Upgrade from 2008 MBP to 2013 MBA.

[Eddy Munn]

I'm considering upgrading my 2008 Unibody 15" MBP.
I was wondering if the new 13" 2013 MacBook Air would be a large jump in performance?

I play light video games occasionally, and use Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator frequently too.
Personally, I think this is a good time to upgrade, there are no marks or imperfections on the MacBook, and I have also fitted a 500GB 'hybrid' drive, similar to the fusion drives of the newest iMacs.
One concern is the lack of dedicated graphics on the Air, compared to the 9600GT.

What do you think I could get for it second-hand in the UK?
Thanks for any tips.

 

[ghostlines]

Think you'll probably get about 300 pounds for that 15" MBP. I don't think you'll see a huge jump in performance because you were already using an SSD. 8GB of RAM on the new Air should let you run more apps with less slow down though. If ya need now get it. If ya can wait I would recommend the rMBP that's coming this fall with haswell, especically cuz the high res screen should be nice for your photoshop and illustrator work.

 

[Eddy Munn]

Think you'll probably get about 300 pounds for that 15" MBP.

Do you think that little- it is immaculate.
I'm not too fussed about retina, and there's something I don't like about the 13" MBP- I'd want a 15" Pro, but don't mind the 13" air.
I don't want to spend much more £1,200 including profit from my current one.
The retina 15" MBP is far out of budget.

I've seen comparable spec MBP's from 2008 going for £500+.

 

[thekev]

I've seen comparable spec MBP's from 2008 going for £500+.

It depends on your market. You could be right. Just don't mistake listings for completed sales.

 

[Eddy Munn]

It depends on your market. You could be right. Just don't mistake listings for completed sales.

You're right, some are listed in the £700's, I'm doubtful for that.
WHat are the graphics capabilities like compared to my MBP?

 

[ghostlines]

I've seen comparable spec MBP's from 2008 going for £500+.

Damn that's a good price if it's getting sold! But the recycling program gives it about £250. So maybe you can put 150 on top of that to make £400

Think I might get an air myself soon, nice and light.

 

[Eddy Munn]

Damn that's a good price if it's getting sold! But the recycling program gives it about £250. So maybe you can put 150 on top of that to make £400

Think I might get an air myself soon, nice and light.

Yep, I can't stress how much I've looked after this though.

 

[ghostlines]

True, I don't doubt how good you took care of this but spec wise it's really old.
It doesn't have SATA3,the CPU is at least 2 generations old, and no IPS display. These are some of the reasons why I don't think you'll get much more than that for it.

But still try and just sell it, every little helps for your new Air purchase.

 

[James_C]

If you have the original box for it, manuals, and software restore disks you might get up to £450 for it. However £350 to £400 is more realistic.

Someone did recently sell a slightly higher spec late 2008 MBP on eBay UK for £525, he even included the original receipt to prove ownership.

 

[Eddy Munn]

If you have the original box for it, manuals, and software restore disks you might get up to £450 for it. However £350 to £400 is more realistic.

Someone did recently sell a slightly higher spec late 2008 MBP on eBay UK for £525, he even included the original receipt to prove ownership.

Yes I have the box and CD's, receipt may still be in my inbox!
Thanks for all your comments.
Still concerned about the graphics capabilities, should I be?

 

[James_C]

Yes I have the box and CD's, receipt may still be in my inbox!
Thanks for all your comments.
Still concerned about the graphics capabilities, should I be?

No, my daughter has a 2012 Mac Book Air, and I had the same MBP as you, the new Air's have a 40% improvement in graphic capability compared to the 2012 Air and the 2012 Air had better graphics compared to the 2008 MBP. With the SSD in the Air, it will feel significantly faster than your current MBP.

 

[Eddy Munn]

I better get saving then, I'll probably max it out with 128GB.
Can't wait!

 

[designs216]

I better get saving then, I'll probably max it out with 128GB.
Can't wait!

You could always sell the '08 to the highest bidder and then purchase a refurb '12 MBA, which is still a very capable machine. There are some great deals out there.