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Is this a good deal?
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Madbones
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:31 pm    Post subject: Is this a good deal? Reply with quote

Hey!
Sadly, my Sony VAIO NW11s has failed on me, I took it back to Cex (the place I got it from) and I asked for a refund.
So Im wondering... I looked in the store and found a Macbook Pro 15" with the following:
2.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo
9400m + 9600m @ 512 Mb
4Gb DDR 3 ram
500GB HDD
2009
= £660
I think this is.
Anything I should know about with these?
Any faults and problems with these models I should know about?
Its refurbished.
What do you think?
Uses:
iPhone Development
Web Design
Light gaming.
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Fogman
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The big problems that I have with Apple notebooks are:

Proprietary interconnect in the PSU. Should it get lost or stolen, you have to get a replacement from Apple or a Mac Dealer. --You may have to wait for one to be shipped to you. Most other notebooks can make do with a Generic Replacement PSU.

Hard drive is inaccessible to the general user, with average tools. Apple always buries the Hard drive deep within the clamshell. Access is available only through pulling the clamshell completely apart with a long #8 Torx driver that most places do not carry as a stock item. This may not be much of an issue, but I like to upgrade the Hard Drive to the biggest one I can about a year before I replace the computer with another. --Non Apple laptops OTOH have hard drives which are easily accessed via a standard small screwdrivers which can be picked up at any hardware or electronics store.

Apple Computers are like Mercedes Benz cars in the fact that they are marvels of engineering and Industrial Design, but when something eventually screws up, you cannot fix it yourself.
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Madbones
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fogman wrote:
The big problems that I have with Apple notebooks are:

Proprietary interconnect in the PSU. Should it get lost or stolen, you have to get a replacement from Apple or a Mac Dealer. --You may have to wait for one to be shipped to you. Most other notebooks can make do with a Generic Replacement PSU.

Hard drive is inaccessible to the general user, with average tools. Apple always buries the Hard drive deep within the clamshell. Access is available only through pulling the clamshell completely apart with a long #8 Torx driver that most places do not carry as a stock item. This may not be much of an issue, but I like to upgrade the Hard Drive to the biggest one I can about a year before I replace the computer with another. --Non Apple laptops OTOH have hard drives which are easily accessed via a standard small screwdrivers which can be picked up at any hardware or electronics store.

Apple Computers are like Mercedes Benz cars in the fact that they are marvels of engineering and Industrial Design, but when something eventually screws up, you cannot fix it yourself.

Thanks for the advice!
Totally agree there, I have owned a Macbook 2008 before (But.... My main special interest is computers, and I didnt have a desktop at the time, so this Macbook was used non stop till it almost dropped dead! Its infested with faults and huge issues now. I do take care of my laptops, but this was pure overuse in the first place that caused the issues, although not the faults Laughing)
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CrazyCatLord
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought a PC notebook with slightly better specs - 17" screen, GeForce 9800M GT, 2 x 500 GB HD, same CPU and amount of RAM -- for about 1000 Euro. But that was four years ago. Nowadays, I can get it for under 400 Euro. New, not refurbished.

£660 is about 800 Euro. I'd never pay that for a refurbished notebook with these specs. Unless you absolutely need a Mac, look for a PC notebook in the same price class. You'll get a lot more performance for the same money. Alternatively, you can buy a 15" PC notebook with the same specs for 250 bucks and save a bunch of money.
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Madbones
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CrazyCatLord wrote:
I bought a PC notebook with slightly better specs - 17" screen, GeForce 9800M GT, 2 x 500 GB HD, same CPU and amount of RAM -- for about 1000 Euro. But that was four years ago. Nowadays, I can get it for under 400 Euro. New, not refurbished.

£660 is about 800 Euro. I'd never pay that for a refurbished notebook with these specs. Unless you absolutely need a Mac, look for a PC notebook in the same price class. You'll get a lot more performance for the same money. Alternatively, you can buy a 15" PC notebook with the same specs for 250 bucks and save a bunch of money.

Yeah, but I need a Mac as I do iPhone development, I know there are Windows alternatives, but I have tried them and I really don't like them.
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