Would you have bought this Macbook pro?

cnoufesd · May 11, 2014

I bought a 15" Macbook Pro off eBay, hoping to find one to use while I'm in college for the next four years. I somehow didn't notice that I was buying a 2008, and now I'm a little concerned since it's so old. The computer is running Mavericks, and it comes with iLife, Office 11, CS6, and FinalCut Pro X.

Should I be concerned with how old it is? It costed $750, and returns are possible.

Processor Speed:
2.4 Ghz
Product Family:
MacBook Pro
Memory:
8 GB
Screen Size:
15.4"
Hard Drive Capacity:
1 TB
Release Year:
2008
Type:
Laptop/Notebook
Processor Type:
Intel Core 2 Duo

I could get a 2011 MacBook Pro for about the same price...Not with as big of a HD or as much RAM though. Unsure what to do.

pigoo3 · May 11, 2014

cnoufesd said:
Should I be concerned with how old it is? It costed $750, and returns are possible.

I could get a 2011 MacBook Pro for about the same price...Not with as big of a HD or as much RAM though. Unsure what to do.

The specs on that computer really aren't terrible (8gig ram, 1 terabyte HD...even the 2.4ghz core 2 duo will get most things done). The weakest area would be it's graphics hardware.

If it had cost you around $500...I'd say keep it (although it may not be very snappy in 3-4 years).

If you can return it...and get a 2011 MBP for the same price...I would say that is the better thing to do. But...if you're getting this 2011 MBP from the same place (if it's an online store)...it's probably over-priced as well.

Post the specs of this 2011 MBP...and let's see if it is worth approx. $750.

- Nick

chscag · May 11, 2014

A 2008 MacBook Pro is not worth $750 and all the included software is not legal unless the seller included the original disks and serial numbers. Return it and buy a refurbished MacBook Pro from Apple.

pigoo3 · May 11, 2014

Agree with chscag regarding the software. Those are most likely illegal copies (unless the previous owner gave you all serial numbers, product keys, registration numbers, etc.). Which VERY FEW sellers do that when they include software with a used computer.

- Nick

cnoufesd · May 11, 2014

pigoo3 said:
Post the specs of this 2011 MBP...and let's see if it is worth approx. $750.

- Nick

Processor Speed:
2.40 GHz
Product Family:
MacBook Pro
Operating System:
Apple MacOS X 10.7
Screen Size:
15.4"
Release Year:
2011
Memory:
4 GB
Processor Family:
Core i7
Hard Drive Capacity:
750 GB
Processor Configuration:
Quad Core
Processor Type:
Intel
Primary Drive:
Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
UPC:
885909533589

pigoo3 · May 11, 2014

cnoufesd said:
Processor Speed:
2.40 GHz
Product Family:
MacBook Pro
Operating System:
Apple MacOS X 10.7
Screen Size:
15.4"
Release Year:
2011
Memory:
4 GB
Processor Family:
Core i7
Hard Drive Capacity:
750 GB
Processor Configuration:
Quad Core
Processor Type:
Intel
Primary Drive:
Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
UPC:
885909533589

Come on...this is a "no-brainer".

Other than not having 8gig of ram this 2011 MBP is a way way way better computer than the 2008.

That 2008 MBP is over priced!

If you can get this 2011 15" MBP for $750...don't walk....RUN RUN RUN to get it!!! $750 is a terrific deal. All you need to do to it is a ram upgrade to 8gig...and you are set! This 2011 MBP is worth way more than $750.

If this is a Craig's List deal...and you don't buy it right away...someone else is definitely going to buy it.

On the other hand...this deal does "smell" like it's too good to be true...and could be a scammer.

- Nick

dtravis7 · May 11, 2014

While checking Mac2Sell for the worth, They did not list a 2.4 Ghz i7 in the MBP line. Are you sure on that cpu speed?

I put in 2.3 Ghz with your other specs and it said $850.

So I agree with Nick, great deal. You can add more RAM later.

pigoo3 · May 11, 2014

dtravis7 said:
While checking Mac2Sell for the worth, They did not list a 2.4 Ghz i7 in the MBP line. Are you sure on that cpu speed?

I just checked...it does list a 2.4ghz quad-core i7. Mac2Sell says it's worth $1350. Much more than the asking price of $750...which leads me to believe this very well could be a CL scam (if we're talking CL).

- Nick

dtravis7 · May 11, 2014

See he did not say it was a quad core I7 so I checked plain i7.

If it's truly a Quad Core i7 for that price I also would wonder if it*was a scam.

cnoufesd · May 11, 2014

On eBay. The 750 GB MBP comes from a reseller with 99.6% positive feedback for hundreds of transactions.

MacBook Pro 15 inch Late 2011 2 4 GHz Intel i7 750GB HDD 16GB DDR3 6770M | eBay

Eyeing that one too.

pigoo3 · May 11, 2014

cnoufesd said:
On eBay. The 750 GB MBP comes from a reseller with 99.6% positive feedback for hundreds of transactions.

MacBook Pro 15 inch Late 2011 2 4 GHz Intel i7 750GB HDD 16GB DDR3 6770M | eBay

You can't say that the 2008 MBP and the 2011 MBP are the same price ($750). That e-Bay auction for the 2011 is no way going to end at $750 (9+ hours left in the auction).

There's no way you can compare these two computers based on price. The 2008 is over-priced at $750. And the 2011 MBP (eBay auction)...isn't over. It's worth close to $1350...so there is no way it's going to end anywhere near $750 (especially on eBay).

In your first post you said you could get this 2011 MBP for $750. No way man!

- Nick

dtravis7 · May 11, 2014

The person took a HORRIBLE picture. Zoomed its so blurry you can not make out the screen enough to read about this Mac. It would say exactly what CPU is in it. If that is truly a Quad Core i7, GRAB it unless it's a fraud.

cnoufesd · May 11, 2014

pigoo3 said:
In your first post you said you could get this 2011 MBP for $750. No way man!

- Nick

This is a different one! That auction that I was talking about earlier ended at $765

Of course the one won't end at $710 or whatever it was, but yeah, I kind of know what to look for now.

Thank you for all of your help!

dtravis7 · May 11, 2014

Nick is correct, if Quad core that machine at the end of the bidding might hit $1000 or more.

harryb2448 · May 11, 2014

How long since you purchased the 2008 model? If recently lodge a dispoute saying it was not as advertised as you now realise all the software is pirated as you did not receive nay DVDs nor activation codes with the computer. Try and get your money back.

Be aware all these 'add ons' sold on eBay can be pirated software unless it states the original discs come with the machine.

John F · May 16, 2014

In case someone hasn't mentioned it already . . . as Macs age, they become unable to handle the lastest OS upgrade. I also have a Mac Mini that is frozen at Leopard. I run Linux on my old Black Mac, but that is not a solution for everyone. A 2008 will run out of OS upgrades much sooner than a newer model.

pigoo3 · May 16, 2014

John F said:
In case someone hasn't mentioned it already . . . as Macs age, they become unable to handle the lastest OS upgrade.

This applies to any computer. Even a brand new 2014 computer will succumb to this "rule/law" eventually.

The key to purchasing a used computer (if running the latest OS version is a need/concern)...is to verify the computers "max" OS version BEFORE buying.

- Nick

Alex 3 · May 16, 2014

You may pay a bit too much but other than that no worries.
I was a PC user and bought a 13" MBP on sale on a boxing day sale for $999 CDN with much less memory in December 2011. Good machines.
Yours being older it is probably better than new stuff.
Take it to someone and have it cleaned up of all the trashy stuff that accumulates over time and to fix the disk up.
The one thing you did not mention is the version of the chip. Mine is a i5 and i7 is available. I have a 2.3 Ghz chip with 4 gb ram and 320 gb Rom and it is fine. Runs very well.

cnoufesd said:
I bought a 15" Macbook Pro off eBay, hoping to find one to use while I'm in college for the next four years. I somehow didn't notice that I was buying a 2008, and now I'm a little concerned since it's so old. The computer is running Mavericks, and it comes with iLife, Office 11, CS6, and FinalCut Pro X.

Should I be concerned with how old it is? It costed $750, and returns are possible.

Processor Speed:
2.4 Ghz
Product Family:
MacBook Pro
Memory:
8 GB
Screen Size:
15.4"
Hard Drive Capacity:
1 TB
Release Year:
2008
Type:
Laptop/Notebook
Processor Type:
Intel Core 2 Duo

I could get a 2011 MacBook Pro for about the same price...Not with as big of a HD or as much RAM though. Unsure what to do.

John F · May 16, 2014

In case it hasn't already been mentioned, the older the Mac (or any computer) the sooner it will be unable to handle the latest software (which mostly also means the latest security). My Mac Mini stops at Leopard and the Black Mac laptop is now running Linux (which it does very well BTW). An older computer will cost a little bit less, but you will need to replace it sooner, so the saving may only be an illusion in the long run.

Randy B. Singer · May 16, 2014

cnoufesd said:
...I somehow didn't notice that I was buying a 2008, and now I'm a little concerned since it's so old....
Hard Drive Capacity:
1 TB

Personally, I wouldn't purchase a Macintosh with a rotating disk hard drive that is more than 5 years old. After about 3 years the failure rate of rotating disk hard drives becomes worrisome (about 12%), and after 5 years it reaches what I consider an unacceptable rate not worth chancing. See:

How long do disk drives last?
Backblaze Blog » How long do disk drives last?

Would you have bought this Macbook pro?

cnoufesd

pigoo3

Well-known member

chscag

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pigoo3

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cnoufesd

pigoo3

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dtravis7

pigoo3

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dtravis7

cnoufesd

pigoo3

Well-known member

dtravis7

cnoufesd

dtravis7

harryb2448

John F

pigoo3

Well-known member

Alex 3

John F

Randy B. Singer

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