Thoughts on refurbished Mac Pro's? Oh, and upgradability

[Mhaddy]

With dwindling hopes of salvaging my G5 PowerMac, I've begun the search for a new computer. I've decided it's going to be an 8-core Mac Pro because I don't want a bunch of externals on an iMac, and I already have a pair of nice LCD's that don't need to be replaced.

I was looking at the stock 8-core 2.8 from the CDN EDU store for $2699 but I've seen the exact one on Apple's refurb site for $2499. $200 is $200. What are your thoughts on picking up a reburb model versus brand new? Those who've done it, have you had good/bad experiences? I'm aware that they are covered under the same 1 year warranty so I don't see a down side to this.

As well, as I'm from the PowerPC generation where upgrading the CPU wasn't in the cards, down the road with this new Mac Pro, could I drop in a pair of faster CPU's as long as they were still Xeon “Harpertown” processors?

 

[blownco]

well i was in the same position you are i opted to go refurbished and got a dual 2.66 4 core from apple and have not had a problem yet ive had it for like 3 months now saved my self like 600 bucks so in all i would recommend it.

 

[DualShock]

I bought a refurb stock 8 core 2008 Mac Pro about 4 months ago. It's been a great machine so far, with no issues whatsoever. No visible blemishes either. (Although my refurb Cinema Display has a small nick on the front that's barely noticeable.) From what I understand, refurbs are checked out and tested by Apple to make sure they are working correctly. In this sense, a refurb may be better than new. They're also eligible for AppleCare if you choose to buy the coverage.

The only thing you need to keep in mind with refurbs is that you can't get them built-to-order (BTO). So if you want an airport card or an upgraded graphics card, you'll need to buy them separately and either install them yourself or bring the machine to an Apple store.

As for upgrading the CPU's, it could be possible, but I haven't researched it too much. Would most likely void your warranty though.

 

[jazz1]

2.66 Refurb from Apple Fine

I've had it for several months now with no problems. I was hesitant and didn't want to buy someone else's problems. But let's face us even new machines can have issues. It is on warranty and I intend to add Apple Care real soon.

 

[41qser]

I'm another 2.66/quad refurb customer for 4 months -- ditto to what the the above 2.66/quad refurbers wrote.

I'm EXTREMELY happy with my purchase. I've upped the RAM, filled all the drive bays, added video card, added Airport and Bluetooth (slightly challenging wire connections)... the thing is a beast. The iMac is nice, I just like the flexibility of the Mac Pro.

I wouldn't hesitate to go the refurb route again. It was essentially new. I wouldn't have known it was a refurb had I not ordered it myself (minus the labeling on the box and the serial number).

 

[nanofrog]

Go Refurb, and use the savings to buy upgrades.

 

[belunos]

Regarding your upgrade question, you may want to check out the prices on those new Xeox procs. Last time I checked they were crazy expensive

 

[kgarner]

Mine wasn't a refurb, it was a floor model that had been used for over a year at the time I bought it (maybe almost two). I have had zero issues with it and Apple happily reset the warranty to 1 year from the day I purchased it so I'm fully covered for a bit more. When I get down to the end I'll decide whether or not I want to add AppleCare.

FYI, I have bought refurbed products on other occasions and have never had an issue with any of them. The important thing with buying refurb is that you still have a warranty on it. Most companies only give you 90 days or something less than the regular warranty. Apple gives you the exact same warranty as the new item so you save money and still have piece of mind.

 

[highjumppudding]

Refurbs are great. I am a former Apple Employee and believe Refurbs are great because they undergo extensive testing before re-selling. I would see a lot of new macs leave the store and come back with either minor or serious issues (logic boards especially).

 

[isauce]

Refurbish goes through a thorough check before it is resold. More than new apple products, because it has to pass quality control before it is sold. New computers are build and then packaged then shipped from what I know.

 

[jamesdmc]

I'll join the chorus and also suggest going the refurbed route and saving a little money. See my signature. I saved $400 by buying refurbed and used that money to get 8 gigs of ram. No problems whatsoever with mine. My next Mac will also probably be a refurb. As you said in your original post, there's not much downside.


James

 

[Mhaddy]

As long as I can find the right configuration, looks like it's refurb for me! Thanks for the input, everyone.

I don't suppose a refurb Mac Pro is eligible for the Back to School promotion? Selling the Touch/Nano would drop the price by another couple hundred dollars .

 

[Firefly2002]

As long as I can find the right configuration, looks like it's refurb for me! Thanks for the input, everyone.

I don't suppose a refurb Mac Pro is eligible for the Back to School promotion? Selling the Touch/Nano would drop the price by another couple hundred dollars .

Lol, no way they'd give you the BTS promo. But at $200, you might want to do it since you'd drop more than $200 off right away, and you could get $300 for the Touch.