which mbp is a better value? 08 2.5ghz 512mb 8600m VS unibody 2.4ghz 256mb 9600m

tripleectripleec
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
choosing between two refurbished mbp's. about $300 dollars in price difference (the unibody is 300 more). is the $300 worth it? or is the 512mb 8600m better than the 256mb 9600m???



2008 MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo



15.4-inch widescreen display

2GB memory

250GB hard drive

8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 memory

Built-in iSight Camera





Unibody MBP 15.4" 2.4GHz

* Intel Core 2 Duo

* 15-inch widescreen

* 2GB Memory

* 250GB hard drive1

* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    nano2gfteonano2gfteo Posts: 99member
    Depends on your values and what you use this MBP for. The Unibody is slightly faster but it has the glass/glare problem, if that does not worry you, then go for it. It is worth the $300.



    If the older model is matte screen and you just dislike the glare, then grab this one!. Its a gem!. Cheaper and more readily available RAM to max out to 4GB. It will have a better resell value if you choose to keep it for 1-2 years. The $300 you save here can buy you this : 4GB RAM upgrade+320GB 7200drive upgrade + 500GB USD2 backup disk.



    Place your bets everyone ..,,
  • Reply 2 of 4
    jitenjiten Posts: 11member
    Performance wise they are very similar. The older MBP has better value for the buck but the new Unibody seem to have a more durable chassis. I used to have the older MBP and the chassis for that is not exactly the most robust - the build quality of the unibody mbp is worlds apart. Also the glossy screen seem is very reflective but at the right lighting (dim environmental lights) it is really very nice nice screen - I dare to say even much better then the old Macbook pro's display.
  • Reply 3 of 4
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Whilst I haven't used a new MacBook Pro for any length of time yet, I have used a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro for extened periods of time and I can concur with the comments about the unibody design being a far better solution.



    My previous MacBook Pro used to be so twisted that it was difficult to type on because the base was so dished – it would teeter and spin as you typed - and it came straight from the factory like that!



    I used to have to bend it back into shape over my knee, but sooner or later it would find its way back to its original twisted shape!



    The MacBook Air by comparison, was super stiff. The build quality, particularly the fit and finish, of these notebooks is in a class of its own.



    However, there's no getting away from the fact that the previous generation MacBook Pro doesn't suffer from the kinks and bugs that the new MacBook Pro does. The design of the previous generation of MacBook Pro is in fact several iterations old, and Apple will have ironed out all the 'characteristics' a while back.



    It's a question of who you want to cast – the 'proven OSCAR winner', or the 'unpredictable next big thing'. There's a lot to be said for picking the proven platform when considering a 'pro' machine.
  • Reply 4 of 4
    tripleectripleec Posts: 6member
    bump to the top!



    the refurbished unibody macbook pros are out now for almost the same price... so is it worth getting the newer one with 256mb less video memory?
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