refurbished mac book pro
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- flashbender
thinking of getting one. Anyone have any experience with a refurbished mac? Is it worth the $300 savings or am I better off getting a new one?
Apple care on it is $350, so it is kind of like getting free applecare if you go with a refurbished one.
- jox0
Don't go cheap on your number one tool.
- k0na_an0k0
I don't know, I've heard mixed feelings. Some say refurb Macs get a better testing go-through than the regular Macs that come off the line and are of better quality (the second time around). I've known quite a few people (myself included) that have purchased refurb products from Apple. Myself, a computer and two iPods. Absolutely no problems with either of the three and in fact, I was expecting the iPods to show up a bit scratched and scuffed from use but they were absolutely perfect. I've been waiting to pull the trigger on a refurb iMac for financial reasons but when the time comes I will not hesitate to buy another refurb Apple.
- yea i have a refurb macbook pro, the disk drive went shitty, but they fixed it no problem!studderine
- Jaline0
Lots of people get refurbished stuff from Apple and say it's fine.
Personally, I would go for a new one (but don't upgrade the RAM at the Apple website; buy and install it yourself), but it depends on your financial situation.
- k0na_an0k0
Yes Jaline, I found my RAM source for the new iMac. Apple wants $800 for 4GB RAM. I found it online, from a reputable source... 2GB sticks for under $100. (I think... it was a month or so ago)
- madirish0
had tons of luck going for new and refurbished. but on the whole 95% success with refurbished.
- Soler0
I had the same question myself recently, and I went for buying a new macbook pro 17" instead of a refurb. I upgraded to the 7200rpm HD, and the thing failed after 1 month. Apple fixed it for free but still - I lost 1 month of work and had no cpu for 1 week. The point being any computer's a risk. I'm still glad i went new though.
- Soler0
I get all my RAM here http://www.crucial.com and never had a problem
- jpea0
I'd go refurb anytime. I've had a few apple refurbs and they've all worked out well. My one hesitation is if that refurb was in the first go they've had at a product. I don't usually buy anything from apple until they've made at least one round of revisions on that product line.
- sintaxera0
I've had a few refurbished Macs, and they've all been great. No problems at all. Brand new would be my first choice, but this stuff gets expensive quick, and any money you can save is good.
kOna is dead on about the RAM too....you can find it much cheaper elsewhere.
- arthur0
Picked up a refurbed 15" macbook pro a couple months back, my first experience with a refurbished mac. No problems yet - solid machine.
- eb60
I vote for refurbs. I have a powermac g5 that is still running awesome. Same 1 year warranty as a new machine.
- flashbender0
wow, great info. Thanks to all of you. My winter vacation may become a "working vacation" so I'll have to make a decision soon and this all helps. Especially the bit about the RAM.
- Llyod0
buying a used laptop is like buying used socks.
- acescence0
the refurbs get tested more thoroughly than the new units
- lvl_130
i thought this thread was about someone having bad luck with a refurbed macbook. haha
- flashbender0
apparently that doesn't really happen... maybe 5% of the time. So chances are better that the mac book will be gay compared to it failing
- sherman0
my wife got a black macbook refurb and we use it all the time. its great!
- Jaline0
raf, most people don't get new casings for the laptops. I think it's only if there's something seriously wrong with it, like warping. But I believe some of the people I know who have gotten refurbs do have some scratches present. It's the luck of the draw. For instance, some customers also end up with extra RAM.