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juice · juice #1 (**permalink**)

11-14-2010, 08:30 PM

Hey yall!

I have been completely stuck on what to do, and the result has been doing nothing and not having a fully functioning computer.

I have a 2.5 year old Macbook Pro, 2.2 ghz. The logic board is <1 year old, the battery is new, and the RAM has been upgraded to 4 GB within the last year. The screen is completely fried, however. (It has slowly degraded over time and now does not display anything). I currently have it hooked up to an external monitor.

My options are:

- Repair for ~$350 through a third party.
- Buy a new Mac. (I would get the $2,200 MBP 15", i7)
- Buy a cheap PC to limp through the rest of the school year (last year of grad school).

Honestly, I don't want a PC, but 2 grand is a ton of money. I'm also hesitant to dump more cash into a machine that's slowing down, though still fully functioning. (I wonder if I can ebay if I buy a new one)?

Any thoughts???

pigoo3 · pigoo3 #2 (**permalink**)

11-14-2010, 08:40 PM

If you don't have the cash...there's a lot of good used Macintosh computers out there.

- Nick

juice · juice #3 (**permalink**)

11-14-2010, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pigoo3

If you don't have the cash...there's a lot of good used Macintosh computers out there.

- Nick

Hi Nick. Thanks for the reply. From browsing ebay, it looks like they hold their value pretty well. Also, there's no chance of 0% financing like you can do through the Apple store. (Is ebay the best place to look?)

chas_m · chas_m #4 (**permalink**)

11-15-2010, 03:11 AM

Obviously the $350 is your best option if the rest of the machine is working well, as that's by far the best value for money.

I think you're complicating the problem for yourself a bit by saying that the only thing you'd replace this 2.5 year old machine with is a top-of-the-like MBP. Why? Today's MacBook is more powerful than the machine you're on now. Heck, in some ways a MacBook Air is more powerful than the machine you have now! Either one of those costs a grand or so.

From what you've said so far, the $350 is the best option. You can then save the money you DIDN'T spend on a new one and start saving for next year -- and whatever the latest and greatest is then as a graduation present for yourself!

CrimsonRequiem · CrimsonRequiem #5 (**permalink**)

11-15-2010, 03:24 AM

What exactly are you studying, or using your MBP that you need an i7? With student discounts you should get at the minimum 100 dollars off.

ddfizzle · ddfizzle #6 (**permalink**)

11-15-2010, 03:49 AM

I don't think you should do anything but keep your current situation of an external monitor. If you are in your current year of grad school, you don't want to chance losing any files by getting it fixed, nor should you spend any money on electronics that are functioning at this point. Wait till you graduate and have the money and get next years top model.

juice · juice #7 (**permalink**)

11-15-2010, 07:34 PM

Hi all - thanks for the replies.

So I reckon I don't REALLY need the i7. I'm just partial to overspending. I'm in year 2 of my MBA, so the heaviest stuff I do is some intense Excel modeling. I also do a fair bit of photo editing. I'm also fed up with my computer's inability to run Windows.

The points you raise are fair. What if I keep my current one functioning as a desktop and go Macbook Air?

pigoo3 #2 (permalink)
Member Since: May 20, 2008 Location: U.S. Posts: 20,337 Mac Specs: 13" MB 2.4ghz, 2gig ram, OS 10.7.4	11-14-2010, 08:40 PM If you don't have the cash...there's a lot of good used Macintosh computers out there. - Nick - Computer slow, too many "beachballs", read this: Beachballs - Computer seems slower than it used to? Read this for some speedup tips: Speedup - Almost full hard drive? Some solutions. Out of Space - Apple Battery Info. Battery
	QUOTE Thanks

chas_m #4 (permalink)
Member Since: Jan 22, 2010 Location: Victoria, BC Posts: 13,700 Mac Specs: 2009 MacBook Pro, Black speakers, Black Benq second monitor, black iPhone 4, Black 2012 iPad, etc.	11-15-2010, 03:11 AM Obviously the $350 is your best option if the rest of the machine is working well, as that's by far the best value for money. I think you're complicating the problem for yourself a bit by saying that the only thing you'd replace this 2.5 year old machine with is a top-of-the-like MBP. Why? Today's MacBook is more powerful than the machine you're on now. Heck, in some ways a MacBook Air is more powerful than the machine you have now! Either one of those costs a grand or so. From what you've said so far, the $350 is the best option. You can then save the money you DIDN'T spend on a new one and start saving for next year -- and whatever the latest and greatest is then as a graduation present for yourself! Cheers, chas_m -- My essay for switchers and newbies
	QUOTE Thanks

CrimsonRequiem #5 (permalink)
Inactive Staff Member Since: Jul 24, 2008 Posts: 5,956 Mac Specs: MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB	11-15-2010, 03:24 AM What exactly are you studying, or using your MBP that you need an i7? With student discounts you should get at the minimum 100 dollars off. 死神はリンゴしか食べない。
	QUOTE Thanks

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juice #1 (permalink)
Member Since: Mar 17, 2008 Posts: 57	11-14-2010, 08:30 PM Hey yall! I have been completely stuck on what to do, and the result has been doing nothing and not having a fully functioning computer. I have a 2.5 year old Macbook Pro, 2.2 ghz. The logic board is <1 year old, the battery is new, and the RAM has been upgraded to 4 GB within the last year. The screen is completely fried, however. (It has slowly degraded over time and now does not display anything). I currently have it hooked up to an external monitor. My options are: - Repair for ~$350 through a third party. - Buy a new Mac. (I would get the $2,200 MBP 15", i7) - Buy a cheap PC to limp through the rest of the school year (last year of grad school). Honestly, I don't want a PC, but 2 grand is a ton of money. I'm also hesitant to dump more cash into a machine that's slowing down, though still fully functioning. (I wonder if I can ebay if I buy a new one)? Any thoughts???
	QUOTE Thanks

ddfizzle #6 (permalink)
Member Since: Nov 15, 2010 Posts: 2	11-15-2010, 03:49 AM I don't think you should do anything but keep your current situation of an external monitor. If you are in your current year of grad school, you don't want to chance losing any files by getting it fixed, nor should you spend any money on electronics that are functioning at this point. Wait till you graduate and have the money and get next years top model.
	QUOTE Thanks

juice #7 (permalink)
Member Since: Mar 17, 2008 Posts: 57	11-15-2010, 07:34 PM Hi all - thanks for the replies. So I reckon I don't REALLY need the i7. I'm just partial to overspending. I'm in year 2 of my MBA, so the heaviest stuff I do is some intense Excel modeling. I also do a fair bit of photo editing. I'm also fed up with my computer's inability to run Windows. The points you raise are fair. What if I keep my current one functioning as a desktop and go Macbook Air?
	QUOTE Thanks

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