Ripped off, now what to do. 3 years old Macbook

You can buy a new battery off of ebay, not sure of the price. And remove the battery and get the serial number, go 2 apple.com and u can look up the model/specs/year of the laptop using the serial number then u will have the true age. Or you can just go to apple.com anywyas and take the specs you have find out what year the laptop is.

I looked it up myself on apple's website and yes it is the late 2006 model. but still as long as it is working fine don't worry about the year on it. Cause u still have a nice machine. It just sounds 2 me like your feelings are hurt because he lied 2 u. People lie all the time and you have a nice machine for just the price of a Iphone and a little bit of cash. I still say you got the better deal.

ZorroAMG said:

Keep it and do the following if you want to make it snappier for little cash:

Bump RAM up to 4gb for $99 - factory says max 2gb but you can run 4gb according to OWC tests.

Change HD out for a 250GB 7200 HD from Seagate for $69.00

Trackpad if it is worn, should be cheap on ebay and relatively easy to replace...got a macbook air trackpad and keyboard on ebay for $30 once.


So, for an extra $210 you can have a GREAT machine and not feel ripped off anymore!

Click to expand...

Actually, his machine will only take a maximum of 3GB. Also, a Macbook Air trackpad wouldn't fit in the same space, so he he's limited to buying ones made specifically for his model.

However, I completely agree with the sentiment of your post. I have a relatively similar machine and after maxing out the RAM and upgrading the hard drive to a 7200RPM model, it runs just as well as any current machine for daily tasks. Mine is also coming up on three years old and due to the upgrades, it's faster now than it was when I first got it, and it still blows the pants off any Windows laptop my friends have. Just last night we were taking an exam and other people were taking forever to restart and submit their exams while for me it took mere moments, and their machines were newer than mine!

I'm sorry, but if you are going to be upgrading to 4gb of ram, and replace whatever summed up to $210 bucks, that's probably costing more than you can buy a really good mac(if you would have gotten a real value for value trade. People sell the 32gb 3gs over here for easily over 600 bucks, add the 210 and you're at 810...which can get you a great system. I say just suck it up and sell it for what you can get. Then buy the best thing you can afford....that is, if you even need to.

idrinorbarsaku said:

I'm sorry, but if you are going to be upgrading to 4gb of ram, and replace whatever summed up to $210 bucks, that's probably costing more than you can buy a really good mac(if you would have gotten a real value for value trade. People sell the 32gb 3gs over here for easily over 600 bucks, add the 210 and you're at 810...which can get you a great system. I say just suck it up and sell it for what you can get. Then buy the best thing you can afford....that is, if you even need to.

Click to expand...

I would have 2 disagree with you on this, y does he need the latest and greatest when he stated it's just going 2 be for basic use net, e mail and so forth. So why get rid of a perfectly good and stable machine?

^^, because it's clear to see that he got ripped off! You would have to be mentally insane to pay the same price for a computer that is 3 years old when you can get a new one online for around the same price. The same goes for trading that iphone for it's value when you could have really gotten it's worth out of it instead of this scammer guy ripping him off! And, he's pretty much already having doubts about it. I know when I start having doubts about a purchase/trade where I think I got ripped off, it never goes away.

Kash said:

Actually, his machine will only take a maximum of 3GB. Also, a Macbook Air trackpad wouldn't fit in the same space, so he he's limited to buying ones made specifically for his model.

However, I completely agree with the sentiment of your post. I have a relatively similar machine and after maxing out the RAM and upgrading the hard drive to a 7200RPM model, it runs just as well as any current machine for daily tasks. Mine is also coming up on three years old and due to the upgrades, it's faster now than it was when I first got it, and it still blows the pants off any Windows laptop my friends have. Just last night we were taking an exam and other people were taking forever to restart and submit their exams while for me it took mere moments, and their machines were newer than mine!

Click to expand...

Yep, I upped the ram and hd in my'06 MBP and she still works great.

PS According to OWC he can fit 4gb, unless I read their info wrong and my MBA keyboard was just a price reference

For him 2 sell that laptop he might get about $500 for it, so to get a new macbook he will have 2 put roughly another $1000 with it. So if u have that kind of cash that is expendable and laying around sure why not buy new. But if not then just be happy with what you have. We all have felt like we have been ripped off at one point or another and it is just something that we live with and learn from. But my thing is not many ppl have a grand just laying around and that is expendable cuz im sure that if he did he would've just bought a new mac 2 begin with.

ZorroAMG said:

PS According to OWC he can fit 4gb, unless I read their info wrong and my MBA keyboard was just a price reference

Click to expand...

Sure, he can fit 4GB in there, but the machine won't use it all. The Macbooks didn't get the ability to use 4GB until the Santa Rosa chipset, which was late 2007.

RD423 said:

For him 2 sell that laptop he might get about $500 for it, so to get a new macbook he will have 2 put roughly another $1000 with it. So if u have that kind of cash that is expendable and laying around sure why not buy new. But if not then just be happy with what you have. We all have felt like we have been ripped off at one point or another and it is just something that we live with and learn from. But my thing is not many ppl have a grand just laying around and that is expendable cuz im sure that if he did he would've just bought a new mac 2 begin with.

Click to expand...

Your prices are a bit misleading! 1500 for a macbook is not accurate. You can go online and find plenty of new macbooks ranging from $7XX-$8XX.
Like this one for example: NEW Apple MacBook 2.13ghz 13.3" MC240LL/A w/ Leopard - eBay (item 250542617610 end time Jan-03-10 09:28:59 PST) To me, I think it's worth it to buy this brand new, get better hardware, and still being able to buy apple care, than it is to keep that and upgrade everything...which, in the end, will only make the price difference about 100-200 bucks!
Get my point?

idrinorbarsaku said:

Your prices are a bit misleading! 1500 for a macbook is not accurate. You can go online and find plenty of new macbooks ranging from $7XX-$8XX.
Like this one for example: NEW Apple MacBook 2.13ghz 13.3" MC240LL/A w/ Leopard - eBay (item 250542617610 end time Jan-03-10 09:28:59 PST) To me, I think it's worth it to buy this brand new, get better hardware, and still being able to buy apple care, than it is to keep that and upgrade everything...which, in the end, will only make the price difference about 100-200 bucks!
Get my point?

Click to expand...

Well first off let me state u were correct when I quoted my pricing I was thinking about the macbook pro's. And u are incorrect on stating that him upgrading that machine will cost him a couple of hundred bucks because the only thing he needs 2 upgrade is the ram. ($30-$40 RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, flash cards, SSD at Crucial.com) and u want this guy 2 spend roughly $900 2 get a slightly faster processor and a better video card. That doesn't make sense 2 me, That is the same reason y I haven't upgraded my 2008 macbook is because the only thing that is better on the new ones is because they have the ddr3 ram and a nvidia video card. (the laptop u posted the link 2 doesn't even have the ddr3 ram it still uses the ddr2) I am looking at this from the financial angle and u r looking at it from a specs point of view so obviously unlike most people money isn't an issue with u. Some people do not have to have the latest and greatest technology. The reason on all of my posts are from the financial aspect which is why I said that if the current macbook does everything that he needs it to do then he should keep it.

The only reason I ever upgraded from my 2006 model to my 2008 model is because it didn't even have a dvd burner and I got tired of carrying around my external burner when I was working on TV commercials or editing projects for people.

To the original poster: If u can afford a new one go for it, but if u are on a budget and u r just using the laptop for basic things like u stated u would then keep it, cuz like I have stated I have even done video editing on machines older than what u have. So it will handle anything u throw at it.

This is my last post in this thread because it doesn't make sense to me that people are telling this guy 2 buy new when he really doesn't need 2. And the one link that was posted 2 him isn't even that much better than the machine that he is using. Some of us do not need the latest and greatest technology 2 be happy/satisfied. Because u never know what someone's financial situation is. And I'm sure like most I can't just go out and buy new so that is how I base my advice on. Now if the thread was about should I buy the brand new macbook or should I go with the new macbook pro then that would be different. But like I said I'm basing my advice from a budget and technology aspect. Sorry for the rant guys and thanks for reading.

It doesn't make much sense to invest $$$ into a stolen machine.
If you take it in for repairs, and they match the SN with a list of stolen machines, it will be A) Refused service (at best) B) Confiscated and turned over to the Police.
If it's confiscated, you lose everything: Your initial purchase price plus everything you've invested in upgrades.
My original post stands: He should try to get his iPhone & money back from the guy he bought it from.

It might not be a stolen machine, I got a real good deal from some1 on my first macbook. The guy I got it from was a little shady some1 I knew from the neighborhood who got it from someone else. So i called apple had them check the serial number and it wasn't reported 2 them as stolen. So guess what I had nothing 2 worry about.


Not only that but it's out of warranty anyways so why would he have 2 ship it 2 apple?

RD423 said:

It might not be a stolen machine, I got a real good deal from some1 on my first macbook. The guy I got it from was a little shady some1 I knew from the neighborhood who got it from someone else. So i called apple had them check the serial number and it wasn't reported 2 them as stolen. So guess what I had nothing 2 worry about.


Not only that but it's out of warranty anyways so why would he have 2 ship it 2 apple?

Click to expand...

RD423 - Did you even read this thread?
The serial number doesn't match, it has a "Pirated OS", it was sold as a 6 mo old machine that is actually 3 yo and the guy wouldn't answer the phone for 3 days.

If it quacks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it poops like a duck - 99% of the time; Its a duck. You, my friend, can take solace in the fact you are the 1% exception.

My 3 year old MacBook runs like new. Take care of it and upgrade it as needed, and you'll be fine..

However, it does seem you may have a stolen MacBook. So it's probably in your best interest to try and get it back.

Do you have a friend that is a cop?

Just call apple and tell them that u have aquired a macbook they will ask u for the serial number and tell them u just want 2 check and make sure that u were not sold a stolen macbook and they will tell u.

That simple.