Resolved Buying a refurbished MBP-Advice needed!

[RIOTCH]

Hey everyone,

After 5 years, the screen of my early 2009 13" MBP finally gave in to some damage and stopped working. Fortunately, due to its age, I was already looking into upgrading it previously.

Whereas I prioritized portability previously, I am looking for a little more power this time, potentially to accommodate some light gaming. I don't need to have a machine that can play next gen games at max settings by any means, but I am looking for something that would allow for some playability in games such as MMO's (decent FPS at medium setting are fine), indie games, MOBA's etc.

As a result, the 15" model seems to be the way to go. It also seems like refurbished models are currently a great value.

I am deciding between the following:


Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display

Originally released February 2013
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage
720p FaceTime HD Camera
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

OR


Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.0GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display

Originally released October 2013
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage1
720p FaceTime HD camera
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

Would you guys reccomend either of these with light gaming in mind? Or should I spring for a newer MBA/MBP 13' etc.

TLDR: Which of the above would be a better value for a new laptop keeping some light gaming in mind?

 

[K-Line]

the one with more cpu power so I would pick up the first one
also i've read somewhere that iris graphics is not as good as nvidia

 

[T5BRICK]

OP, unless you have determined that you NEED a dGPU, I'd go with the newer model. The 2.0GHz CPU is pretty comparable to the 2.4GHz in the older unit, and it'll give you better battery life. Additionally, the integrated Iris Pro GPU is much faster than the 9400m that your old 13" MBP had.

the one with more cpu power so I would pick up the first one
also i've read somewhere that iris graphics is not as good as nvidia

Haswell is faster than Ivy bridge clock for clock. You can't compare them using MHz.

 

[TechZeke]

The Iris Pro is more than fast enough for light gaming. Also, in 2014 you can't compare processors across different generations using Ghz as a metric. The Feb 2013 is Ivy Bridge vs Haswell in the October 2013.

 

[RIOTCH]

Thanks for the replies everyone! How big of an impact would a dGpu have on gaming performance? While I always appreciate more battery life, after living with my old MBP I have become accustomed to dealing with the limitation so it would not be a deal breaker if the dGpu model was a better value.

Both models are floating around $1,500 refurbished. Is this a good value at that price? Or would it make more sense to get a new 13' MBP (or fully featured MBA) for around the same price?

 

[TechZeke]

Thanks for the replies everyone! How big of an impact would a dGpu have on gaming performance? While I always appreciate more battery life, after living with my old MBP I have become accustomed to dealing with the limitation so it would not be a deal breaker if the dGpu model was a better value.

Both models are floating around $1,500 refurbished. Is this a good value at that price? Or would it make more sense to get a new 13' MBP (or fully featured MBA) for around the same price?

The current 15" refurbs are an amazing deal. Having used both the GT 650M and the Iris Pro, the difference isn't too big. The CPUs are about the same, but I'd take newer tech, better battery life
and faster PCIe SSDs in the Late 2013 over the Early. Gaming performance is really the only the Early 2013 model has going for it, in non-gaming scenarios the Iris Pro will match or beat dGPUs.

 

[austinpike]

http://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks

MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Early 2013) - Intel Core i7-3635QM 2400 MHz (4 cores)
3093 (64 bit single core)
11997 (64 bit multi core)

MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Late 2013) - Intel Core i7-4750HQ 2000 MHz (4 cores)
3124 (64 bit single core)
12175 (multi core)

Processors will perform virtually identically; I'd get the one with nVidia rather than risk running into a game that doesn't perform well w/Iris and be wondering "what if...?"

As far as 13" MBP or MBA... the air is hugely seductive, the 15" feels like a tank in comparison but the air is yet another step down in graphics... I guess the 13" could be a "compromise" but I see it more as neither here nor there, I'd commit to either 15" power or Air portability.

 

[RIOTCH]

Awesome, thank you all for the feedback! I just have one quick follow up question: is now an ok time to buy for Macs? I would be willing to hold off a purchase if there is an upcoming release that could push these options to a lower price or open up new options. I read the updated MBP and MBA are being pushed to 2015 due to delays in the new Intel chip, but I wanted to confirm with you experts.

 

[TechZeke]

Awesome, thank you all for the feedback! I just have one quick follow up question: is now an ok time to buy for Macs? I would be willing to hold off a purchase if there is an upcoming release that could push these options to a lower price or open up new options. I read the updated MBP and MBA are being pushed to 2015 due to delays in the new Intel chip, but I wanted to confirm with you experts.

Actually, MBPs were just refreshed last month, so buy NOW. The prices now are not going to change for at least another 6 months.

 

[RIOTCH]

Thanks again for the help everyone! You guys made this process incredibly easy.