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http://www.microcenter.com/product/422033/MacBook_Pro_MD313LL-A_133_Laptop_Computer_Pre-Owned_-_Silver Is this a decent deal on a 13" Macbook Pro? It would be used entirely for web browsing, Office poo poo, and starting programming and CS classes. Also, while no one can predict this, how long would this manage before becoming woefully out of date? Does Apple have a typical support period for their computer hardware as well?
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Jul 2, 2014 00:02
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 I don't know anything about macs. What would be my best bet for a modern MBP at this point in time for my needs?
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Jul 2, 2014 00:46
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fookolt posted:There have been deals on MacBook Air 11's for like $700. Why not get that? The screen was too small on the 11" air, and I liked the keyboard on the pro significantly more.
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Jul 2, 2014 01:20
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Electric Bugaloo posted:The keys in the MBPs/rMBPs have more travel and a resultantly plusher feel than the ones in the Airs. It's minor and you totally get used to it fast but I definitely noticed the difference in typing going from a MacBook to an Air to an rMBP over the last few years. Bingo. The Air keys didn't feel bad per se....but I've been using Thinkpads, and I do a lot of writing, so I value a nice keyboard. And I thought only the Airs had non-upgradeable RAM. Are the current pros unable to be upgraded as well? That is irritating if so. How can I get the Best Buy education discount? And how would a new non-Retina MBP do with 8gb of RAM in terms of longevity?
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Jul 2, 2014 02:11
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I have no issue spending extra - this is just very thoroughly an appliance computer for me, and I don't want to drop more than I need. Currently the main windows laptop I'm looking at is a t440s at around $1200 soooo- I also don't care if the RAM isn't user serviceable, so long as I can get an adequate amount when I purchase it. It was only a concern for the one because it came with just 4gb.
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Jul 2, 2014 04:33
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How long does Apple typically support Macbooks? I've been looking at either a 13" Air with 8gb of RAM, or one of the 13" MBPr with 16gb of RAM. This will be a very general purpose laptop - no specialized or heavy needs. I've lately been falling into a strong buy-once, cry-once mindset, and since I have discovered I don't need Windows or a desktop anymore (I use google drive/docs/consoles/cloud storage for everything) I want to buy something that will work well for a long time, and has good warranty support available (AppleCare+ as well as physical locations are big bonuses to me). My only concern is that two years down the road that I will be stuck with a laptop that cost $1000-$1500 and is no longer supported, or is nearly-unusable. Obviously this happens with anything in tech, but if I'm not getting any boost in longevity out of an Apple product I will happily continue to buy year-old Thinkpads for much cheaper and use them until they are obsolete instead.
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Aug 1, 2014 18:00
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If I'm just doing basic BS web browsing, word processing, and super light gaming, is the rMBP worth the premium over a similarly equipped MBA? With Applecare, an i5/256/8gb MBA is $1422 and a rMBP is $1582. Battery life and weight aren't an enormous issue. I'd like to say that screen resolution isn't an issue either since it'll spend much of it's life in a dock attached to an external, but seeing as the whole point of moving from a deskptop to a laptop is to be more mobile...
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Oct 1, 2014 04:26
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Can I get the education discount AC+ price if I buy a refurb model? And is 8gb of RAM going to be sufficient for the near future? I'm not going to be running VMs or anything on it, but I'd like to stretch it out use-wise as long as possible, and it'd piss me off if the RAM becomes the bottleneck when I had an option to upgrade it. Finally, how does the education discount work at Best Buy? I have a 10% off coupon for them, and a BB credit card so I can get the 5% rewards on it as well. If the education price is decent, particularly if I can get discounted AC+ still, that might be my cheapest option.
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Oct 1, 2014 04:37
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Can I get education discounted apple care if I buy from another retailer? And can I use my .edu discount in an apple store?
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Oct 1, 2014 17:32
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Is buying a 13" Air with 4 gigs of ram going to be a regrettable decision if I want to make it last for a fairly decent amount of time?
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Feb 2, 2015 02:38
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Buddy needs a new laptop this weekend - can't wait. He wants a Macbook Air, but is concerned about buying one with only 4GB of RAM, and that is the only thing available in stores, it seems. How valid is that worry for basic web browsing/word processing/excel type stuff?
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Aug 22, 2015 17:27
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That's a shame - he can get the 13" base model Air at Best Buy for $749 right now, which seems to be a pretty good deal. Anyone else able to chime in on the RAM concenrs?
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Aug 22, 2015 22:22
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I've been looking at getting a new laptop, and I'm considering a rMBP. The 256gb/8gb model is $1399, which is fine...except I can get a similarly spec'd (if I do the SSD myself) 1080p Lenovo T450s for $900, counting the SSD cost. For someone who doesn't care about the OS and is capable of handling computer concerns on his own, what benefits am I gaining from the extra $500 for the MBP? I know the display is fantastic, which is important, but I'm assuming the 1080p IPS display in the Lenovo is fine, too.
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Sep 6, 2015 20:35
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Thanks Ants posted:If you aren't bothered about whether your computer is a Mac or not, and you don't really care about the display, and you're happy to buy a laptop with a spinning disk and then swap a SATA SSD into that machine then nobody here is going to be able to give you reasons to buy a Mac that you haven't already discounted as unimportant. Display is very important - but I'm not certain whether the display in the MBP is going to be significantly better than what is supposed to be a quality 1080p IPS display. Additionally, the thing that has me really tempted to buy a Mac is that I want this to last for quite a while - I'd like to get 4-5 years out of it, and it seems to be pretty common for people to be getting along acceptably with 2010 Macbooks. Not just from a performance standpoint, but also from a software/hardware support standpoint. IuniusBrutus fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Sep 6, 2015 |
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Sep 6, 2015 20:49
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BobHoward posted:2560x1600 = ~4 megapixels Don't the retina Macbooks all scale the display down some, though? Does the higher resolution it still provide some additional clarity or benefit when it is scaled down? Also, I if I go with the Macbook, I'll use OSX - I don't have any attachment to Windows, so that won't be an issue. Electric Bugaloo posted:There is a tangible difference in available storage drives. I'm assuming you'd be replacing a HDD with an mSATA SSD in the Lenovo. rMBPs come with PCIe drives that are, on paper, several times faster. It's debatable as to how much of that you'd actually notice on a regular basis however. I'm going between two somewhat-dissimilar models because the main concern I have is long-term support and durability, which pretty much leaves me with Apple products and business class laptops. I'll be able to buy batteries and parts for a Thinkpad if needed, and with an Apple computer I can get it serviced locally without too much issue. Going more expensive than the T450s doesn't make much sense; it ticks off all of the boxes I'm looking for. I'd look at a Macbook Air, and love the 13" version in every way except for the screen - I really want a quality screen.
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Sep 6, 2015 23:30
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After playing around with a Thinkpad Yoga 14/(which has a 1080 IPS display) and a 13" rMBP I think I'm going to suck it up and spend the extra $400 on the Macbook over a similarly priced Thinkpad. The screen is just so nice, and I expect that the Macbook will hold more than $400 additional in value in three years than any Thinkpad (or any windows laptop at all). Three questions: I don't absolutely NEED it right now, since I have a desktop, but I don't want to wait forever...what is the expected drop date for Skylake in Macs? I've heard some concerns about its ability to smoothly drive its display, is this something I should be concerned about over the long term? And I want Applecare, right? What all does it cover? Apples website isn't very specific.
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Sep 12, 2015 01:30
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Just got back from the Apple Store, which was a surprisingly good experience. Picked up the 8GB/256GB rMBP with AppleCare and a free pair of Beats by Dre by Apple. Cost a poo poo load, but I literally cannot find a single thing wrong with this computer. The screen is fantastic, and I no longer mourn for the loss of my Pixel, and the keyboard and touchpad are great. Chrome kills batteries on Macs, right? I'm using Safari right now, which is fine, but I use Google services heavily and would like to use Chrome if it works well. Are there any other programs/apps that are generally must-haves?
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Sep 12, 2015 18:30
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I've been using Safari for the last few hours, and I actually really like it - I use an Android phone though, and the convenience of having all of my information, bookmarks, etc. sync automatically is hard to give up. I'm due for a new phone anyways, though...I didn't like iOS when I tried it a couple of months ago, but having a Mac remedies some of my bigger annoyances with it. I also am becoming more and more impressed with this thing. Getting up and running was faster than anything I've used other than a Chromebook, everything is very smooth, and since I have no Windows-specific programs I am missing absolutely nothing.
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Sep 12, 2015 21:13
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I have a spare 1TB hard disk lying around. Can I just throw it into a USB 3.0 enclosure, reformat, and use it as a time machine backup drive?
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Sep 13, 2015 16:13
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Bob Morales posted:I picked up a used 27" ACD the other day Is that the 1440p one with the power supply and ports and poo poo?
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Nov 9, 2015 01:48
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Bob Morales posted:Yea, I had to get a Magsafe 2 adapter but that's it. It's a years old but it's pretty nice. Especially compared to the 1080p 21.5" Acer POS screen I bought a few years ago on Black Friday It seems like used ones commonly go for ~$650 on eBay, and I am deeply, deeply tempted to get one now. I thought it was a nice 1080p monitor - didn't realize that not only is it 1440p, but also is a pseudo docking station.
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Nov 11, 2015 07:02
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Someone local has a 27" Thunderbolt Display in great condition for $550. The size is perfect, 1440p doesn't seem like it'd be too bad, and I'm digging the pseudo-dock functionality. I have a 2015 13" rMBP. Apparently these have some issues with the Thunderbolt cables going bad though, which makes me nervous. Also, I've been told they are overpriced - is there a better option? Apparently my Macbook can drive a 4k monitor at 60hz, and while having something super sharp seems like it'd be nice, it isn't really needed for me. Any better options out there for the price, then? Monitor + Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 dock?
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Dec 31, 2015 18:23
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Splinter posted:Display quality wise, something like the previously mentioned Dell U2715H as well as other, cheaper options are equivalent to the TB display. If you only ever plan on using the TB display as a dock for a Mac laptop, and the default height of the TB display works for you ergonomically, then it's a decent option. But the Dell and others are much more versatile, especially if you ever want to use it with multiple or non-Mac devices (e.g. game consoles, multiple computers, etc). Yeah, the Dell seems like it'd be great...I just would be annoyed at having to run a second cable to the Mac for the USB ports, but I guess I could always buy the monitor, and then a Thunderbolt hub later. If I'm going to buy a non-Apple monitor anyways, should I look at a 4k monitor instead? I assume they look much sharper when scaled down to 1080p, or is that not the case and you don't get much benefit without running them at native resolution?
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Jan 1, 2016 20:17
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So I have the bug big time for an external monitor. I just got done trying a cheap Samsung 28" 4k panel, which was cringe worthy. I wouldn't mind a 27" 1440p display - I'd buy that local Thunderbolt display, but everything being USB 2.0 is kind of lovely and makes me not want it. I really adore the 5k iMac screen when scaled to 1440p, though - is it possible to get anywhere near that crispness and quality using a 4k display scaled to 1440p? Or would I be better off just saving my money and buying a native 1440p panel if I don't intend on running a 4k one at native?
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Jan 3, 2016 02:08
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It does seem like AC does boost the resale value by a substantial amount though - I paid $183 using my .edu discount, and I figure if I sell it in two years at least some of that will come back in extra resale value.
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Jan 11, 2016 04:55
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I just bought a Thunderbolt Display. Got the guy down to $500. Feels good, man. Does anyone have any experience with the vertical Henge docks?
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Jan 11, 2016 05:49
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I have a 2015 13" MBP with 8gb of ram and an i5. How boned am I going to be now that I am starting CS classes? I'm trying to decide if I should sell it before the Skylake models drop and resale value starts to tank, or if the 8gb of RAM won't kill me before it's time to upgrade anyways.
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Jan 15, 2016 18:47
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So, I got a good deal on a new Magic Mouse (the one with the lightning charging), and I actually...really like it. The form factor isn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, and the gestures are great. The only problem is that the optics seem to have poor resolution, or it is just really picky about what surfaces it is used on....I have it on an unfinished wood desk, and it has poor responsiveness, jitters, etc. particularly when moving it slowly. Anyone else have this issue?
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Jan 20, 2016 06:36
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Also, it is worth noting that the 13" doesn't have particularly mundane hardware either - the new ones still have the stupid fast SSDs, and they don't use ULV processors like most high end Windows laptops.
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Jan 28, 2016 06:18
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Yeah, to be fair, being able to walk into a store and get even a (pessimistic) 3-5 day service quote, done locally with the parts in stock, is pretty drat good service in the consumer electronics world.
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Feb 15, 2016 14:47
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I have a 2015 13" MBP and I'm looking for an external monitor. I'd like it to be 27" at 1440p (though since my MBP can drive a 4k at 60hz, I could run a 4k monitor and have it scaled down). IPS, or at least a really nice TN panel preferred. I don't care about refresh rate or color gamut/accuracy, as it will be used for coding and web browsing, writing, etc. Any good recommendations that won't cause me $texas?
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Apr 3, 2016 02:41
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What is the difference between the Cinema Display and the Thunderbolt display? edit: Looks like the Cinema display uses a miniDP and USB cable rather than a single Thunderbolt cable. There is someone local with a 24" CD and a 2009 Mac Pro for $500. If I needed an ancient Mac Pro, that'd be pretty tempting. It seems like it'd be high enough resolution, particularly with a 16:10 AR, but 24" might be a bit small. IuniusBrutus fucked around with this message at 02:58 on Apr 3, 2016 |
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Apr 3, 2016 02:49
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Bob Morales posted:Get the 27" Are the cables integrated like they are on the thunderbolt display? That is my big concern with that - they aren't replaceable, so if the thunderbolt cable trays or whatever I'm hosed.
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Apr 3, 2016 05:31
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Has anyone here used the Macbook for any sort of ~*real work*~? I use a 2015 13" Macbook Pro for some programming work, and while it is amazing, I'm pretty much in love with the form factor and keyboard on the new Macbook, I'm just concerned it'll be a dog in Eclipse/Xcode.
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Apr 23, 2016 02:30
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Huh, the new Macbook seems to benchmark almost identically to the 13" Air, and not too far behind the rMBP. I assume it probably tapers off during longer tasks due to thermal throttling, but maybe it'd work for a coding machine after all.
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Apr 26, 2016 04:16
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Apple loves their thick margins, but at the same time, the Mac is such a relatively small part of their company that I can 100% see them trying something expensive (both an ARM and an x86 processor in the same machine?) to allow them to maintain market share while at the same time pushing people to get used to work without x86 software. Super-long battery life, but only if you don't run Windows or other x86 programs. Better graphics performance, but only in ARM-native programs. Etc etc etc.
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Oct 2, 2016 13:55
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I went and touched a new rMBP at the Apple Store today. The keyboard isn't great, but otherwise it is a fantastic laptop, and I might go back and buy one. The price was putting me off at first, but then I realized my previous 13" with largely identical specs cost the same. The only hangup I have is performance - it used the lower wattage CPU, and I don't know how the Iris graphics compare. I do light gaming in Windows, and my 2015 13" does fine with it, but I wouldn't want to lose any performance.
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Oct 31, 2016 18:24
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The Milkman posted:Is the keyboard roughly the same size? The rMBP/MBA keyboard is close to as cramped as I could comfortably go. It's something I thought of when I went out to check out the Dell XPS in person, the super thin bezel means their 13" is smaller than the (old) Apple 13" I'm used to. It's basically the same, but the key switches are extremely similar to the MacBook. I'm not a huge fan.
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Oct 31, 2016 19:07
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How does the 2016 non-touchbar version of the MBP compare to the 2015 13" rMBP in terms of gaming performance? I do very light gaming on my laptop, and the 2015 is perfectly adequate, but I love the new keyboard and display on the 2016. It looks like the CPU won't keep up as well, but the GPU is much faster? I'm not sure how that translates to real world performance, though.
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Nov 26, 2016 03:50
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SaturdayKnight posted:It's basically the Air 2016 so I wouldn't hold my breath on it being any better than your current computer, especially given that yours is still pretty new. Much lower voltage on the CPU/GPU is gonna make that one perform slower than your current machine. That's what I figured, but artificial benchmarks show it benching at roughly the same level CPU-wise, and almost double GPU...I'm just wondering if the low-voltage CPU will cause it to throttle and slow down after a while. I can deal with it killing the battery.
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Nov 27, 2016 00:53
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