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SheridanMac

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 13, 2011
48
4
There may already be some monster thread that covers this kind of question, but as someone who is looking at getting a 16" with maybe 64GB and maybe the highest CPU upgrade but also maybe just a 512GB hard drive, I'm wondering if there is any accepted thinking on how particular MBP configurations hold their resale value vs others. Part of me is thinking that the above configuration would be a lot easier to sell for good value later on if I bumped the hard drive up to 1TB. Any thoughts?
 
It would help, of course. How much depends on the condition of the machine and the timing of when you sell it, as well as where you are located geographically and who the buyer is and what sales channel you employ. So basically, we can't tell you how much it'll affect it by but 1TB will sell for a higher price than 512GB all else being equal.
 
Consider the base model the price you'll compete against, I'll be the one people will buy. The base model will cover what most people who buy used need, they are price conscious, they'll favour price over most specs with the exception of the lower storage sizes, but 512GB is already a enough for most. Anything over the base model is more like a expense you won't get back.

But you'll have the keyboard as a sale advantage over the 2016-2019 models (unless it's also a dud).
 
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I was thinking more along the lines of certain configurations being more marketable than others, irrespective of price. Like 32GB RAM matched with 512GB storage might have more interested buyers down the road than a 64GB matched with 512GB storage.

I realize to some extent it's all speculative and all a crapshoot too.
 
Base models have the best resale value, you lose more the more you upgrade to on resale typically. But I would be more considered about getting the specs that you need.
 
16GB will be hard to resell in a few years. It's like trying to sell a 4GB now: outdated.
CPU upgrade: I don't think it will make a difference. When you buy a 3-4 years old machine you don't care if its geekbench score is 23000 or 24500 when newer machine will be score 55000
512GB will be a bit short in a few years, go with 1TB
 
16GB will be hard to resell in a few years. It's like trying to sell a 4GB now: outdated.
CPU upgrade: I don't think it will make a difference. When you buy a 3-4 years old machine you don't care if its geekbench score is 23000 or 24500 when newer machine will be score 55000
512GB will be a bit short in a few years, go with 1TB

The last time a Macbook Pro was available with only 4GB of RAM was back in 2013. That's over six years ago, and yeah, hard to sell.

But I seriously doubt 16GB will be a limiting factor for the kind of people who buy used Macbook Pros in a few years. In 2025? Maybe.

edit: forgot about the crappiest low-end 13 inch from 2013 that could be configured with 4GB.
 
Well considering the reception to these new laptops and all the comparisons being made to the great last gen retina model, it seems like these will hold their value substantially better than the 16-18's which is nice. The new thermal management and keyboard should mean these computers will be performing well into the next decade. We also got a pretty massive jump in GPU performance which is really nice for the future.
 
Resale value tends to be very bad for non-base models. Today, I can expect to get half of what I paid for my top-of-the-line MBP three years later ... if I'm lucky.
 
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