Buying a MacBook secondhand *

jimmyjoe951

Hi guys
Basically I'm buying a second hand MacBook Pro 2010 through private sale , I've bought a good few macs second hand before but for some reason I want to be extra safe with this one. Anyways any ideas what to keep an eye out for. Any links to any basic checklists or something like that. Thanks

Riesen_Meal

Sorry to drag up and hijack jimmyjoe's old thread but it got no reply initially, so here goes :

I am looking for a second hand Macbook at the moment, I have a small budget I can max push to 500 euro, I am mainly interested in using it to run a DJ program, Traktor 2, and not much else really, I have not got the first clue about Macs and the more I look, the more lost I seem to get!

The specs for the program are pretty minimal from what I can gather :
Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8 (latest update), Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)

General: Monitor with 1024 x 768 screen resolution, USB 2.0, 1 GB free disc space, high-speed internet required.

I was having a read of the Native Instruments forum (forum of the software) some users seemed to grumble about the 13" screen, is it a requirement or is it necessary to "see" the full screen while running?

I have looked on adverts and one or two seem to stick out, but alas I am kind of lost.....

Any help from a boardsie is appreciated....

Sean Quagmire

Fieldog wrote: »

Sorry to drag up and hijack jimmyjoe's old thread but it got no reply initially, so here goes :

I am looking for a second hand Macbook at the moment, I have a small budget I can max push to 500 euro, I am mainly interested in using it to run a DJ program, Traktor 2, and not much else really, I have not got the first clue about Macs and the more I look, the more lost I seem to get!

The specs for the program are pretty minimal from what I can gather :
Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8 (latest update), Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)

General: Monitor with 1024 x 768 screen resolution, USB 2.0, 1 GB free disc space, high-speed internet required.

I was having a read of the Native Instruments forum (forum of the software) some users seemed to grumble about the 13" screen, is it a requirement or is it necessary to "see" the full screen while running?

I have looked on adverts and one or two seem to stick out, but alas I am kind of lost.....

Any help from a boardsie is appreciated....

a mac mini would suit you well, and its probably the closest thing in your budget

http://store.apple.com/ie/product/FC815B/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

pick up a monitor online for around 150, key board and mouse 50 quid.

darragh o meara

I've been using MacBooks for djing for the past 6 years and I've never had a problem with any if the core 2 duo MacBooks or MacBook pros. I also only use the 13" versions and never had problems with viewing the screen. Traktor on full screen is not a problem on the 13", its obviously a bit bigger on the bigger screens but I've never been left wanting more.

My last MacBook Pro was a 2.6 ghz core2duo and I used to use it for: running traktor dj software, daslight dmx control and resolume Avenue for visuals to two separate video outputs in full hd. Added to this I've often had to burn a DVD during a gig and never ran short of steam with this setup. I've since upgraded to the core i5 but only as I got one as a gift. I had the new one fitted with an ssd and 8gb ram and use a thunderbolt external ssd hard disk to store the music. Throwing everything I could at it I've never even got it to break a sweat.

In my opinion anything from the last few years will be perfect for djing and you'll surely pick up something for €500.

Riesen_Meal

Thanks for the suggestion Sean, I am not too pushed with the year of the machine to be honest, a mini would not really do as I would need it to do gigs with and the hassle of carrying a monitor around seperate wouldnt be viable....

I am looking at this at the moment - http://www.adverts.ie/ibook/mac-book-white-dj-laptop/2449557 - seems it was used for what im planning on using it for aswell but I would be formatting and starting fresh, just a bit dubious at the moment, as I would have to travel to Leitrim to get it, which is a fair bit out of the way....

There is also this : http://www.adverts.ie/macbook/macbook-white-2009-late/2457423 but the HD does not seem that big.....

Riesen_Meal

darragh o meara wrote: »

I've been using MacBooks for djing for the past 6 years and I've never had a problem with any if the core 2 duo MacBooks or MacBook pros. I also only use the 13" versions and never had problems with viewing the screen. Traktor on full screen is not a problem on the 13", its obviously a bit bigger on the bigger screens but I've never been left wanting more.

My last MacBook Pro was a 2.6 ghz core2duo and I used to use it for: running traktor dj software, daslight dmx control and resolume Avenue for visuals to two separate video outputs in full hd. Added to this I've often had to burn a DVD during a gig and never ran short of steam with this setup. I've since upgraded to the core i5 but only as I got one as a gift. I had the new one fitted with an ssd and 8gb ram and use a thunderbolt external ssd hard disk to store the music. Throwing everything I could at it I've never even got it to break a sweat.

In my opinion anything from the last few years will be perfect for djing and you'll surely pick up something for €500.

Very informative post Darragh, cheers, yeah I do not plan on using it really for everyday web browsing or anything, once weekly to do my radio show, and then any gigs in the month aswell, I have a win 7 machine im using at the moment, and while it surprisingly runs the program smoothly (4GB RAM, Core 2 Duo, bout 4/5 years old) I just find that of course latency wise a Mac "just works" for that kind of stuff....

If you have a minute could you please have a look at the 2 Macs I posted above and see what you think?

darragh o meara

Looking at both machines I'd be inclined to go for the second one as it seems the second one is slightly newer. Remember Apple dropped the core duo processors for the upgrade to mountain lion but the core 2 duo systems can be upgraded.

If it was myself however I'd try to get my hands on an aluminium MacBook Pro, there's plenty of them about but you have to haggle hard for them. The build quality is a lot better on the pros IMO.

Another thing I'd recommend is to get somebody to strip down the OS to just include the bits you need and nothing else. That'll speed the system up a lot, an ssd will make it lightening quick for the kinda work your doing it'll be perfect.

I had a similar system for a year or so and I found it great compared to the windows machines I had previously. I will admit that I did have a slight bit of bother with my white MacBook where the processor temp sensor would give off some mad reading for a second shutting the system down but an smc reset done the job, other than that its served me so well I bought

Losty Dublin

I'd second Darragh on getting a MBP alone for the harder shell and the piece of mind that goes with it. The sole issue on the screen I have is that the software I run (Futuredecks) has a few functions that need a larger resolution but its aesthetic stuff. An SSD has made everything run far smoother; the investment of maybe €400 on a large one will give you a good 3-4 more years on whatever you choose.

Riesen_Meal

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I'd second Darragh on getting a MBP alone for the harder shell and the piece of mind that goes with it. The sole issue on the screen I have is that the software I run (Futuredecks) has a few functions that need a larger resolution but its aesthetic stuff. An SSD has made everything run far smoother; the investment of maybe €400 on a large one will give you a good 3-4 more years on whatever you choose.

Cheers for the advice guys, got a MBP A1226 circa 2008, ended up dropping 400 on it, lovely piece of kit, just need a wee bit more RAM and i'll be happy....

I'm beginning to see the light......



And fighting it!

darragh o meara

Fieldog wrote: »

Cheers for the advice guys, got a MBP A1226 circa 2008, ended up dropping 400 on it, lovely piece of kit, just need a wee bit more RAM and i'll be happy....

I'm beginning to see the light......



And fighting it!

Sounds like you got a good deal. Good luck with it.