Used Macbook Pro - is this good buy or keep looking? - so I bought one

[Lifted]

A1211 MA609LL MacBookPro2.2

I think it's this model

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/stats/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.16-15-specs.html

2.16GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
250GB HDD
battery lasts 2.5 hours on full charge

Seller is asking $600. I can get a bit newer Macbook for the same price, but I'd rather have a Pro w/ 15" screen.

I take it from reading the everymac site, this model will only take 3GB of RAM, as the chipset has a 4GB limitation meaning a chunk above 3GB is reserved. Would 4GB or more RAM make a huge difference in Snow Leopard vs 3GB?

Anything I should look out for, specific to MBP's in general or something with this model, when I meet up with the seller to take a look at it?

Update: Ended up buying an 11 month old MBP 15" for a grand. I guess that gives me about a month to decide if I want to purchase Applecare.

 

[alent1234]

I don't care if its a Mac, I would never buy a used computer

 

[wantedSpidy]

I would definitely consider buying a used mac.

However this isn't priced well at all. The motherboard is old, we are on a new generation of processors (not that anyone needs the extra CPU compared to the core2Duo), and not to mention this model isn't even unibody (not a 100% sure).

2006 - 2011 -> its 5 years old, I would pass at this price.

 

[kubani1]

way overpriced, i would stay away.

 

[Lifted]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to take a look since the seller is close by. If it's in excellent condition as she claims it is, I'll offer her $400 and hope she settles around $450.

Also, she purchased it in 2007, so it's 4 years old. I'll check for a manufacture date, but I know they produced it until June 07.

 

[wantedSpidy]

if its not unibody I don't think its even worth getting imo.

 

[modestninja]

I'd be very hesitant to buy any used laptop. Four years in laptop time is a longgggg time.

 

[Rottie]

unless you do simple task like web surfing email word processing and nothing else then 4 or 5 year old macbook pro is enough for you I would pay like less than 400 because this one look close to Powerbook except for webcam and cpu.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

That price seems excessive to me. Personally I am not a fan of the pre-unibody MBP design, and would probably only consider one if it were so cheap I couldn't say no. There is also the question of age and usage. The fact that this machine has had its RAM and HD upgraded is good for performance but it suggests an enthusiast user who may have put it through the wringer. Personally I'd much rather spend a little more and get a new MB or 13" MBP, but your mileage may vary.

 

[alent1234]

get a 13" MBP. next year it will be worth around $800 used. sell it and buy the 15" when the next ivy bridge refresh happens early in the year

or just keep the 13". i see them in starbucks sometimes and the screen looks bigger than the advertised size

 

[Heller]

I have the mbp 13" and my brother has the 15" its heavier and has to much room on the keyboard. My hands where sliding all over the place, i guess i could get used to it but i just am a lot faster with the smaller 13".(maybe im weird)

 

[Paperlantern]

I don't care if its a Mac, I would never buy a used computer

This is a rather bizarre statement. Every laptop I have ever used has been at least refurbished, if not second hand or used. Why wouldn't you want to save the money on the system? I mean i suppose one could argue that its not worth the headache if it breaks, then you have no warranty to fall back on, but a lot of times, if you are buying from a reputable seller, they can be less of a headache as a used one is tested and tried and true and known working, whereas a new one could have problems lying in wait to occur.

To each thier own really, and i'm not saying you shouldnt buy new, if i had the money, as im sure you do, i would always buy new, but money is always an object for me and if i can get a second hand machine that will handle my needs, im all for it.

 

[Lifted]

I have a Thinkpad X201 (12" display) and I've decided that 1280x800 res is way too small for me to get work done on. As I'll be upgrading that to a T420 or T420s for the larger screen, I don't think I'll be happy spending $1200 on a 1280x800 res display on a Mac.

Macbook Air 13"
1440x900
1.86GHz C2D
2GB / 4GB max
128GB SSD
$1,299

Macbook Pro 13.3"
1280x800 - Deal Breaker
2.3GHz
4GB / 8GB max
500GB 5,400 SATA
$1,199

Macbook Pro 15"
1440x900
2.0GHz I7
4GB / 8GB max
500GB 5,400 SATA
$1,799

The only things I'd be comfortable with are the Air and the MBP 15", but a new 15" is more than I want to spend - ~$1,960 after tax.

Anyone using one of the new Air's and have an opinion? I don't think I'd love the 13" display - but I'll stop by the apple store after work and see if I can live with it.

I'll check pricing on craigslist for 1 or 2 year old 15" MBP's - if I can get one ~ $1k I'd consider it.

 

[TheStu]

I have a Thinkpad X201 (12" display) and I've decided that 1280x800 res is way too small for me to get work done on. As I'll be upgrading that to a T420 or T420s for the larger screen, I don't think I'll be happy spending $1200 on a 1280x800 res display on a Mac.

Macbook Air 13"
1440x900
1.86GHz C2D
2GB / 4GB max
128GB SSD
$1,299

Macbook Pro 13.3"
1280x800 - Deal Breaker
2.3GHz
4GB / 8GB max
500GB 5,400 SATA
$1,199

Macbook Pro 15"
1440x900
2.0GHz I7
4GB / 8GB max
500GB 5,400 SATA
$1,799

The only things I'd be comfortable with are the Air and the MBP 15", but a new 15" is more than I want to spend - ~$1,960 after tax.

Anyone using one of the new Air's and have an opinion? I don't think I'd love the 13" display - but I'll stop by the apple store after work and see if I can live with it.

I'll check pricing on craigslist for 1 or 2 year old 15" MBP's - if I can get one ~ $1k I'd consider it.

I love my 11" air. But my computing needs aren't that great anymore, and I have a desktop with a 1080p screen for when i do need to do a lot of stuff.

 

[Lifted]

How about this one for $1,200?

Absolutely nothing wrong with this beautiful laptop computer. IT'S MINT. Comes with original packaging and box....I'm only selling it because I got a new Mac Pro desktop one for my studio. I have loaded it with a TON of software (over $2000.00 worth) and can load pretty much anything else you need with in reason. Email me what you need.

The Apple MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15-Inch (Unibody - Early 2009) features a 45 nm "Penryn" 2.66 GHz Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor (T9550), with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 6 MB shared "on chip" level 2 cache, a 1066 MHz frontside bus, 4 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500) installed in pairs (two 2 GB modules), a 320 GB Serial ATA (5400 RPM) hard drive (UPGRADED to a 500GB HD), an 8X DL "SuperDrive", dual graphics processors -- a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 512 MB of dedicated GDDR3 SDRAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory, and an LED-backlit 15.4" widescreen TFT active-matrix "glossy" display (1440x900 native resolution).

Connectivity includes an ExpressCard/34 slot, AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire "800" port, optical digital/analog audio in/out, and a "Mini DisplayPort" that supports an external display at 2560x1600.

 

[Lifted]

Also this one, which appears to be unibody as well. Going by everymac.com, it's a

MB986LL/A MacBookPro5.3 - A1286
Introduction Date: June 8, 2009 Discontinued Date: April 13, 2010

Does this one have the dual graphics too - 9400m / 9600m GT?

15" unibody macbook pro

dual graphics cards

2.8 ghz 4gb ram 500 gb hd

tons of software

$1000 FIRM

 

[Rottie]

I have a Thinkpad X201 (12" display) and I've decided that 1280x800 res is way too small for me to get work done on. As I'll be upgrading that to a T420 or T420s for the larger screen, I don't think I'll be happy spending $1200 on a 1280x800 res display on a Mac.

I have been using Dell Mini with 10 inches screen for almost 1 and half year I am not impressive with screen size when I work with Adobe Photoshop now I got a used 15 inches Powerbook I am now happy with large screen size so I am able to get my photography done. I know Powerbook is old but this is for learning OS X.

 

[secretanchitman]

OP, its an okay deal. nothing out of the ordinary, especially for pre-unibody macbooks. personally, i would stick with a unibody, because not only is it much more durable and built a lot better, you wont have the defective 8600GT in the machine! i see plenty of the late 2008/mid 2009 15" macbook pros at $1000 or below. heck, the current 2011 13" macbook pro goes for $999 at micro center all the time!

also, check into the apple online store with their refurb section. apple puts brand new batteries, casing, accessories with it and literally makes them new again. not only that, they carry the standard 1 year warranty, and you have the option of getting applecare to extend the warranty for a total of 3 years. the *only* difference you'll see is the box. instead of having a picture of the machine, its just a plain old white box. i see the 2010 base 15" mbp (2.4ghz core i5, 4GB, geforce 330m 256MB, 1440x900) for $1269, and they just go up from there.

 

[rugby]

You're on drugs if you buy anything used from anywhere other than Apple's online refurb store or it's a sweet deal.

 

[Lifted]

I'm so confused. What usually happens when I get like this is I end up not buying anything.

I can buy a refurb MBP 15" from Apple for $1381 after tax, but then I see the newer ones with quad core i7, Radeon 5870 1GB, and i start drooling over that and think I'll be disappointed with the older one after a short time. I haven't had a powerful GPU in ages, and there are some games out there that I'd love to try.

Then I think I can have the 15" MBP refurb AND a new iPad2 for quite a bit less than that new i7 MBP.

I'm guess it's a good think as I'll probably end up buying nothing and will get to see that $2k - $3k in my bank account.

 

[secretanchitman]

I'm so confused. What usually happens when I get like this is I end up not buying anything.

I can buy a refurb MBP 15" from Apple for $1381 after tax, but then I see the newer ones with quad core i7, Radeon 5870 1GB, and i start drooling over that and think I'll be disappointed with the older one after a short time. I haven't had a powerful GPU in ages, and there are some games out there that I'd love to try.

Then I think I can have the 15" MBP refurb AND a new iPad2 for quite a bit less than that new i7 MBP.

I'm guess it's a good think as I'll probably end up buying nothing and will get to see that $2k - $3k in my bank account.

then save up for the current one (refurb)! they will start to trickle in (its only been 2.5 months since the 2011 models were released) on the refurb section soon.

 

[Rottie]

Maybe you get lucky with a deal if you search at eBay website.

 

[Lifted]

Have my MBP now, but how do I find out how much time is left on the warranty? I think I need to purchase Applecare before the 1 yr warranty expires if I want it.

 

[TheStu]

Have my MBP now, but how do I find out how much time is left on the warranty? I think I need to purchase Applecare before the 1 yr warranty expires if I want it.

https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

 

[Ape]

Stay away from used unless you know the person you are buying it from. Save up and buy new.