Best laptop for the wife

We are looking at getting a laptop for my wife. She is in graduate school and we are looking for something used. My friend has a 20011 pro that he wants to sell for $600... Below is the specs
15.4" Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz Processor
500GB HDD
8GB DDR3 SDRAM

I was wondering if this model is dated or will it still get the job done. The only other option i was thinking about was trying to get a new air but im not sure if that would be better than the 2011 pro. We are looking to spend under $1,000.

Also, she will be using it to run mainly the Office Suite, SPSS (Analytics Program), Windows 8, etc..

I've looked on Craigslist and couldn't find anything used in my price range that was better than the one above.

Would appreciate some help

Thanks

G'day and welcome to the forums.

Well it is actually mid 2010 model with the 2.66GHz CPU and 8GB is the maximum the model can take. A new Air will be much better than a 2010 MBP but beware that the memory comes fixed to the motherboard so no after sales upgrading the memory.

Don't forget Apple Refurbished which come with the latest operating system, the full twelve monbth warranty with the option to take out the three year AppleCare warranty.


http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_air/13

Yeah I was worried about the SSD in the air not being enough memory for her. Hmm decisions..

chris004 said:

My friend has a 20011 pro that he wants to sell for $600... Below is the specs
15.4" Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz Processor
500GB HDD
8GB DDR3 SDRAM

I was wondering if this model is dated or will it still get the job done.

Click to expand...

I think that this computer would get the job done. As Harry pointed out…it is a 2010 model. And although 8gig of ram is it's max…8gig of ram really isn't that bad.

My question to you is…would the wife really want a 15" laptop computer? Most folks these days prefer to get something smaller & lighter…like a 13" MacBook Pro or 13" MacBook Air.

I don't know what the timing is for this purchase. But since you're willing to go the used route via Craig's List…keep looking. Sometimes the exact deal you may be looking for…could be posted just 5 minutes from now! So keep looking.

But…if this 15" MacBook Pro will do. I would try to get it for around $475-$500 ($600 is on the high side).

- Nick

Found one more that is newer. Is this a good deal?
Late 2013 retina display.. i5 2.6ghz 8gb memory and 512 gb ssd For around 1000?

chris004 said:

Found one more that is newer. Is this a good deal?
Late 2013 retina display.. i5 2.6ghz 8gb memory and 512 gb ssd For around 1000?

Click to expand...

Off the top of my head (with a 512gig SSD) this sounds like a pretty good deal.

But if you're going to spend this sort of cash…you could also consider this from the refurbished area of the Apple Store:

Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Dual-core Intel i5 with Retina Display - Apple Store (U.S.)

And in case you don't know. Computers from the refurbished area of the Apple Store are just like new…and come with 12 months of Applecare warranty (which can be extended an additional 2 years…3 years total)…if you were to purchase extended Applecare within the first 12 months.

HTH,

- Nick