Buying a refurbished MacBook Pro. Which processor to buy, i5 or i7?

I thinking of buying a refurbished MacBook Pro 15". I can't seem to get any knowledgeable answers at the Apple store about the benefits of the i5 vs. i7 processors. I've been pretty happy with my late 2008 MBP but it's been dropped hard and is on it's way out. Any opinions about what to buy balancing processor, price, reliability? I'm a designer and photographer and the video processor is important also.
Thanks for any help.

KaneoheKFA wrote:
I can't seem to get any knowledgeable answers at the Apple store about the benefits of the i5 vs. i7 processors.
The i7 is much better.
You can see processor and other computer performance here
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
You can see Cinebench/OpenGL performance here
http://www.cbscores.com/index.php?sort=ogl&order=desc

Similar Messages

Should I buy the 2013 13" macbook pro or 2012 15"(refurbished) macbook pro

Hey guys, so basically to start off, I've never bought a mac before however i have an iphone 5, ipad 3rd gen, and ipod nano 3rd gen. So im now looking for a new laptop as my windows desktop is pretty old and slow. I've been looking at buying either the 2013 13" retina display macbook pro or the 2012 15" refurbished macbook pro. Im at university studying civil engineering, so im mainly going to be using it for creating documents and using some subject specific programmes as well as the normal stuff such as social networking, photos, watching movies etc. The reason I am looking at getting the mid-2012 refurbished 15" is because of the larger screen, dvd drive, and i7 processor,and easier cababilities of upgrading and repairing, however ive also heard that the new mavericks system can slow down the performance of older macs. Obviously the retina display of the 2013 13" would be nice but not exactly necessary for me and also therefore, it feels as though i would be getting more for my money with the 2012 15". The cost of the 13" i5 2013 will be £945.60 (education pricing) and £1,189.00 for the 15" i7 2012 (I wouldnt want to be paying more than that). Any advice would be amazing as im really stuck between choosing these two!! Thanks

Hey guys, so basically to start off, I've never bought a mac before however i have an iphone 5, ipad 3rd gen, and ipod nano 3rd gen. So im now looking for a new laptop as my windows desktop is pretty old and slow. I've been looking at buying either the 2013 13" retina display macbook pro or the 2012 15" refurbished macbook pro. Im at university studying civil engineering, so im mainly going to be using it for creating documents and using some subject specific programmes as well as the normal stuff such as social networking, photos, watching movies etc. The reason I am looking at getting the mid-2012 refurbished 15" is because of the larger screen, dvd drive, and i7 processor,and easier cababilities of upgrading and repairing, however ive also heard that the new mavericks system can slow down the performance of older macs. Obviously the retina display of the 2013 13" would be nice but not exactly necessary for me and also therefore, it feels as though i would be getting more for my money with the 2012 15". The cost of the 13" i5 2013 will be £945.60 (education pricing) and £1,189.00 for the 15" i7 2012 (I wouldnt want to be paying more than that). Any advice would be amazing as im really stuck between choosing these two!! Thanks

When is the best time to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro?

I'm a new college student, and I'm looking to buy a Mac that will last me throughout college, at the best possible price.
I'm completely fine with purchasing a refurbished model, and right now I can get a large (for Apple, anyway) discount on a refurbished MacBook Pro, 13", 500GB, i5, with 4GB RAM. But I'm not sure if this will be able to suit my needs, or if I should opt for something a bit more expensive, even if that means I should wait.
I plan on installing Windows 7, with a 25% partition (I'll use Mac for my own personal things, but Windows for some functions).
I own an iPhone 5 and iPad 3 (WiFi), so I don't plan on taking it with me every day.
I live in Arizona, so the summer heat can be an issue.
I plan on using this MacBook Pro for at least 5 years.
So, I'd like to know:
Should I buy the AppleCare now, later, or not at all? I want to make sure it's covered in the event of damage or defects:
Should I wait to buy a refurbished model until after the new MacBook Pros are released later this year?
Should I opt for an i7 processor, since I plan on dual-booting with Windows 7? Does it make a noticeable difference, compared to the i5?
Will 500GB be enough space? I feel like it should be more than enough.
Should I wait until the new MacBook Prod are released, or should I take advantage of the college sale that's being offered?
Thank you for taking the time to help me out. :)

That's a perfect computer for your uses, and you won't have any problem. Also, if you need, you can add more RAM (looking at your specs, 16 GB of memory) and a hard drive (HDD or SSD, or even replace the optical drive to put a second HDD). I think it will be useful for 5 years or more.
ChungLing wrote:
Should I buy the AppleCare now, later, or not at all? I want to make sure it's covered in the event of damage or defects:
It's important to buy AppleCare with a portable Mac. Near everything is soldered and repairs are expensive, so it's better to get it. You can get it at any moment during the first year of warranty, but note that accidental damages will void your warranty.
ChungLing wrote:
Should I wait to buy a refurbished model until after the new MacBook Pros are released later this year?
There's no need to wait for new MacBooks Pro, more when we don't know when they will be released. I don't think the refurbished MacBook Pro you want will be cheaper then.
ChungLing wrote:
Should I opt for an i7 processor, since I plan on dual-booting with Windows 7? Does it make a noticeable difference, compared to the i5?
There's a difference between an Intel Core i5 and a i7, but you will only note it if you have special needs, like using heavy apps that require a high CPU load. Most users are not going to use this type of applications. Also, if you need to use this type of apps, the 15-inch MacBook Pro is better.
ChungLing wrote:
Will 500GB be enough space? I feel like it should be more than enough.
For most users, 500 GB are enough and you will have hundreds of free GBs. If you don't have enough space, get an external drive. It's recommended to get one at least to make backups of your files.
ChungLing wrote:
Should I wait until the new MacBook Prod are released, or should I take advantage of the college sale that's being offered?
The college sale will expire soon (the Back to School program), so buy it now

Now I am in Thailand. Can i buy Refurbished Macbook pro from US appple store?

Excuse me. I am in Thailand. Can i buy Refurbished Macbook pro from US apple store?

The USA web store requires payment in US funds, from a US source, and with a US billing address for the account. And as Limnos mentions, they do not ship internationally - they will only ship to a US street address (no P.O. Boxes so no re-shipper will work either).

I want to buy a refurbished Macbook Pro solely to use 'protools 8' on-nothing else. I am being told there are only certain year Macbooks Pro that will run this programme. I know I need 8gb, can anyone give me advice on what to buy/look for?

I want to buy a refurbished 'Macbook Pro' solely to use 'protools 8' on-nothing else!.
I am being told there are only certain year Macbook Pro that will run this programme.
I know I need 8gb, can anyone give me advice on what to buy/look for please?

It appears to depend upon the version you will be using:
http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/Compatibility/en352429
Based on what I can tell, you may have to go to the second hand market in order to get a MBP that will run a compatible OSX.
Ciao.

Need help about refurbished MacBook Pro 15" 2012 vs 2013

Hello All,
I'm planning to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro since I'm tight with budget. This would be my first mac machine ever. So I was hoping if someone can shed some opinion on which one should I go for. But first, I will be using the MacBook for basic photoshop, Office documents (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), internet, and maybe (just maybe) if I have time from my busy work, I could try to learn in movie editing (just for fun). So anyway, I found 2 refurbished 15" MacBook Pro that fits my budget and seems like they're quite similar (2012 and 2013). The 2013 is only $20 more.
1) Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - $1,469.00
Originally released June 2012
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage
720p FaceTime HD Camera
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
2) Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.0GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - $1,489.00
Originally released October 2013
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage1
720p FaceTime HD camera
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
So it looks like the difference between the two is obviously the CPU, the 2012 having an extra GPU, and the 2013 uses the Thunderbolt 2 as far as I know. And I'm not sure if the SSD on the 2012 is SATA as oppose to the 2013 it's PCIe? Base from what I explained above on how will I'll be using the MacBook for, is the 2012 best fit for my needs or is the 2013 a better one?
Thanks all. Please remember I don't have any experience with Macs at all. So I'm hoping someone can help me a little bit. Thanks again.
- Eddie

PS: side-by-side specs, graphics and drive data rates,
the newer of the two may be the better one to get, as
it has later Thunderbolt with higher capacities, too.
Look into mactracker or other specification chart that
can be opened beside each other (as I have now) &
then you can see sections in each model, one at a
time. MacTracker shows general-software-memory+
graphics-connections-history by category.
2013 model Thunderbolt, Hard Drive Interface, graphics
spec all look good. Not sure if the history of graphic issue
in the dual-graphic card model 2012, was overcome or not.
However this may require some research...
If yours is one that shipped with Mavericks OS X 10.9
you may do well to get a copy of the installer on a
USB and dedicate it as a backup or set up a second
drive or other device to safe a download of the installer
and/or a copy-clone of the Mavericks. The limited total
of RAM available may not be a problem, with both units
shipping with an SSD and not a rotational HDD. And if
you like (& if yours has OS X 10.9) you could then use
OS X 10.10 too. Be careful an 'upgrade' isn't done to
an older system by accident; surprises aren't so nice.
With either choice, be sure to get & make suitable backup
of your files in addition to a device to use Time Machine.
Good luck & happy computing!

Refurbished MacBook Pro 15" 2012 vs 2013

Hello All,
I'm planning to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro since I'm tight with budget. This would be my first mac machine ever. So I was hoping if someone can shed some opinion on which one should I go for. But first, I will be using the MacBook for basic photoshop, Office documents (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), internet, and maybe (just maybe) if I have time from my busy work, I could try to learn in movie editing (just for fun). So anyway, I found 2 refurbished 15" MacBook Pro that fits my budget and seems like they're quite similar (2012 and 2013). The 2013 is only $20 more.
1) Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - $1,469.00
Originally released June 2012
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage
720p FaceTime HD Camera
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
2) Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.0GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - $1,489.00
Originally released October 2013
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage1
720p FaceTime HD camera
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
So it looks like the difference between the two is obviously the CPU, the 2012 having an extra GPU, and the 2013 uses the Thunderbolt 2 as far as I know. And I'm not sure if the SSD on the 2012 is SATA as oppose to the 2013 it's PCIe? Base from what I explained above on how will I'll be using the MacBook for, is the 2012 best fit for my needs or is the 2013 a better one?
Thanks all. Please remember I don't have any experience with Macs at all. So I'm hoping someone can help me a little bit. Thanks again.
- Eddie

PS: side-by-side specs, graphics and drive data rates,
the newer of the two may be the better one to get, as
it has later Thunderbolt with higher capacities, too.
Look into mactracker or other specification chart that
can be opened beside each other (as I have now) &
then you can see sections in each model, one at a
time. MacTracker shows general-software-memory+
graphics-connections-history by category.
2013 model Thunderbolt, Hard Drive Interface, graphics
spec all look good. Not sure if the history of graphic issue
in the dual-graphic card model 2012, was overcome or not.
However this may require some research...
If yours is one that shipped with Mavericks OS X 10.9
you may do well to get a copy of the installer on a
USB and dedicate it as a backup or set up a second
drive or other device to safe a download of the installer
and/or a copy-clone of the Mavericks. The limited total
of RAM available may not be a problem, with both units
shipping with an SSD and not a rotational HDD. And if
you like (& if yours has OS X 10.9) you could then use
OS X 10.10 too. Be careful an 'upgrade' isn't done to
an older system by accident; surprises aren't so nice.
With either choice, be sure to get & make suitable backup
of your files in addition to a device to use Time Machine.
Good luck & happy computing!

Refurbished macbook pro UK - OS?

I am looking to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro 13" from the UK site, but I am waiting until they come with Lion preinstalled as I had major problems after installing Lion on my current Mac. I am looking at one at the moment but intead of specifying, the blurb just says OS X. I presume this means Snow Leapard (This machine was previously listed as coming with Snow Leopard).
Hmm - why are they doing that?
Are people put off buying knowing they will have to install Lion themselves with the reported problems, such as reduction in battery life which I have suffered?
Or is this some sort of recognition by Apple tha there is a problem?
What I am questioning is why they have seen the need to change the way in which the product is described.

You may need to reset your administrator password:
Resetting User Password in Lion and Mountain Lion
Boot into your Recovery Partition by holding down the Command and R keys whilst booting.
When the Recovery screen appears, go to the Utilities menu and open Terminal.
In Terminal, type:
resetpassword
...a small app will open and allow you to choose the user for whom you want to change the password. If you are the admin, be certain that you choose your admin user. Type in your new password twice and give yourself a good hint. Click OK (or Done or whatever) and reboot, enjoying the use of your new, hopefully memorable, password.
Good luck,
Clinton

Refurbished Macbook Pro 15.4

I am looking at two refurbished macbook pro 15.4 inches. Both are identical other than one having ssd and the other a hdd. The one with an hdd is 19% off ($350) and priced and $1449 while the one with a ssd is $1699. Which one is the best to buy, because im scared that the one on sale has some damage.

Kerckhof wrote:
and would it be better to go with the
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
or
128GB Solid State Drive
I would go for the 500GB for less money and more storage capacity. A refurb could simply be a box that was opened or returned.
They get checked out the same, with same 1 yr warranty.
Does not ship in the orginal packaging no matter what, comes in a refurb box.

Bought Refurbished MacBook Pro. A few question...

Ok, so I got a refurbished MacBook Pro because I've been using a Powerbook G4 for 5 years. I'm glad the look hasn't changed since the new ones are basically identical. I have a 17" now and am replacing it with another 17", but I have a few questions.
I save $600 on the refurbished one. Are refurbished units reliable?
Also, are the newer MacBooks much better than the previous iterations? The specs of the refurbished one are: 2.33GHz, ATI Radeon X1600 256MB, 2GB Ram, 160GB HD 5400RPM, 8x DVD Superdrive. But the newer systems are 2.4GHz and have the new Nvidia card. The new one is $600 more. Are those two components worth the extra $600?
Thanks for any answers!

The vast majority of refurbs are in fact new and, for whatever reason, are no longer able to be sold as new by Apple Stores (or whichever reseller they came from). These include returns, exchanges for other products (like a better MBP) etc etc and some are lucky to get CTOs with unexpected upgrades. As things go these perform like any other new product.
However, there are some units that have been returned for technical/hardware issues which are subsequently repaired and then put into the refurb chain. Some of these do continue to be problematic although I don't bvelieve it's a high percentage.
overall most seem to be very happy with their refurb purchase especially given it comes with Apple's standard one year warranty and are eligible for Apple Care extended warranty.
As for comparing to the current 2.4GHz MBP, it really depends on what you intend on doing with it whether it is worth the extra cash so that's rather difficult to answer.

Early 2013 vs. Late 2013 Retina MacBook Pro - which is better? Refurb or New?

Hi, I'm looking to get myself a new (or refurbished) MacBook Pro Retina.
And wondering which one to get (i.e. from the list below).
Brand New (Late-2013) - $2450 (after corporate discount):
CPU 2.3 Ghz (Haswell)
16GB RAM
512 GB SSD
Refurbished (Late-2013) - $2250:
CPU 2.3 Ghz (Haswell)
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Refurbished (Early-2013) - $2200:
CPU 2.7Ghz (Ivy Bridge)
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
While it might be an obvious choice for some ppl - I'm a bit puzzled. Early-2013 can be with LG screen (which seems to have a lot of complains about).
Will Older-2.7Ghz vs. Newer-2.3Ghz be noticeable for an average user (not a Pro editor etc.)?
What is more important for average and normal (but multi-tasking) performance - is it CPU or RAM or SSD?
And does it make sense to pay $200 more for New vs. Refurbished?
Thanks in advance.

Comparing Late-2013 15” rMBPs.
The 2.6 GHz model is 17% faster on GeekBench 2 benchmarks and has more RAM and so will run faster, but will this percentage be noticeable?
The extra RAM will matter if and when you run enough programs so they do not all fit in memory. For light duty processing that should happen rarely in 8 GB. Even if you run a memory-hungry program like PhotoShop, the extra RAM does not make much of a difference. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5659174?tstart=30 There are larger-memory programs where it would matter but those are not in the mix you have mentioned.
Again the GPU speeds will differ:
2.0 GHz model: Intel Iris Pro 5200 (2.0 GHz)
2.6 GHz model: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M and Intel Iris Pro 5200
For graphics intensive applications the rendering speed differences will be noticeable.
On the applications you mentioned it willl be hard to tell the difference in speed on these two models. Thus you might as well get the one with the larger SSD. If you were to include graphics rendering programs then the 2.6 GHz model speed would be faster, but those are not in the mix of programs you mentioned.
Message was edited by: hands4

Hello, I have a Macbook pro which runs under 10.5.8. I want to use a PC interface. been told I need to purchase paralellDestop 6, Windows & Microsoft 2008licence?

Hello, I have a Macbook pro which runs under 10.5.8. I want to use a PC interface. I've been told I need to purchase paralell Destop 6, Windows licence and Microsoft Office 2008 for PC. Is that correct ?

If you have a MacBook Pro with 10.5, that's usually a machine that's getting long in the tooth and thus running Windows as a virtual machine (one OS inside another) will likely be slow.
Also spending all that money for Windows (VirtualBox is free) and Office seems like almost a waste of effort if the machine is going to die suddenly.
MacBook Pro's last about 4-5 years.
To do what you want your going to have to upgrade OS X to 10.6, then either buy VMFusion or Parallels which they are now catering to 10.7 and 10.8 users, so it's slow on 10.6, or use the free VirtualBox which will run well on 10.6. Then buy a copy of Windows 7 as earlier Windows versions are not being sold, then Office 11 or whatever.
You can also install OfficeMac into 10.6, if they still sell a copy.
You see your outdated really, and anything that can work is soon to be ignored etc.
What I would consider doing instead, since your not a OS upgrade type of person (we are on 10.8 now which won't run on your machine or be extremely slow) is to buy yourself a decent Windows 7 laptop and install Office into that. Some have the demo already inside and all you have to do is activate it.
This way you get your Windows experience and Office experience, don't have to fiddle with complicated virtual machine software, or Apple's problematic Bootcamp etc as Apple really is leaving 10.5 and 10.6 users behind, and by next summer will be leaving 10.7 users behind too.
Windows 7 laptop will be the cheapest and least stressful option for you, you can continue to use the Mac until it drops dead of course.
I say this because your on 10.5, your like most computer users, just a computer user and not a geek.
You obviously have some reason you need Office, likely for a job or school and since 99% use Windows and Office, then that's what you should be using.
If your only needing Office or Office like program for something temporary, then I suggest you install the free LibreOffice into OS X, however I don't know if it will run in 10.5, you might have to upgrade to 10.6 via the 10.6.3 white retail disk, however Apple doesn't sell it anymore, but perhaps Amazon or elsewhere does.
Sorry, you have been out of the upgrade loop for quite some time, so a new machine is in order as that one is about to die soon, so I wouldn't be spending too much on it really.
If you have a fat wallet you can buy a new Mac with 10.8, and have Windows 7 installed in BootCamp (direct boot) and also into VMFusion or Parallels (copies the Bootcamp Windows so you can use both) and Office for you. It will come all set up, enter your password and use the machine.
I think OtherWorld Computing will sell you a pre-configured Mac all set up like that for you, Apple won't do it though.
You can also pay a local PC/Mac specialist to do the same.
Don't forget setting up a backup system for both Windows and OS X, add anti-malware software in Windows, you'll need that.
IMO a new Windows 7 laptop would be the cheaper, less stressful option, Learning Bootcamp and virtual machine software can be a pain if your not computer savvy, al;so Apple has a nasty habit of upgrading the operating system constantly, now on a annual basis. You don't upgrade and all your third party software, then your denied security updates in short order. Windows 7 laptop will last a decade on the same version, only needing simple updates, not upgrades.
If you want your Windows machine to last even longer, like a decade, then get a desktop tower instead of a laptop.
Mac's are for those who can handle a lot of change, as Apple is about always inflicting change. It's costly change too.
Good Luck
Windows in BootCamp or Virtual Machine?
Things to consider before upgrading OS X

Refurbished MacBook Pro 13 inch?

I just recently bought a refurbished MacBook Pro 13 inch through the Apple's website. The laptop itself is amazing - absolutely clean, no marks no nothing. Being a PC user all my life, I decided to switch to Mac since I've heard great things about the battery life. A day or two after use, I noticed that the battery started to die extremely fast. Which made me think "what the __?". I did install Mountain Lion on it. So I waited a few more days and continued to have the same problem - it would go for 2 hours at the most (which is what my PC did). I went to the Genius Bar at my local Apple store and got my battery replaced since I had JUST bought this a week ago. The guy told me that my battery's life was dropping insanely and replaced it for me. This was two days ago and since then, I haven't really noticed a dramatic difference. I use my MacBook for just small things like OpenOffice, Facebook, and some research for school (no gaming or anything). My question is, will I be able to get this thing replaced/exchanged?

Should I tell them the same thing again?

Refurbished macbook pro 15"

I had an old windows xp pro laptop that broke and am looking to buy a refurbished macbook pro 15" retina display. Since apple did not release any new MBP at the WWDC june 10 2013 are there any chances that the price on this one is going to drop any more (by significant amount)? right now its at $1599 (originally released june 2012).
Also is it a good idea to buy the apple care plan for refurbished ones? I am looking for some answers from experienced users of refurbished macbook pro owners.
Also what other accessories would you guys recommend to buy.
thanks

We cannot speculate on how Apple might change the price. As to AppleCare, I would say it is worth it whether it is new or refurbished, but refurbished products are of the same quality as new.

I tried to update the latest software update for my MacBook pro (which was on 10/12) and after it started to update it restarted like normal but when it started back up it was running painfully slow and none oft programs will open.They all quit unexpectal

I tried to update the latest software update for my MacBook pro (which was on 10/12) and after it started to update it restarted like normal but when it started back up it was running painfully slow and none oft programs will open.They all quit unexpectedly. iTunes microsoft word all of them quit unexpectedly. Help!

Exact same problem with my 2010 MBP 2.4ghz 4gb ram 10.6.8. iTunes said update was needed, Software Update ran with various updates including a security update, truthfully didn't pay much attention, I always install the Apple updates. After the restart it took 3-4 times longer than normal to get to the login screen, same to get to the desktop but I'm familiar with that occurring on update restarts. Unfortunately it got worse from there. Performed a full shutdown and startup. Same long boot. After the desktop finally loads every mouse button press received a 2 minute beachball. I use menu-meters and both processors are under 10%. Waited a few minutes for disk utilities to launch, repair permissions estimates 3 hours for a typical <10 minute process. Activity monitor shows nothing over 10% CPU most of the time however ReportCrash pops to the top often. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW zero problems until this update.

Buying a refurbished MacBook Pro. Which processor to buy, i5 or i7?

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