2012 Macbook Pro, Refurbished for Under €1k - Good Value?

Standman

I'm looking into buying a laptop for music production (on a budget) and have narrowed it down to a refurbished 15.4" 2012 Macbook Pro. I've come across one for around €900 with a 1-year warranty, apparently mint condition.

Specs: Intel Quad-Core i7 2.6GHz, 8GB ram, 750GB HDD (5400RPM).

I don't have the budget for the newer models, so second hand/refurbished is my only option. I've seen cheaper ones on Ebay/Adverts/Donedeal etc. but I wouldn't really feel safe shelling out hundreds for a laptop with no warranty or guarantee.

What do ye think of the deal above? Is €900 for a second hand laptop a bit steep, or is it well worth it for a Macbook Pro in good condition with a 1-year warranty?

mordeith

What level of music production are you looking at? Is there a lot of outboard equipment to be connected or is all soft synths via Ableton, FLStudio or whatever DAW you are panning on using. Personally I wouldn't be spending what kind of money on a machine that doesn't even have an SSD.

Standman

mordeith wrote: »

What level of music production are you looking at? Is there a lot of outboard equipment to be connected or is all soft synths via Ableton, FLStudio or whatever DAW you are panning on using. Personally I wouldn't be spending what kind of money on a machine that doesn't even have an SSD.

I'd be using Ableton, various VSTs/effects and plan on getting at least 1 MIDI controller. In fact, my main reason for going with the Mac is because I want to avoid issues with outboard equipment (latency, etc.).

The 2012 Macbook Pros can be upgraded, so if I were to get this one then I would install an SSD myself, although that does increase the price in effect.

Alanstrainor

So is this the macbook without the retina display?

I'd class them as heaps of shite to be honest. Not worth 900 quid, not by a longshot.

So here's a brand new macbook pro for 1450:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5698565/Trail/searchtext%3EMACBOOK+PRO.htm

Or a year older and less storage for 1289:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3925508/Trail/searchtext%3EMACBOOK+PRO.htm

How on earth they can sell a 5 year old machine for 900 is baffling to me. Yes, you can upgrade the hardware, but the CPU and screen are poor these days, and not upgradeable. And it's a 5 year old machine and it should not be expected to have the same lifespan as a new machine.

If I was buying a new macbook I would expect it to last me 5 years. The laptop you're looking at will have to live to the grand old age of 10 years old to get that far. And I would very much doubt that will happen. Even if the hardware lives, it will be too old and slow to keep up.

Standman

Alanstrainor wrote: »

So is this the macbook without the retina display?

I'd class them as heaps of shite to be honest. Not worth 900 quid, not by a longshot.

So here's a brand new macbook pro for 1450:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5698565/Trail/searchtext%3EMACBOOK+PRO.htm

Or a year older and less storage for 1289:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3925508/Trail/searchtext%3EMACBOOK+PRO.htm

How on earth they can sell a 5 year old machine for 900 is baffling to me. Yes, you can upgrade the hardware, but the CPU and screen are poor these days, and not upgradeable. And it's a 5 year old machine and it should not be expected to have the same lifespan as a new machine.

If I was buying a new macbook I would expect it to last me 5 years. The laptop you're looking at will have to live to the grand old age of 10 years old to get that far. And I would very much doubt that will happen. Even if the hardware lives, it will be too old and slow to keep up.

Yeah, it's non-retina (not too bothered about that), but the age thing is an issue alright. That's one of the main reasons I'm undecided about it. I don't know how thorough they are with these refurbishments, but 900 euro for an old laptop just seems a lot.

Apart from that, the specs are decent. The MBPs you linked to above have dual-core i5s, this 2012 quad-core i7 outperforms those by quite a bit. For my needs, I need a quad-core processor and at least 8GB of ram.

Thanks for the reply, gave me some food for thought.

mordeith

As a rule I don't buy the whole 'you need a Mac for music production' thing. Not these days anyway. The only real issue is possible latency issues if you're playing out live.

Standman

mordeith wrote: »

As a rule I don't buy the whole 'you need a Mac for music production' thing. Not these days anyway. The only real issue is possible latency issues if you're playing out live.

I hear you, it's just there seem to be so many variables when it comes to optimizing Windows laptops for DAWs & MIDI controllers.

From reading a lot about it, it seems that with the right hardware configuration you can have a stellar Windows DAW laptop for a considerably lower price than a Mac.

The only thing is, I'm not exactly the biggest expert when it comes to hardware and I'm afraid I'd end up with a machine that would give me constant headaches.

The general consensus with MBPs seems to be that they are essentially plug and play, the downside being that they are overpriced.

Anyhow, I suppose I should continue my research!

Cocobongo

http://www.adverts.ie/13924046 Hey OP, found this and remembered seeing this thread earlier. Again - agree to others, doesnt always have to be macbook, crazy prices people charge for an old machine