A good buy?

[MattyO]

So am in dire need of a Mini and can't wait much longer for the refresh.

I have been offered an Apple Mac mini MC270LL/A 2.4 GHz, 8 GB, 320 GB, loaded with:
Microsoft Office 2011
Adobe CS 5.5 Master Collection
Lightroom latest version.

It was purchased in June of last year.

The guy said he would sell it to me for $685 including shipping.
Is this a good deal? He said this is about how much used systems are going for on ebay with the upgrade.

I will be using it for school, surfing the web, skype, and watching Hulu ...

Thanks in advance for any input.
matt

 

[KennyMac]

No Buy it from Apple or Best Buy

 

[MattyO]

yes, but this is coming with the 8gb upgrade and all the software.

I will also use CS5 and lightroom for photo editing and was going to purchase lightroom anyway, so figure I am saving that even though I will not receive the discs.

Plus it comes with Office 2011 ...

 

[alust2013]

yes, but this is coming with the 8gb upgrade and all the software. I will also use CS5 and lightroom for photo editing and was going to purchase lightroom anyway, so figure I am saving that even though I will not receive the discs.

That's technically illegal. You won't be buying the software, so it's not legally yours to use.

 

[MattyO]

That's technically illegal. You won't be buying the software, so it's not legally yours to use.

So that would mean that a lot of the Mac Pros, mini's Imac's sold on ebay etc with preloaded software are sold illegally?

 

[KennyMac]

yes, but this is coming with the 8gb upgrade and all the software.

I will also use CS5 and lightroom for photo editing and was going to purchase lightroom anyway, so figure I am saving that even though I will not receive the discs.

Plus it comes with Office 2011 ...

The Choice is Yours but Know There's No Warranty On It,
I Paid $40 for 4GB of Ram and it's all I Need Right Now.

 

[Chozo]

So that would mean that a lot of the Mac Pros, mini's Imac's sold on ebay etc with preloaded software are sold illegally?

Yes, if they are not shipping you the discs with the systems.

 

[MattyO]

That's technically illegal. You won't be buying the software, so it's not legally yours to use.

Thanks for all the input.

I have decided to pass on the mini.
appreciate all the responses.
matt

 

[btbrossard]

So that would mean that a lot of the Mac Pros, mini's Imac's sold on ebay etc with preloaded software are sold illegally?

Unless they include the discs, activation keys, and agree to transfer the license, then yes.

The software listed is worth far more than the hardware.

 

[SidBala]

Unless they include the discs, activation keys, and agree to transfer the license, then yes.

The software listed is worth far more than the hardware.

And the seller is nice enough to give away all that for so less?

I am very sure that the software listed is basically cracked pirated installs. They put it in the ad to make it look like a good deal when in reality it is a rip-off.

IMO, when buying on craigslist and eBay, you should only look at the hardware value.

 

[lvlarkkoenen]

That's technically illegal. You won't be buying the software, so it's not legally yours to use.

Plus, I'd want to have the disks anyway, in case you want to do a reinstall or anything.
I've been wanting to do some HD maintenance on my age-old mini but have misplaced the install disk. Ever since I'm extra cautious about these things.

 

[firedownunder]

If the legality of the software concerns you, check the refurb store. Minis on there everyday, basically new and comes with applecare (1 year), which you can extend. When everything else is equal, having a warranty makes for peace of mind. My two cents.

 

[D4F]

Plus, I'd want to have the disks anyway, in case you want to do a reinstall or anything.
I've been wanting to do some HD maintenance on my age-old mini but have misplaced the install disk. Ever since I'm extra cautious about these things.

Last time I checked time machine reinstalls everything. You might need serial numbers though in some cases.

Worked for me.

 

[lvlarkkoenen]

Last time I checked time machine reinstalls everything. You might need serial numbers though in some cases.

Worked for me.

Good point. Wouldn't work for me, I have an age-old system and no time machine. But that situation will be history soon (I hope)