pre M series macs buying question

[ORWanderer91]

Hello,

Im looking to buy a used macbook pro. Due to budget at the moment looking at pre M series. Does any one have any recommendations on a 16 gb minimum one for someone who will be using it for photo editing and coding.

 

[Bigwaff]

What is your purchase budget?

 

[MacCheetah3]

Budget is certainly going to be helpful for providing suggestion, although, so will country/region.

For example, in the U.S., I would say this is worth considering:

MacBook Pro Retina 15.4-inch (2014) - Core i7 - 16GB - SSD 512GB | Back Market

MacBook Apple MacBook Pro 15" (2014) - QWERTY - English ✌ Up to 70% off compared to new ✅ Free shipping ✅ Cheap MacBook Pro ✅ 1 year warranty ✅ 30 days to change your mind

www.backmarket.com

There’s also this model for nearly the same price:

MacBook Pro Retina 15.4-inch (2017) - Core i7 - 16GB - SSD 512GB | Back Market

MacBook Apple MacBook Pro 15" (2017) - QWERTY - English ✌ Up to 70% off compared to new ✅ Free shipping ✅ Cheap MacBook Pro ✅ 1 year warranty ✅ 30 days to change your mind

www.backmarket.com

Although, that does take you into the butterfly keyboard “saga", which equates to at least some Apple enthusiasts warning to avoid like the plague.

I only did a quick search and used Back Market as the example because I had a good experience purchasing a tablet in “excellent” condition, they are available in numerous markets, and have generally good feedback. I’d normally recommend direct Apple refurbished, however, you’re unlikely to find older models that would satisfy a low budget range.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Hello,

Im looking to buy a used macbook pro. Due to budget at the moment looking at pre M series. Does any one have any recommendations on a 16 gb minimum one for someone who will be using it for photo editing and coding.

My recommendation is… adjust your budget to get into M1. Using an Intel Mac that you already own is fine, of course. Unless you’re getting one for free (or a pittance), it’s not worth paying for other than some specific use cases where only Intel (or older macOS versions) will do.

 

[Fishrrman]

Fishrrman's rules for used MacBook buying:

DO NOT BUY:
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
ALL of these have the disastrous "butterfly keyboards" that are highly-prone to failure. Although Apple has a free replacement program running for 4 years "from new", when that time expires YOU will pay for the repair.
And it's NOT CHEAP -- $750 for even a single key gone bad.
That's because the entire top case has to be replaced... even for a single key failure!

DO BUY:
MacBook Pro 13" -- 2020
MacBook Pro 16" -- 2019 and later.
These have the new "magic" (scissors) keyboards, as did the 2015 and earlier MBPs. These keyboards have been very reliable.

Also:
MacBook Pro 14" or 16" -- 2021

 

[HDFan]

Be sure to buy from a reputable buyer with a warranty and return policy. Otherwise you risk losing your money.

 

[Ben J.]

And if you dislike laptops that burns your thighs and fans screaming, go M.
A second hand M1 MBP 16/526 will be pretty cheap by now. Cool, silent, and powerful.

Added: and, if you really don't need portability, save a lot by getting a M1 mac mini, and use some old LCD display and cheap bluetooth peripherals.