02-08-2011, 03:11 PM

Sup Guys,

A friend of mine want to buy a Mac, but cant afford a new one. I told her to look on ebay, but since she dosnt know much about technology i told her id look. I found several offers, all i was looking at were the non unibody macbook pros, as thats all she needs. I came round one, pretty old (15.4" 1.83Ghz C2D, 2Gb Ram, 80gb HDD) its in real good condition, only thing is its being sold as broken: It says it ges full screen crashes every couple minutes which requires a force restart. Sounds like a Kernal Panic to me. As much as i know this is most likely the RAM. I could get it really cheap, i guess 150-200 euros. Ram would be max 50.
Is it worth it?? fully functioning MBP's are 400-700, better specs though.
if i can get it that cheap, its a good deal, as long as i can get it working obviously.
some insight if i could get it working just by adding new ram would be great.

heres the link if it is of interest, its in german though (german ebay)
Apple MacBook Pro 15" QWERTZ Tastatur bei eBay.de: Notebooks (endet 09.02.11 19:55:33 MEZ)

Cheers

02-08-2011, 05:00 PM

Buying a broken Mac (or any other computer) and thinking you can fix it is taking a big leap of faith. The kernel panics could very well be memory related but it could also be indicative of a bad logic board. Spending 200 Euros on something that "may" or "may not" be fixable is something you need to decide.

My person opinion and recommendation to folks who are in the market to buy a used Mac, is to stay away from eBay. If she can't afford to buy a refurbished Mac from Apple, then the next best thing might be to look in your local ads. Being able to meet with the seller and trying out the machine before you buy is a big advantage over buying something sight unseen.

02-08-2011, 07:23 PM

Ok, Thanks.

yeh wont get that one then. Found someone else selling macbook pros which were leased, he has a one month return policy. and they are cheap considering what you get. Good to know your not stuck with it when it does indeed not work, they will refund it
I told her about the refurbished ones, but she really is only keen or can spend 500-600 max at the moment. I found a 15" 2.4 ghz, non unibody, internal 80gb intel SSD and a external 2.5" 500gb FW 800 drive. For like 570 shel pull the trigger on that probably

02-08-2011, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by The_Pro

Found someone else selling macbook pros which were leased, he has a one month return policy.

Keep in mind that "leased" computers can be VERY used...and possibly abused...kind of like rental cars.

Leased computers are many times "work computers"...so they have lots & lots of hours on them...and in the case of laptops...they've probably been carried back & forth to work daily...thus exposed to all sorts of "mobility" hazards.

The 30 day return policy is a nice safety net...but certainly no guarantee of longevity. I'm a BIG fan of buying used computers (if the price is right)...but I definitely like to stay away from leased computers...unless they can be had at an even better price than normal for a used computer.

This computer may be fine...just wanted to mention this for you to consider.

Good luck,

- Nick

02-09-2011, 06:45 AM

ok cheers.
apparently they are fully tested. dunno, i think shel get it. ill test it afterwards aswell, if its not like they stated then its going back
im not a big fan of busing used computers either. but i guess if its works then is good enough, she only used her computers for skype, safari, n maybe a little bit of word processing.

thanks for your help people

02-09-2011, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by The_Pro

ok cheers.
apparently they are fully tested. dunno, i think shel get it. ill test it afterwards aswell, if its not like they stated then its going back

Since this was a leased computer...the biggest things I would look for are:

- unacceptable cosmetic damage
- the "power adapter" connections are not too loose (where the wire goes into the power brick)
- that all the keys on the keyboard work
- any "weird" hard drive noise(s)
- make sure the optical drive works

The hard drive & the optical drive (being mechanical parts)...will be the areas that will see the most wear & tear.

Good luck,

- Nick

02-09-2011, 03:07 PM

Cosmetic condition seems really good, judging by the lots of detailed photos.
I wouldnt have thought about checking the power adapter,

if lets say the HDD is making weird noises, or has issues u think its worth it to invest another 40 euros to get a new HDD?

Also i heard that apparently there was an issue with the 8600M GT cards, the MBP that i'm looking at does have this card, the 256mb version. Will this thing just fail at one point, or only under extreme use? my dads 17 Macbook pro with the 512mb 8600m GT is still working perfectly after like 2.5 years.

Cheers, your really helpful

- Chris

02-09-2011, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by The_Pro

if lets say the HDD is making weird noises, or has issues u think its worth it to invest another 40 euros to get a new HDD?

Also i heard that apparently there was an issue with the 8600M GT cards, the MBP that i'm looking at does have this card, the 256mb version. Will this thing just fail at one point, or only under extreme use? my dads 17 Macbook pro with the 512mb 8600m GT is still working perfectly after like 2.5 years.

If the only problem with the computer was the hard drive (if it was making weird noises or eventually died)...I wouldn't have any problems installing a new one. Hard drives are a "wear part"..so I always assume that the HD on a used computer is on it's "last legs". Also...a VERY good reason to keep important data/files backed up.

As far as the 8600M video hardware. Hard to say. Some folks have had problems...and some haven't. Apple currently has an extended repair program if a problem should pop up...but who knows how much longer it will continue. Obviously the only way to avoid the 8600M problem 100%...is don't purchase a laptop with it.

Check the list of models that are affected in this link:

Apple extend GeForce 8600M GT warranty for overheating MacBook Pros - SlashGear

...includes:

MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
MacBook Pro (Early 2008)

And here's Apple's official statement regarding the extended warranty program for the 8600M problem:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377?viewlocale=en_US

HTH,

- Nick

02-10-2011, 07:54 AM

Depending on where you live at.... here in the chicago illinois area you can find some good deals on used macs on craigslist, however you have to be alert and figure out if the seller is making it seem too good to be true. but at least you get to go see the unit in person since your dealing locally, and always meet at safe location ie.... coffee shop, local food place police station somewhere where theres usually other people around just in case the seller is less than honest, i am in the field of fugitive recovery so that may just be my training speaking there. any way good luck on finding the next mac.