Help with buying a Macbook on Ebay!

Hi

Im currently doing a music course at college and the work load has gotten pretty tough and seeing as all the work we do is on mac i've decided i need to get one. A brand new mack is completely out of the question for me, i'm only 17 so i dont have much to spend. I've had a brief look on ebay and have seen some 2008 macbooks for around £250-300.

I was wondering if buying a mac from ebay is safe in the sense of the liscensing for Logic Pro (as this is basically what i'm buying a mac for) and what sort of spec i should be looking for.

If its a 2008 model, what version of Logic will it have? and how much would it cost to upgrade it?

And basically, i'm wondering what the dangers are of buying a mac from ebay. I'm fully aware that it could come broken or whatever (like anything from ebay!) but in terms of being able to use the mac and logic and stuff like that.

Thanks in advance!
James.

Trevascus said:

If its a 2008 model, what version of Logic will it have? and how much would it cost to upgrade it?

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Different folks will have differing opinions on the safety of buying new or used computers on e-Bay. You may can get 50 people that will say there's no problem, and 50 others that will say it's risky. So you sort of have to decide for yourself.

As far as Logic. Logic is not a program that is included with a Macintosh computer. It's an application you must purchase separately. For those of us not in school/university...the latest full version of Logic costs $499 ($199 for an upgrade). You may be able to get it for less as a student.

HTH,

- Nick

If i was to purchase a mac with logic already installed and wanted to upgrade it, would i need a registry key from the person i buy it from?

If you purchased a used Mac with Logic already installed you would also need the original install media and license key. Otherwise you would have an illegal copy on the machine. Many folks sell their machine with software already installed which is OK, however, the sale must include all original install media and license keys in order to comply with the software publisher's EULA. (License)

Just to give you a little piece of mind as far a buying a Mac off Ebay I'm writing you from a used 2010 13" Macbook Pro I just got off Ebay a couple days ago. If you have questions about software just ask the seller upfront. Ask what software will be included and if the original disks will be included. As always check the sellers feedback. For a used Macbook Pro I went with a seller with 100% positive feedback. My Macbook Pro arrived in perfect condition as described and has been working flawlessly.

make sure you get the original System Discs. so many people get so excited when buying their new Mac that they forget all about these, and then when something goes wrong, they have no way to troubleshoot. they are really important.

My University has a discount for Logic Studio that can be accessed on the internal network. We are talking major discounts (50% here - £160, Express is even less) this is much better than Apple's discount. ask some of your lecturers and see if your college has this.