Should I buy a used maxed out mid 2014 15" macbook pro?

"Anon" (tjsielsistneb)
04/19/2016 at 15:19 • Filed to: None

$1500 for quad core i7 2.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB flash storage, and 2GB Graphic ram. It’s in perfect condition and has a 30 return policy and a 90 day warranty. It seems like a great deal and would allow me to finally start doing video and heavy photoshop work. The only thing I worry about is the $200 dollar charge for a battery which is non user replaceable which it may need soon. What do yall think?

DISCUSSION (56)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:22

Personally as someone who used to be a hardcore Mac fan, I don’t think they’ve been worth the Apple Tax since about 2009 or so. I’ve gone back to PC :/

FromCanadaWithLove > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:22

That’s pretty much the spec that I’m running, and it works really well for heavy photoshop use. I don’t do any video editing, but I do a lot of photoshop, autocad, sketchup, and rendering. It’s a very capable computer.

itschrome > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:23

no.. Mac’s a monumental waste of money. $1500 for for basically an $800 pc? dude buy a PC and load Mac OS on it. save some cash and get better hardware. that’s of course only if you MUST have a mac..

Nibby > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:23

You can get a similarly spec’d high end used Windows laptop for $500 less.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:24

You can get a much better deal by building a desktop. Unless you need the nice aluminum chassis and portability, that’s still too much money for what you get.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:24

If you want processing power and capability buy a PC.

I’m in Advertising and I swear to you every Adobe program runs great on PC as well. I did all my work through college and even now at home on a PC Laptop.

I’ve got a laptop from 2008 that’s still running CS5 at home and I kept up fine during a 3-4 hours photoshop session a few months ago.

I personally prefer the PC’s for graphic work.

Btw, that laptop i mentioned above was bought brand new for $700.

Chinny Raccoon > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:25

The battery should last a good while yet, they are rated for 1000 cycles. My 2012 air is on 600 and still lasts as long as new.

Anon > itschrome
04/19/2016 at 15:26

I mean they are expensive but my mac is running on 7 years old so I trust in their reliability. But if you can find me a windows computer with similar specs for $800 I’ll give it a look.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:27

no get something that has more computer and less hipster for less money

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-…

itschrome > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/19/2016 at 15:28

yeah ever since they went to Intel x86 all you’re getting is mid range hardware with a really pricey OS. which really doesn’t offer up any real benefit over windows. the whole but mac’s are good for this or that over pc’s went out the windo when they moved from the IBM architecture to Intel. that leveled the field and since they tend to go to mid to low end Intel unless you buy a $6000 Mac they really lost any advantage they had because Dollar to Dollar pc’s will always be more powerful since the Mac Tax is really just for the OS.

Textured Soy Protein > itschrome
04/19/2016 at 15:28

I was a longtime Windows user and switched to Mac because Windows 8 was hot garbage. Windows 10 is less garbage than Windows 8 but I still prefer Mac. I use both every day.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:28

ewwwww.

buy this instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…

Textured Soy Protein > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:28

I don’t see why a 2 year old laptop would need a new battery already. My mid-2014 MBP 13 is still fine on battery.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:29

Does it have to be a laptop? Here’s one that’s quite a bit better for $1149 on Newegg.

http://portablepicker.com/part/acer-lapt…

Anon > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
04/19/2016 at 15:30

Yeah, I am going to be traveling quite a bit so unfortunately I need a laptop. If not I would build a hackintosh.

pjhusa > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:31

Personally, you could just go for it. I have a 2015 HP ENVY 17 with 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Nvidia 2GB Graphics, and 2.4 Ghz i7 that I paid around $900 for, but I am contemplating getting a 2015 13" MBP i5 with 256 GB for $1200 as a secondary computer...

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:31

my mba is shit. if you’re wondering why this post is in all lowercase, it’s because neither of my shift keys work.

Nibby > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
04/19/2016 at 15:33

I do a lot of work on my HP EliteBook 8460p (it;s from 2011 but I bought it earlier this year). For $200 on eBay, I got i5, 1600x900, 1GB AMD gfx, 8GB RAM 128GB SSD + 500GB HD replaced the DVD drive.

It runs just as well as any new laptop would... and even better than many new ones.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > itschrome
04/19/2016 at 15:33

The first gens of the x86 architecture weren’t bad. While obviously more comparable to their PC equivalent, I thought that the hardware was surprisingly solid relative to the competition. I used my 2007 Core2Duo until a year or so ago which is crazy longevity, but from what I’ve seen a bunch of laptop manufacturers (particularly ASUS) really up their game and are building really good cases these days.

itschrome > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:34

$800 is a bit of arbitrary number but with time I could. Still $501 less, but has better display:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-k501…

Tripper > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:35

That’s not a bad price all done up like that. A lot of people touting PC’s on here. I work with windows, chromeOS, multiple linux distros, and mac every day....My personal equipment...All Mac’s cept for my file server.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Nibby
04/19/2016 at 15:36

200 bucks? man that’s a great deal.

I hate how my industry seems to think you can only run adobe programs on macs

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:37

Not sure if you’re into star wars or not but if you’re up in this budget anyhow, this one is a spec monster:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…

(and if you don’t like star wars maybe get a computer cover lol)

MUSASHI66 > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:37

I wouldn’t - Macs are really no more reliable than comparable enterprise level PC laptops. Find a nice Latitude E5550 or E5570 and you’ll have the same performance.

Apple stopped being all that when they switched from Motorola to Intel. Now, all they have going for them is the OS, which is really no better than W10 imho. And trackpads, they have better trackpads, I am yet to use a windows laptop that compares.

But, don’t go buying a cheap Inspiron or similar and complain when it dies, buy a Latitude or Precision.

Ash78, voting early and often > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:37

If you’re doing editing on it, I assume you’ll be using external input devices. Half the reason to buy a branded Mac is the tactile/ergonomic excellence. If it’s not a “hands on” laptop, then just spend half as much for a decent 17" PC, brand new. My $0.02. Macbooks are great laptops, but IMHO mainly for their great keyboards and touchpads.

Dusty Ventures > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:38

That’s close to what I’ve got, with a slight difference in processor (2.9GHz), storage (2T HD), and graphic ram (1.5GB). It’s been a great machine, does photoshop like a charm, and can render two separate video projects in two separate programs simutaneously in virtually realtime while I’m surfing the net (on my last computer rendering a video was 6 hours and don’t you dare touch me during that time or I’ll double it). That said, I bought mine new for about the same price back around Christmas 2013, so a used one at that price seems a tad high to me, especially if the battery is a risk

Nibby > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
04/19/2016 at 15:39

A lot of people think that, it’s hilariously awful

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:40

Look at the other comment I posted.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…

This one has the new Skylake CPU and a pretty powerful dedicated GPU for a laptop. Or you can configure it cheaper if you don’t need everything there. The i5 with the 950m will still be heaps of performance for what you need.

MUSASHI66 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/19/2016 at 15:42

We have used Latitude 6xx and 8xx with Core2Duo or earlier coming out of wazoo. Those laptops cannot be killed. When comparing Macs to PCs, you should compare them to those, and not to cheap Inspirons or similar (built for the lowest price, nor durability).

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > MUSASHI66
04/19/2016 at 15:44

Motorola? Do you mean IBM?

Milky > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:50

It took me 5 years to finally need a new battery on my old 15" MBP. 2 years after that (last fall) I bought a new fully optioned 15" MBP. Fuck the haters, get the good shit.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:52

Or this, even.

Moves-Like-Senna > Anon
04/19/2016 at 15:55

Buy Apple Refurb and shell out for Apple Care then you won’t have to worry at all. It’s worth the extra money for piece of mind. I’ve had my 13" (fully maxed out purchased brand new) replaced a few times (it’s a mid 2014) without any issues from Apple. Oddly, I’m getting a second exact twin but a 2015 edition along with tons of extras from my new office haha.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Textured Soy Protein
04/19/2016 at 15:55

I use both, I prefer my windows 10 at home to the mac I use at work.

TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo > itschrome
04/19/2016 at 15:56

Garbage, everyone in my family gets 10 years out of a Apple laptop, try running Windows 10 on a Windows from 2009, it would shit itself, my MacBook Pro from 09' runs the latest OSX every time all the time

MUSASHI66 > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
04/19/2016 at 16:02

I don’t. Macs used PowerPC, which was developed by Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM.

IBM is known for developing what is the modern day PC - usually used when talking about Windows based computers.

Motorola made Apple Processors, then Apple went to PowerPC, then to Intel, but around the IT guys I’ve been next to for the last 10 years, they simply call pre-Intel Macs Motorola built.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > MUSASHI66
04/19/2016 at 16:08

Weird. I’ve always referred to them as IBM Macs or PowerPC Macs, never Motorola.

smobgirl > Anon
04/19/2016 at 16:09

Is it a refurb from the Apple Store/is that what's causing you concern? I got my ipad3 as a refurb and it's been great. It might as well have been new.

MUSASHI66 > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
04/19/2016 at 16:16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_M…

If you drill into the list, you’ll see that the Post-Motorola Pre-Intel Mac processors(the PowerPC period) were made by IBM and Motorola. Considering that IBM is the founder of a modern PC, and that Motorola made Apple’s first processors, I think it makes sense to call them Motorola instead of IBM, but I guess technically, neither is wrong (nor right, as they were a joint venture).

The Dummy Gummy > Nibby
04/19/2016 at 16:21

I think it’s more a stability thing. I had to reinstall Adobe on my desktop because Windows 10 on my laptop is a fucking disaster. It is super annoying and takes a long time to install.

That is probably the only difference I’ve had to deal with. I do like Windows 10, but it has been a nightmare for me lately. I don’t have a mac anymore so really, it’s my only choice.

Somethin' 'bout a truck > Anon
04/19/2016 at 16:48

See.. this is the thing no one talks about. Mac’s are built really well and many last well beyond what Apple would see at fit to use.

Every single person I know has replaced the PC they bought within 4 years.. and that was after the last year of poor performance.

Panther Brown Tdi Volvo Shooting Brake Manual Miata RWD Wagon Stole HondaBro's Accord. > Anon
04/19/2016 at 16:53

I know it's a gaming laptop but it's my laptop. The specs are good for video editing add 8gb of ram and your good to go. Find the newer version of my laptop

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Anon
04/19/2016 at 16:59

Look up Sager

tpw_rules > Anon
04/19/2016 at 17:00

Those laptops have very good batteries. They’re rated for 1000 cycles. My 2011 is only just hitting that number. coconutBattery will tell you the status. However, they are very not user replaceable. Apple has inexplicably glued them into place. In mine, they just use special screws which means you can find replacement batteries. But I wouldn’t worry about it for a while.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Anon
04/19/2016 at 17:01

>He hasn't heard of cripple ware

CompactLuxuryFan > Anon
04/19/2016 at 17:17

My maxed out Mid-2012 (!) from work still runs like a chamo and the battery’s still pretty decent to boot! I mostly do web development, though.

Iwould be hesitant to drop $1500 on any laptop that used, but the retina MBPs are definitely work horses. Still the same chassis after all these years!

Nibby > The Dummy Gummy
04/19/2016 at 17:37

I’ve been sticking with 7 on both my laptops.

Frenchlicker > Anon
04/19/2016 at 19:46

It annoys me that people automatically attack you for wanting a Mac. That would be like me saying “I’m thinking of getting a Jag XE.” And them immediately saying “ You can get a Ford Fusion that will do everything you need and be a lot cheaper.” But more to the point, it’s worthwhile to go the used route. The battery may or may not die shortly. Also, you’re saving more than $200.

Edit: Also consider a new one with the same specs is $900. I think they have a different screen if I am correct. I'm second guessing its value.

Tapas > Anon
04/19/2016 at 21:32

Is the warranty from Apple?

If so, go to the Apple store and tell them you want to do a general diagnosis before the warranty is up. They will tell you how the battery and other components are holding up.

If you feel that something expensive might break in the next 2 years, get AppleCare before the warranty is up.

yamahog > Somethin' 'bout a truck
04/20/2016 at 09:46

Are these the type of friends who don’t know how to use ccleaner or clean a fan and then act surprised when it’s slow or hot?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > The Dummy Gummy
04/20/2016 at 10:23

Don’t worry Adobe crashes my work iMac all the time.

aka Gray screen of death

Never seems to lockup my 8 year old PC Laptop though...

The Dummy Gummy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
04/20/2016 at 11:14

That sounds like a ram issue and an odd one at that. They would literally have the same performance otherwise.

But I guess we each have our own experiences. I like Windows better in terms of application, but stability...what a nightmare.

Whatevs > Anon
04/20/2016 at 11:33

Hell no

Somethin' 'bout a truck > yamahog
04/21/2016 at 09:11

Might be. I guess if they owned a mac they wouldn’t have to worry about doing that!

(I’ve never cleaned or dusted the internals of my 08 Macbook.. and it still runs like a champ)

yamahog > Somethin' 'bout a truck
04/21/2016 at 13:08

It’s the computer equivalent of never changing your oil or filling your gas tank, getting mad when it runs out of gas, then buying an EV instead because it won’t run out of gas...

Somethin' 'bout a truck > yamahog
04/21/2016 at 17:12

I know.. it’s amazing how macs will last so much longer with poor maintenance than a PC’s!