Should I buy a Macbook Pro 5,4

[Stick_Man]

It is a 2009. I would be using it for SAS Studio that involves Oracle VM Virtual Box which slows down any 2gb ram computer to a crawl....including my current set up -- an Acer Aspire 1830-3595.

I am fed up with Windows too ....

 

[pigoo3]

A MacBook Pro 5,4 is from 2010…so an approx. 5 year-old computer. It all depends on your needs & the price of the computer.

I'm assuming that you're looking at a specific MacBook Pro 5,4….and not just shopping for 5 year old MacBook Pro's in general. If so:

- Does it have the performance & features you need?
- Is the condition of it acceptable (cosmetically)?
- What condition is the battery in?
- Does everything work ok on it?
- And one of the more important parameters…what's the asking price? If too high…my answer would an easy…NO!

With the info given…it's very difficult to advise whether you should purchase this computer or not.

- Nick

p.s. And one other question. Do the apps you want to run (SAS Studio that involves Oracle VM Virtual Box) have Mac versions? If not…how are you going to run them on the MacBook Pro in question. And does the MacBook Pro in question meet the specs for these apps? Just checking.

p.p.s. I would also suggest that one of the big performance issues with the current Acer-Aspire…is the 2gig of ram.

 

[Stick_Man]

Thanks for the respectful and prompt reply.

Yes I have a specific mac for sale locally in mind.

I think the operating system and processor are the key factors here. From the ad, it sounds like they put a new operating system in that old a model. Is that possible and even desirable?

The add claims the Mac has:
Operating System: OS X Mavericks
CPU: 2.53Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo

VirtualBox needs:
Mac OS X 10.8 or later
64-bit hardware with a minimum of 1GB of RAM

I know it has the RAM. I am not sure of the Mac operating systems and if that is 32 or 64 bit.

It's asking price is $550.

It has scratches in the bottom

The problem w windows is not just 2 gb of ram for me. It's a sucky operating system.

 

[Stick_Man]

So it sounds like you can upgrade OS on that computer

 

[pigoo3]

The add claims the Mac has:
Operating System: OS X Mavericks

Mavericks is OS 10.9.

VirtualBox needs:
Mac OS X 10.8 or later
64-bit hardware with a minimum of 1GB of RAM

If it needs 10.8 or later. No problem. As I mentioned…Mavericks is 10.9.

It's asking price is $550.

Way too high of an asking price. I wouldn't pay more than $350-$400.

It has scratches in the bottom

If they are just scratches…not too much of a problem.

It's a sucky operating system.

Not going to get any disagreement on this from me!

If you were to move forward on this…and can get the seller to sell it for an acceptable price. Three things you want to check on:

1. That everything works (trackpad, keyboard, camera, optical drive, bluetooth, wireless/Airport, etc.)…and of course general computer operation.
2. Make sure it comes with at least 4gig of ram (this is what it came with when new).
3. Number of battery cycles. This computer has a 1000 cycle battery.

If the battery cycles are high, and if it didn't have at least 4gig of ram. These two things could cost close to $200 to remedy. You don't want to invest $200 into a computer that's worth $350-$400. Since then you would have $550-$600 invested in a computer worth $350-$400. Not a good thing.

- Nick

p.s. I must have gotten confused. This is a 2009 computer…not 2010 as I mentioned above.

 

[harryb2448]

Too much money for the age of the machine. Much better to look for a +2012 model.

 

[Stick_Man]

i actually went to check it out and it looked nice.

i wanted to buy but, i dont know prices and didnt want to get ripped. Price not negotiable they said. .
where are you getting prices? this isnt ebay but a brick and mortar offering a warranty.

how cheap do you see macs?

what do i get w 2012 + models? its 64 bit; 4-8 gb ram; latest OS installed

 

[pigoo3]

i wanted to buy but, i dont know prices and didnt want to get ripped. Price not negotiable they said.

I gave you an idea of what it was worth earlier in the thread. But if the price is not negotiable. Don't just walk away from it…run!!! It's way over priced in my opinion.

where are you getting prices?

Experience! And knowing what models older and newer than this 2009 MBP are worth.

this isnt ebay but a brick and mortar offering a warranty.

Again. Don't worry about it or feel bad you didn't get it. It's over-priced!

how cheap do you see macs?

No idea what you mean here…and no way to answer this. You need to narrow things down a bit…and be way more specific. "macs" covers a lot of models. Macintosh computers have been around since 1984!

what do i get w 2012 + models? its 64 bit; 4-8 gb ram; latest OS installed

Again…not easy to answer this exactly. Almost all 2012 models will be used. And thus could be configured differently. And of course do you have the budget to purchase a 2012 model??…since this other MBP was a 2009 model for $550.

- Nick

 

[chas_m]

I'm with Nick. This is an old machine, about to go obsolete, and not worth anything like that asking price. Walk away from this one.

 

[Stick_Man]

I'm with Nick. This is an old machine, about to go obsolete, and not worth anything like that asking price. Walk away from this one.

How obsolete?

It is capable of the latest operating system which should be supported for years to come; it's fast' it has 4 gb ram upgradeable to 8. A 64 bit operating system.

I have never heard of a mac going for that cheap that is at least relatively new; comes with a warranty; and not bought under really dubious circumstances like on craigslist or ebay ... at least not in nyc.

 

[pigoo3]

It is capable of the latest operating system which should be supported for years to come…

True.

it's fast' it has 4 gb ram upgradeable to 8.

Amount of ram is not necessarily an indication of a computers speed.

I have never heard of a mac going for that cheap that is at least relatively new; comes with a warranty

You of course are welcome to do what you wish. But in my opinion this particular MacBook Pro is overpriced.

I'm not saying this computer won't or can't do what you want it to do. What I am saying is it's overpriced! I'm not sure how many times this needs to be said!

...and not bought under really dubious circumstances like on craigslist or ebay ... at least not in nyc.

How do you know 100% that the place selling this computer didn't get it via "shady methods". For example…they could have bought it cheap from a thief that broke into an automobile…and sold it to this store claiming it was their computer.

Again. The computer is over-priced. Walk away from it…and keep looking!

- Nick

 

[Stick_Man]

Amount of ram is not necessarily an indication of a computers speed.

I know that. Those are 2 autonomous facts.
1. It's fast
2. It has 4-8gb ram which is not indicative of an old obsolete machine.

How do you know 100% that the place selling this computer didn't get it via "shady methods". For example…they could have bought it cheap from a thief that broke into an automobile…and sold it to this store claiming it was their computer.

Again. The computer is over-priced. Walk away from it…and keep looking!

- Nick

I don't know that for sure. But at the same time would a brick and mortar store really be selling a stolen computer or would it be more than likely the other way? Someone on craigslist doing that? And incidentally what I meant by "dubious" is someone selling you a piece of junk basically that isn't going to be anywhere near as good as the CL ad, or buying sight unseen on ebay. You have no recourse with most used buying methods. Not to mention individual sellers for the most part tend to overlook flaws in things they are selling because of an emotional attachment to thing they are selling. A brick and mortar has no such issues, and is more than likely only buying and selling quality merchandise.

I'm yet to know how you are gauging prices. How do you price a used a laptop except ebay or craigslist? Here's another thing that it has is a warranty. Where are you going to find that on a used computer?

Again I understand you think it's over-priced but, how are you ascertaining prices? Keep looking you say but where? Apple sells "refurbished computers" for double that...the only other really reliable place to get a used one as far as I know. Maybe you can tell me where

 

[pigoo3]

Again I understand you think it's over-priced but, how are you ascertaining prices? Keep looking you say but where? Apple sells "refurbished computers" for double that...the only other really reliable place to get a used one as far as I know. Maybe you can tell me where

I'm done. Buy the "friggin" over-priced computer. I was just trying to help you not make a mistake. If spending $100-$150 too much is not a big deal. No problem.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

FYI…some completed/sold eBay auctions:

1. Sold for $172.50. Had a crack on display. For just $172.50 I would buy it!
15 inch 2 53 GHz 4GB RAM Mid 2009 MacBook Pro | eBay

2. Sold for $277. Has some cosmetic issues…otherwise works fine:
MacBook Pro 15" 2 53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mid 2009 4 GB RAM 320 GB HD Mavericks | eBay

3. Sold for $305. No problems;
15 inch 2 53 GHz 4GB RAM 250 GB Hard Drive Mid 2009 MacBook Pro | eBay

4. Sold for $335. No problems:
MacBook Pro 15" 2 53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mid 2009 4 GB RAM 320 GB HD Mavericks | eBay

5. Sold for $359. No problems.
Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch 2 53 GHz Mid 2009 500 GB HD 4GB RAM Core 2 Duo | eBay

6. Sold for $340. No problems…has 8gig of ram instead of 4gig.
Apple MacBook 15" Laptop 2 53 Intel 8GB RAM OSX 10 9 5 885909226252 | eBay

7. Sold for $350. No problems.
15 inch 2 53 GHz 4GB RAM 250 GB Hard Drive Mid 2009 MacBook Pro | eBay

Etc…etc…etc.

- Nick