is this a good deal?

Hi all. I am far far far from being a techno and need some help.
I have been offered a brand new macbook pro online for a really good price. I have been searching everywhere but can't find a match with the specifications they have provided. I am still waiting on them to get back to me with the model number. i don't want to jump on this great deal, only to find out it is actually too good to be true.

The info they have listed is as follows -

NEW APPLE MACBOOK PRO 15 INCH LAPTOP

2.3Ghz Quad i7 8GB 512GB SSD Hi-Res / New Model

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion & iLife '13

-> 2.3Ghz quad-core Core i7
-> 15.4" LED-backlit Hi Resolution
-> 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 SDRAM
-> 512GB SSD hard drive
-> 8MB L3 cache
-> Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5 SDRAM
-> FaceTime HD camera
-> Thunderbolt, Firewire & USB ports; SDXC card slot
-> Apple warranty

Included with this item are the following:

-> Aperture 3, Final Cut Pro Studio 3, Fusion, iWork '13, Lightroom, Logic Pro Studio, MS Office 2013, Stuffit Deluxe, Toast, Tuxera NTFS

If it makes sense to anyone out there, your advise and comments would be greatly appreciated.

One of those craigslist deals - where the guy buys a new Mac and then loads a half ton of pirated software on it and sells it for above retail because of all the pirated software he put on it for which he paid nothing and doesn't give you the original discs for any of it?

Yeah, I've seen those.

Stay far, far away.

At least he could be using Final Cut X which is the current version.

Can't be brand new from a 3rd party seller that is not an authorized Apple reseller, as that is not even a current model.

If it is an authorized reseller, then lets talk.

you have confirmed the nagging feeling in the back of my mind. they wont even give me the model number - just keep saying it is the latest model 2013.............thank you so much.

The 2.3 Ghz was just discontinued the middle of last month - so you might be able to find a decent discount on it from a reseller that still has that one in stock with the new ones coming in.

But, someone that can't even reply with a model #, doesn't sound too good.

noideanic said:

i don't want to jump on this great deal, only to find out it is actually too good to be true.

Click to expand...

You actually left out one of the most important pieces of information...the PRICE!!! There is really no way of knowing if this is a good deal without the price!

- Nick

Oops. I knew there was something I forgot. Price $950.

noideanic said:

Oops. I knew there was something I forgot. Price $950.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the price info. One more quick question before I expand on whether this is a good deal or not...where is this computer advertised (e-Bay, Craig's List, etc.)?

- Nick

On eBay. Seller appears to be in Spain but message sent thru a hotmail.com.au address.

noideanic said:

On eBay. Seller appears to be in Spain but message sent thru a hotmail.com.au address.

Click to expand...

Thanks again for the info.

Ignoring any "bonus value" regarding the included software (which there's a 99% chance the installs are not legal)...this computer would be considered the "Dream Come True" computer...especially with the 512gig of SSD storage.

This computer is currently worth (Australia dollars) $2730. The asking price of $950 (assuming Australia dollars) is approximately 1/3rd it's current value. No legitimate person is going to sell a computer this new and this nice for 1/3rd of its actual value!!!

I also wanted to mention that the seller say's that this is a "New Model" computer. It is actually an "Early 2011" model 15" MacBook Pro. It was introduced February, 2011...and discontinued October, 2011. Since then a "Late 2011" 15" MacBook Pro was released...AND a "Mid-2012" 15" MacBook Pro was released. So this computer is at least 3 models old.

Long story short. There's probably a 99.9% chance that if you purchased this computer...and sent the seller payment...you would receive no computer! Also...it's very possible that this seller has a very high e-Bay positive feedback rating...with lots of "glowingly positive" feedback left by buyers. Only problem is...all of this can be faked.

Don't even think about buying this computer! Don't walk away...RUN AWAY!!!

HTH,

- Nick

Nick, you are legend !!!! You all are!!! Thank you all for your time & assistance. Might stick to legit sellers/resellers who will bamboozle me with all their techno speak, but still end up with a real computer in my hands at the end of it. Like they say, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

If you're looking for a good deal on a recent-model MacBook Pro, stick to Apple's refurb store or its "secret" Ebay refurb store:

Apple eBay shop Macs $100 less than official refurbs | MacNN

That deal you described above had EVERY red flag there is waving proudly. Nick is absolutely right.