2.5Ghz MacBook Pro $650USD

#1 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 - 19:34 68kMLA

I finally got my wish. I picked up a 2.5Ghz Core2Duo w/ 6MB L2, 17" MacBook Pro (see pics). It is in pristine condition. Been in it's box except for one month since it was born. It's an early 2008 model, and yes, people in IRC have informed me about the GF 8600 issue. I am not concerned because of the warranty apple provides.

The specs are as follows:

2.5Ghz Intel Core2Duo w/ 6MB L2 Cache

2GB DDR2-667Mhz (2x 1GB) RAM with 800Mhz FSB

Brand new battery (3 cycles total on it) 250GB HDD (SATA 5400 RPM) DVD-+RW DL (doesn't seem to work, contacted the guy, he should be getting me a new one) 17" 1680x1050 LCD.

GeForce 8600M GT w/ 512MB GDDR3 RAM,

Expansion:

ExpressCard/34, FW400/800, 3x USB 2.0, Gig E-net, Analog/Optical in/out audio, DVI Dual-Link out.

This machine is quick. Its really nice.

The body has no scratches or stains. No dents. It's pretty much like taking it directly out of the box. It's that good of condition.

Total cost is $650 on craigslist. Apple still has the extended warranty recall for the graphics for 2 more years. I still got coverage till 2012 (4 years after the purchase date)

#2 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 - 19:53 68kMLA

I have the same machine except I am running with 4GB RAM. They aren't too bad.

If the optical drive is just not reading media, spray some compressed air inside of it. You don't need to disassemble it, just stick the straw in and spray. I've fixed many drives like that. Dust gets in them very easily because of the design.

#3 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 - 16:45 68kMLA

The only issue I have with it was that the dvd burner was dead. Other than that, it's perfect. I ordered a replacement. It will be here in 7-14 business days. It's a cinch to install since i took out the old one within 10 minutes

#4 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 - 04:18 68kMLA

O...M...G....

I just booted off a 1TB SATA drive connected to a eSATA card in the ExpressCard/34 slot on the MacBook Pro.

That's soooo freaking sweet!

I thought these couldn't boot from ExpressCard cards?

#5 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 - 04:49 68kMLA

Nah, they have no problem booting from express card slots. One of my friends is thinking about getting an SSD expresscard for his mbp (you might want to look into it as they are decently cheap and give you a huge improvement).

#6 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 - 23:27 68kMLA

I ended up ordering a 7200 RPM 320GB Seagate Momentus HDD instead. I wanted quick speed and reasonable HDD space as a balance. SSD were too expensive (3-4x what this cost) for anything decent. It cost me $43 shipped for the 320GB. To get a 32GB SATA SSD, it would cost about $90-140. Not gonna pay that.

#7 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 - 23:33 68kMLA

SSDs might actually be nice in Macs - if OS X supported TRIM.

Also, 32GB SSD is old tech. Do not bother with old SSDs, only get new ones because the old ones are junk in comparison.

#8 Sat, 23 Oct 2010 - 00:04 68kMLA

Not sure where you're shopping but an OCZ 32GB MLC (the good kind of SSD) is $58 after rebate, $78 before from Newegg. You can get very good 64GB for around $120 these days.

#9 Sat, 23 Oct 2010 - 00:25 68kMLA

When looking for an SSD it is not just about the flash chips though, the controller is also very important. So always check proper reviews and other products and get something good.

Not saying the OCZ drive is bad, I have not looked into it, but just general buying tips.