for work) in Photoshop. However, if you're just using it once in awhile, it should be fine.
In terms of the Mini, I have an Early 2009 2GHz Mini, and it works fine with Lightroom, X-Code, and Photoshop with no issues, even running a 2560x1440 monitor on its now very low end graphics card. You'll have no problems with a newer Mini that is probably more than twice as fast as mine.

 

[warehouse40]

Depending on what you're working on in photoshop, you may need the 13" MAcBook Air for the 1440x900 screen. Personally, I've found the 11" and the 13" MacBook Pro to have too low of resolutions for everyday use (i.e. for work) in Photoshop. However, if you're just using it once in awhile, it should be fine.
In terms of the Mini, I have an Early 2009 2GHz Mini, and it works fine with Lightroom, X-Code, and Photoshop with no issues, even running a 2560x1440 monitor on its now very low end graphics card. You'll have no problems with a newer Mini that is probably more than twice as fast as mine.

Good to know, thanks. Yeah, the Air would be mainly used for writing and the occasional Lightroom or photoshop edit.

 

[JeroenDebruyne]

Why not just sell both and get a retina laptop as main machine? Thats what im thinking about. No need for external display imo with the retina.

 

[warehouse40]

Why not just sell both and get a retina laptop as main machine? Thats what im thinking about. No need for external display imo with the retina.

I'm selling the 15" because I don't want to carry around a laptop that size. The retina is nice, but not for me.