Is this MacBook Pro a good deal?

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To be honest I have very little knowledge about Macs, so I'm asking some feedback from the "experts"

I'm a PC guy but looking into a Macbook probably, for web and app development and also video editing. I found one locally on Craigslist with this description

MacBook Pro with 15 inch display and external cover. 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7. 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3. Macintosh HD. Purchased in March 2012 for $2,200.00 - asking $1,700 obo. OS X operating system Version 10.9.3.

I've very confused about the lack of model numbers and everything by year? Can anyone tell me anything about that laptop, how upgradeable is it, will it be good for video editing, running virtual Windows 7, etc.. is that a good price or should I try to bring it down.. and most importantly if that is a 2012, should I pay the extra and get a 2014 model?

Thanks!
 

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MacBook Pro with 15 inch display and external cover. 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7. 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3. Macintosh HD. Purchased in March 2012 for $2,200.00 - asking $1,700 obo. OS X operating system Version 10.9.3.

Skip this deal…unless you can get the seller to come down at least $200-$300 bucks. Also…the seller may have purchased this computer in March 2012…but it's actually a "Late 2011" model. Not exactly a big deal…but you should 100% be aware what you are buying (a 2011 model).

I think that you would be much better off looking at the 15" MacBook Pro's in Apple's refurbished area. The prices there for the models listed are in the same "ballpark" as the deal listed above.

PLUS…all the models currently listed in the Apple refurbished area are newer (2012 models and newer)…AND…these will come with a full 12 months of Applecare warranty.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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Skip this deal…unless you can get the seller to come down at least $200-$300 bucks. Also…the seller may have purchased this computer in March 2012…but it's actually a "Late 2011" model. Not exactly a big deal…but you should 100% be aware what you are buying (a 2011 model).

I think that you would be much better off looking at the 15" MacBook Pro's in Apple's refurbished area. The prices there for the models listed are in the same "ballpark" as the deal listed above.

PLUS…all the models currently listed in the Apple refurbished area are newer (2012 models and newer)…AND…these will come with a full 12 months of Applecare warranty.

HTH,

- Nick


Thanks Nick, appreciate it. What is the newest model? Is there a 2014 model?
 

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No 2014 MacBook Pro models yet. The latest models are from "Late 2013".

The MacBook Pro lineup is due for a "refresh". When…only Apple knows exactly. But the October timeframe may be a good bet.

If you can wait…wait. If not…I think that the Apple refurbished area may be your best bet. Or if you can get a really good deal on a used MacBook Pro via Craig's List or eBay.

- Nick
 
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chas_m

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AppleInsider also has a MacBook Price Guide that will let you know about sale pricing from Amazon, MacMall, B&H.com, Best Buy and other sources.

Be aware that when you start seeing good discounts on current models, that's sometimes a sign that they are about to replaced.
 
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So I actually found someone else locally that is selling their Mac.. and I think it's the newest model.. for $1400 - http://i.imgur.com/JxtSGiR.jpg

I looked up his name on facebook and he sounds legit from what I can tell. Here is what he said
I got it brand new, so I'm assuming it was last years/this years model. It has a 2.3 GHZ Intel core i7, 16 GB DDR3 1600 MHZ of RAM, 500 GB flash storage (hard drive), a 15" 2880x1800 Retina display with Intel Iris Pro Graphics.

Sorry I couldn't be more precise about the year it was actually manufactured, but I did get it brand new at the end of February.

I'm guessing it's not possible to upgrade the CPU?

Thoughts on this one? (keep in mind this would mainly be for video editing and iOS development)
 

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So I actually found someone else locally that is selling their Mac.. and I think it's the newest model.. for $1400 -

This computer is the latest model…and it is currently selling for $2599 brand new from Apple. I would find it seriously hard to believe that someone that purchased this computer 5 months ago for $2599…would now be selling it for $1400.

If this computer truly is for sale for $1400 (and if it's not stolen)…it would be a SERIOUSLY great deal! But remember the old saying…if it seems too good to be true…it probably is.

I'm guessing it's not possible to upgrade the CPU?

Not possible.

- Nick
 
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This computer is the latest model…and it is currently selling for $2599 brand new from Apple. I would find it seriously hard to believe that someone that purchased this computer 5 months ago for $2599…would now be selling it for $1400.

If this computer truly is for sale for $1400 (and if it's not stolen)…it would be a SERIOUSLY great deal! But remember the old saying…if it seems too good to be true…it probably is.



Not possible.

- Nick

Agreed completely. I did look him up on Facebook and he is local and works at the big electrical company in town and everything he has told me so far corroborates with that. I will ask him why he is selling it and will check it out in person. What should I look for when inspecting it to make sure it is legit?
 

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Agreed completely. I did look him up on Facebook and he is local and works at the big electrical company in town and everything he has told me so far corroborates with that. I will ask him why he is selling it and will check it out in person. What should I look for when inspecting it to make sure it is legit?

If this is a "real deal"…and not a rip-off…you better act quickly before someone else gets it. If you take too long…you may find that it's already been sold.

When & if you go to look at it...double check the specs. There have actually been 3-4 different 15" MacBook Pro's since "Early 2011" with similar specs (2.3ghz quad-core i7 cpu). You never know…even if the seller said they bought it in Feb….showed you that photo of the specs…etc. With the asking price $1200 below the current new Apple selling price…the seller could be trying to pass off an older MacBook Pro as a newer model.

I also wanted to mention. I was double checking the current MacBook Pro's Apple is selling. There are two different 15" MacBook Pro models currently available. One has just integrated graphics (Iris Pro)…and the other model has dual graphics (Iris Pro and NVIDIA GT 750M). The dual graphics model is $2599…the "single" graphics is $2099. So…if this is the single graphics model this person is selling…then the asking price of $1400 (while still a great deal)…isn't quite as "wild" of a price compared to the $2599 dual graphics model.

As far as what to look for in regards to a "Legit" deal. Hard to say…hard to tell. To the best of my knowledge…there's no real way to check if a computer is stolen or not. Sometimes if the seller is just selling the laptop (no power adapter or anything else)…this can sometimes be a red flag.

But if the seller has everything (power adapter, original box, etc.)…then I wouldn't have any concerns. It's just hard to tell the difference between a stolen & non-stolen Apple computer.

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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If this is a "real deal"…and not a rip-off…you better act quickly before someone else gets it. If you take too long…you may find that it's already been sold.

When & if you go to look at it...double check the specs. There have actually been 3-4 different 15" MacBook Pro's since "Early 2011" with similar specs (2.3ghz quad-core i7 cpu). You never know…even if the seller said they bought it in Feb….showed you that photo of the specs…etc. With the asking price $1200 below the current new Apple selling price…the seller could be trying to pass off an older MacBook Pro as a newer model.

I also wanted to mention. I was double checking the current MacBook Pro's Apple is selling. There are two different 15" MacBook Pro models currently available. One has just integrated graphics (Iris Pro)…and the other model has dual graphics (Iris Pro and NVIDIA GT 750M). The dual graphics model is $2599…the "single" graphics is $2099. So…if this is the single graphics model this person is selling…then the asking price of $1400 (while still a great deal)…isn't quite as "wild" of a price compared to the $2599 dual graphics model.

As far as what to look for in regards to a "Legit" deal. Hard to say…hard to tell. To the best of my knowledge…there's no real way to check if a computer is stolen or not. Sometimes if the seller is just selling the laptop (no power adapter or anything else)…this can sometimes be a red flag.

But if the seller has everything (power adapter, original box, etc.)…then I wouldn't have any concerns. It's just hard to tell the difference between a stolen & non-stolen Apple computer.

Good luck,

- Nick

Thanks Nick, I will ask about the graphics!
 
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He said it's only Iris Pro. I don't plan on gaming so I'm guessing it's not that big of a difference for video editing?
 

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He said it's only Iris Pro. I don't plan on gaming so I'm guessing it's not that big of a difference for video editing?

The Iris Pro graphics is supposed to be pretty good. But the dual graphics model (with the dedicated graphics hardware will be faster). But then again…that's why the dual graphics model costs $2699 brand new.

$1400 for a current model 15" MBP that currently sells for $2099 is a pretty good deal…and most likely will still outperform older models.

If you want it…as I mentioned…you better go look at it before someone else buys it. If someone is looking to purchase this model brand new from Apple for $2099…they're certainly going to jump on it for $1400.

Also remember. If the seller bought it in Feb. brand new. This would mean that it still has at least 6 months of Applecare remaining. Which is very nice when purchasing a used computer.

- Nick
 
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Thanks, I'm going to check it out and he did mention that it has 6 months of applecare left
 

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I wanted to mention one more thing. Since this is the single graphics model…it's original specs were…2.0ghz quad-core i7 cpu AND 8gig of ram.

Since it appears that this computer has a 2.3ghz quad-core i7 cpu AND 16gig of ram…the seller would have had to upgrade the cpu and the ram. The cpu upgrade was $100 extra…and the 16gig of ram was a $200 upgrade. So the actual final cost for this 15" MBP (when new) was $2299.

So again…someone selling a 5 month old current model 15" MBP that originally cost $2299 for $1400…still seems a bit unusual. So definitely look over the computer specs well…and definitely meet the seller in a public place (like a McDonald's, inside a local Mall, etc.)…just in case something "fishy" is going on.

- Nick
 

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Just remembered that this computer also has 500 gig of storage. That was another $300 upgrade (it originally had 256gig of storage).

So basically this seller (if it is a legit deal)…paid $2599 for it with:

- a cpu upgrade (+$100)
- a ram upgrade (+$200)
- a storage upgrade (+$300)

This seller does not seem to be the sharpest…since for $2599 they paid the exact same price as the dual-graphics model…except…they didn't get the dual graphics!:(

I don't know…I think that this deal sounds a bit "weird" (too good to be true) to me.

- Nick
 
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Just remembered that this computer also has 500 gig of storage. That was another $300 upgrade (it originally had 256gig of storage).

So basically this seller (if it is a legit deal)…paid $2599 for it with:

- a cpu upgrade (+$100)
- a ram upgrade (+$200)
- a storage upgrade (+$300)

This seller does not seem to be the sharpest…since for $2599 they paid the exact same price as the dual-graphics model…except…they didn't get the dual graphics!:(

I don't know…I think that this deal sounds a bit "weird" (too good to be true) to me.

- Nick

Yeah I hear ya. He said that he is selling it because he has a PC he built that he uses more that is better than the Mac and only used the laptop for work, and he doesn't like switching between PC and Mac. I can see that since I have a pretty badass PC myself lol

I will definitely check it out though and keep an wary eye.. I'll let you know what I find out. Thanks for the replies I appreciate it
 

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He said that he is selling it because he has a PC he built that he uses more that is better than the Mac and only used the laptop for work, and he doesn't like switching between PC and Mac.

Blah, blah, blah. I've seen this "selling reason" 100's of times. It still doesn't explain why the dude is selling a 5 month old $2599 current model MacBook Pro for $1400. Doesn't make sense. He could get a lot more for it EASILY.

If this is a legit deal…you're going to get it for one SUPER price!!!

- Nick
 
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Blah, blah, blah. I've seen this "selling reason" 100's of times. It still doesn't explain why the dude is selling a 5 month old $2599 current model MacBook Pro for $1400. Doesn't make sense. He could get a lot more for it EASILY.

If this is a legit deal…you're going to get it for one SUPER price!!!

- Nick


That's what I'm hoping for but we will see.
 

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