I am the original owner of a mid 2012 macbook pro 15” i7 2.3ghz, the outside condition is pretty solid. No dents or scratches. i replaced the hd with a ssd, upgraded the ram, changed out the thermal paste, added the hard drive caddy in place of the cd drive, and replaced the battery. I used it less than the usual person would. I still have the original charger as well as the original box it came in. I even have the bag they gave me!
@@stephenmusic69420 thank you! I have heard that these have gpu problems. I’m about to take the laptop apart for maintenance, anything i should be looking for regarding that or is there not a whole lot i can do. Either way, thanks! I hope it lasts for a good while longer.
YES LUKE! PLEASE DO MAKE THIS A RECURRING SERIES. Your insights and commentary are extremely valuable to people looking on eBay for computers. I think once word got around that you were doing this type of series, that you would get tons of views for the very valuable information that you are sharing. Thanks again! ☺️
When I was 12 and the trashcan Mac Pro came out, it was instantly my dream computer because I thought it looked so cool. Then they stuck around for years and years and became gradually less cool. Which means I might finally get one.
I purchased a 2013 Mac Pro from eBay and upgraded it, mostly just for the experience. I really liked that computer, despite its limitations, but sold it to purchase an M1 Mac mini when it released. It looks like I sold it just in time or I would have taken a beating.
I just recently picked up a trash can Mac Pro for under $400 including tax. Came with quad core and base graphics but had 64gb of RAM. I also bought a 10 core Xeon 2690 for about $30. I don’t need the Mac Pro but I enjoy messing around with computers and always wanted the trash can. They are finally cheap enough that I could justify buying one. It definitely pays off too look for the right one. The price spread is still pretty wide and sometimes well equipped models are listed way cheaper than the low end ones. I don’t usually do auctions though as in my experience they tend to end up higher than comparable buy it now listings. Plus I don’t like to wait lol. Best value right now for an entry level but very usable Mac are the 6 core i5 Mac minis. They can be found for $400-450 and can accommodate more ram, have 4 TB ports for more storage, can drive 4K displays, and support eGPUs. Plus the processor is pretty capable. The i7 models are at least $200 more and run a lot hotter. I think an m1 mini makes more sense at that price point.
Hey Luke, love your show. One of my favorites on RUclips! Yes, you should make this a regular series. And not only should you do eBay, but also other selling platforms like OfferUp. It's funny how people want what they paid for the item a couple of years ago. Kind of reminds me of car people!
Online purchasing of classic Macs including eBay and of sources would be a great series. Many Luke fans would find it educational AND informative. Especially me! I love my 2015 MB pros, and now that I'm retired I would love to get into restoring other classic Macs.
I'm not even looking for a new Mac but please absolutely make this a series! I basically live on eBay and have a bit of a collection of Apple products, so I loved this video so much :)
Should be a series, you should do more content about these 2009-2012 MacBooks. You also should try OpenCore legacy patcher, I put big sur on an early 2011 13 inch. You should also try it on a 2015 15 inch.
Well, it seems to be almost unanimous that you should make this a series - and I completely agree! One thing that you might also consider is doing an occasional video or series on buying vintage Macs. Just a thought. Love your vids and can't wait for the one I'm sure you'll do for the Sep 7 Apple Event!
I bought yesterday a Late 2011 MacBook with core i5 processor for a good price (110 bucks) comes with 16 gigs ram. Official comes with High Sierra but patches you could upgrade it to Monterrey. eBay you can get very good deals but you need to stay aware from the scammers.
Factory refurb Mac Mini M1 for $579.99 has been pulled from Apple's website. It was there last week. My best friend bought one and was delivered yesterday.
Just want to say thank you my friend. using your technique and suggestions I found a excellent 2015 Macbook air in near new condition for a low price with a 90 percent battery. THANK YOU!
It's unfair to ask regular people who don't follow tech news at all to "use common sense" at 7:30 when shopping on ebay. How should they know what is reasonable price and what any of the specs mean?
I like these videos, you're a consummate eBay shopper. Definitely do more. When I look at used I try to find things with included upgrades that have become devalued. Sure you can upgrade a 2019 iMac but cutting open the display is not exactly fun. I got an i5 iMac a couple years ago for $200 that had an 8tb hdd added which at the time was worth more than the whole listing. I'm looking at an M1 air, mini or iMac, but i want it with 16gb or RAM and more storage for not much more money. It seems like these deals are often from sellers that are more like shops or clearance centers not careful users who remember exactly how much extra they paid for those add ons.
Appreciate the concept of "less is more" re doing searches on ebay. I often put in more info and as you point out the results end up getting pretty goofy. As far as the machines you were looking at here... my predeliction would be to opt either for something older (the 2011-2012 years being my favorites) or for something way up at the M1 end of the pond. That trashcan - hey, I remember that video you did about how ungreat it was! As far as follow-ups... yeah, digging into various model years / models... and maybe even a "shopping for Mac parts" episode. Dang that is a hassle if one isn't very careful. (Ex: a 2011 vs 2012 matte screen purchase... they are NOT the same.) Anyway, another great outing from ya. Thanks.
I was actually in a situation we’re my 2018 i5 Mac mini was stolen and I purchased the new m1 Mac mini. I loved it but had a few issues with rebooting and Bluetooth connections. So I sold it and bought a 2018 i5 Mac mini and upgraded the ram to 32gb for around $600 total. It works like a charm and I have no issues with it. I use my mini for work and the issues I had just made me upset and looked unprofessional when I had clients sitting there watching me trying to get my trackpad to reconnect. The Bluetooth accessories were apple trackpad and keyboard that I used with the previous mini as well.
Hey Luke, I've watched quite a few of your videos on buying and upgrading old macs and finally have my first Macbook Air. In setting it up, I got to thinking about bad actors and someone adding a rootkit to the BIOS prior to selling. In your experience, have you come across anything like this? Is there a way to determine if a device has been rooted? Appreciate your thoughts on this and thank you for all the great content!
If you have 1000$ just get m1 air. Wouldn't recommend it though if most of your apps are on windows if so buy a good new windows laptop or a intel mac. Doing vming in arm macs can be expensive
Yeah some people have issues with the base model m2 MacBook Air but for what I need a Mac for as a music producer it works perfectly compared to my old intel macs
So I bought an iMac from someone on Facebook. The person had a 2017 iMac box. I asked if this was the one that came with the unit. When I received it the iMac was a late 2013. Turns out the seller bought it refurbished and sold it to me in a non-matching box. My mistake was not requesting more pictures and asking better questions. PayPal did refund me, but I had to pay a good amount of money to ship it back. Definitely do a series. A lot of regular people who don't have $1,000 to drop on a Mac look for the deals on older used Macs. I suspect someday the bottom will completely fall out on most of the old Macs, but that day has not yet come.
Normally when I’m shopping for a used Mac, I also run MacTracker along side of the browser. Great to have the specs on hand when looking at the listings.
Would love for this to be a series! My 2011 17” Macbook Pro just died for the last time. I really want another Mac that big so I am debating how much money I want to spend. I really want the 16” Macbook Pro M1 with 1TB storage but that would be a hard sell to the wife. I was originally planning on the 2015 MBP with 16gb/1TB dedicated graphics for $600 but think its time to go Apple Silicon. I’d rather have nothing than settle to be honest since we have the M1 iMac….
A few years ago, before Apple announced Apple Silicon transition, I was looking for a used “trash can” 2013 Mac Pro. I think they look cool too. I was still using a 2011 Mac mini (last one with FireWire and discreet graphics) which had the older Mini DisplayPort style Thunderbolt port like 2013 Mac Pro. Ended up finding a sale on a new (old design) 2017 MacBook Air (wide silver bezel). Found out I really enjoyed using a modern Mac laptop. The smaller screen was more usable than I imagined and not being tied to desk clutter was great. So now I have M1 13-inch MacBook Pro (instead of M1 Mac mini), just recently purchased. My favorite Apple computer this century.
@7:53 the laptop 2018, with 2.9 Ghz $3350 I don't get it, Ive been a Mac user for the last 25 years, other than the 1st one bought new- a G3/300 tower I bought used on Ebay, about every 18 months or so I would find a newer tower and try to double my specs in one way or another to get a seat of the pants wow increase in speed etc when possible, so I went to I sort of remember something like G3/600 then G4 different models then G5, MacPro tower aluminum case and usually obtained a noticeable increase in speed. I always put a brand new WD caviar black drive in. After 18-24 months of hard daily use (and on 24/7) I'd retire it to an archive and get another one and new drive and transfer the drive contents to the new drive. NEVER had any hard drive failure of any kind. With the 2013 trashcan $5,000 model I said no way! but that was all they were producing and even that doesnt really have any better specs than my current daily user- an Early 2009 tower with 3.33Ghz 6 core and 16gb/1333 ram with an updated metal capable card running Mojave. So I look at what's available now used on Ebay and while there are newer model years than 2009 their specs are no better, even this laptop at 7:53 has WORSE 2.9Ghz is a DOWNGRADE and I dont like laptops anyway. The post 2013 desktop tower models are crazy prices even used and what I've seen for their specs is marginally more than my 2009 at best at say 3.5Ghz, 3.7... by this time we should have had something like a 9.0Ghz and way faster bus and ram speed than 1333. But now I can't go past Mojave as the newer OS won't download, yeah I know there's way to "trick" the store to download and do it, and jury rig the thing to make it work on a mac it's not meant for, but that's a hassle. SO at this point I'm facing having to buy a newer model and upgrading a level or two on the OS and then down the road running into this issue again when the next OS comes out and it won't run on THAT machine, I already had to replace the GC because of the metal requirement. I tried building a Hackintosh using the Tony whatever it is web site, but I was never able to get the OSX to boot up, so I erased the drive and installed Linux mint on it. I think it won't be long, when Mojave is no longer viable for daily use I'm leaving Mac and migrating completely to my Linux mint box
As someone who was just outbid on like 3 M1 MacBook Airs I'll be sure to use the filters and sort by buy it now. I think this would make a great series.
My dirt cheap Mac is an 11in MacBook Air from 2015. I’ve been scoring 11in models for under $300 on deals for prolly 5-6 years now and my kids and I love them. My kids love the size and weight going to and from school and sitting on smaller desks in a classroom. It’s smaller and lighter in clamshell than a 12.9in iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard case. My current one is a maxed out 2015 with the 2.2GHz i7 and 512gb ssd. I paid $300 for it in 2020 and the i7 is as fast as a base model 13in MacBook Pro from 2015. The SSD is upgradable as well! The computer is as small as the 12in MacBook that replaced it from 2015 to 2017 but it’s much faster because it doesn’t thermal throttle due to a lack of a fan. The fan is quiet most of the time. No butterfly keyboard! MagSafe! It has Thunderbolt 2 so with a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter and a Caldigit dock you can still use dual monitors with mouse and keyboard on a desk. Something else the 12in can’t do. I even bought a 2017 12in and went back to the 11. The biggest thing holding it back is a lack of a Retina display. But the bigger metal bezels give it a cushion that protect the display when you drop it on a corner and if you did break the computer parts are EVERYWHERE for it and cheap! Luke has done videos repairing these guys and it’s as easy as they come! And if you can’t repair it get a whole new one under $300! It’s honestly not my primary computer, my 2019 Mac Pro and M1 Pro MacBook can prolly run circles around it with a single core it still comfortably surfs the web, uses office, watches RUclips or other digital media, VPNs into my home network and screen shares into my more powerful computers or connects my NAS VMs from the road still! But best of all it’s a TOUGH on the go machine! I feel better hauling this laptop around without a warranty camping out at the beach than I do a new one with a warranty!
Great Video I loved it ! Its a big YES! for me, wished I had this guide before, but mercifully I found a bargain, of a MacBook Pro and I went for an "Apple Refurb" for an iMac and never looked back. Fairly uninitiated at the used game as the last Mac before that I had was a Bondi OS8 then OS9 but I consider I was lucky. This would be great for folks that want to get in to the Apple "ecosystem" thing but dont have "a Shed load of Money."
I'm kinda surprised you don't have a video out yet on the Apple Self Service Repair program being extended to the new MacBooks. Looking forward to it but also no rush :)
I went to Facebook Marketplace on Saturday and bought a 2 month old 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 chip. I got it for $500.00. It is still under warranty as the warrantee goes with the device not the owner. Yah for me!
Please Luke please. I’m still waiting for an updated budget refurb showdown between a MacBook and ThinkPad. I was thinking 2015 MBP13 vs ThinkPad T480s, both are around $300. But honestly do whatever you think would be the most interesting showdown.
Hey Luke! I feel great finding your channel! And hey, I think I will need your expertise on Macbook stuff! So let's say I have only USD 600, and I want to move to Macbook. With this small amount of money, which one should I go with? I want to move all of the art and stuff to Macbook, and yes, I own a 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9. I would probably need the portability but still powerful enough to use Adobe animate, Toon Boom Harmony and some other animation apps. So yea, I'm trying to learn more about these apps. It will be really helpful if you have sometimes to answer this! I'm really new, so I need your expertise for sure! Thank you
I scored a base-model m1 macbook air in very good condition for $650. There is no charger, but I have one lying around that came with a broken 2017 13" MBP. It's replacing my mid-2012 MBP. It's a score if you ask me.
Definitely should be a series so we can know which mac is worth buying if the price is down and we might be interested to get a used one for any purposes.
Luke, I bet if you had kept reading that "honest to a fault" ad there would have been a link to make the purchase off eBay. Maybe in one of the attached images.
I would like to see a series like this. You present lots of good information. Thanks!
Series… things are always changing and it’s nice to have updated listings and info
I am the original owner of a mid 2012 macbook pro 15” i7 2.3ghz, the outside condition is pretty solid. No dents or scratches. i replaced the hd with a ssd, upgraded the ram, changed out the thermal paste, added the hard drive caddy in place of the cd drive, and replaced the battery. I used it less than the usual person would. I still have the original charger as well as the original box it came in. I even have the bag they gave me!
wow i’m shocked your gpu hasn’t de-soldered yet that’s dope! hope it keeps chugging for a few more years
@@stephenmusic69420 thank you! I have heard that these have gpu problems. I’m about to take the laptop apart for maintenance, anything i should be looking for regarding that or is there not a whole lot i can do. Either way, thanks! I hope it lasts for a good while longer.
Definitely make it a series, it is fun to see what is out there. Maybe also occasionly do a windows version.
Agreed, I'd also like to see Luke cover more Windows PC's every now and then myself.
YES LUKE! PLEASE DO MAKE THIS A RECURRING SERIES. Your insights and commentary are extremely valuable to people looking on eBay for computers.
I think once word got around that you were doing this type of series, that you would get tons of views for the very valuable information that you are sharing.
Thanks again! ☺️
The older Intels are still a stunning value. They are also easier to repair and upgrade. For the money, the 2014-2015 are still awesome machines.
Go for series - we love old Macs 😀
When I was 12 and the trashcan Mac Pro came out, it was instantly my dream computer because I thought it looked so cool. Then they stuck around for years and years and became gradually less cool. Which means I might finally get one.
I purchased a 2013 Mac Pro from eBay and upgraded it, mostly just for the experience. I really liked that computer, despite its limitations, but sold it to purchase an M1 Mac mini when it released. It looks like I sold it just in time or I would have taken a beating.
I found a 2020 m1 air on a pawn shop for 300$
I’m still using my trash can as my primary desktop, even despite owning a 14”
@@typhfanuwu7526 hard to believe but not impossible
I just recently picked up a trash can Mac Pro for under $400 including tax. Came with quad core and base graphics but had 64gb of RAM. I also bought a 10 core Xeon 2690 for about $30. I don’t need the Mac Pro but I enjoy messing around with computers and always wanted the trash can. They are finally cheap enough that I could justify buying one. It definitely pays off too look for the right one. The price spread is still pretty wide and sometimes well equipped models are listed way cheaper than the low end ones. I don’t usually do auctions though as in my experience they tend to end up higher than comparable buy it now listings. Plus I don’t like to wait lol. Best value right now for an entry level but very usable Mac are the 6 core i5 Mac minis. They can be found for $400-450 and can accommodate more ram, have 4 TB ports for more storage, can drive 4K displays, and support eGPUs. Plus the processor is pretty capable. The i7 models are at least $200 more and run a lot hotter. I think an m1 mini makes more sense at that price point.
"So, come with me! Let's go shopping!" he literally sounded like a dad LMAO
Hey Luke, love your show. One of my favorites on RUclips! Yes, you should make this a regular series. And not only should you do eBay, but also other selling platforms like OfferUp. It's funny how people want what they paid for the item a couple of years ago. Kind of reminds me of car people!
Online purchasing of classic Macs including eBay and of sources would be a great series. Many Luke fans would find it educational AND informative. Especially me! I love my 2015 MB pros, and now that I'm retired I would love to get into restoring other classic Macs.
I'm not even looking for a new Mac but please absolutely make this a series! I basically live on eBay and have a bit of a collection of Apple products, so I loved this video so much :)
Should be a series, you should do more content about these 2009-2012 MacBooks. You also should try OpenCore legacy patcher, I put big sur on an early 2011 13 inch. You should also try it on a 2015 15 inch.
Thanks Luke - great overview of the used mac market and some great tips for eBay searching 👍
Great video. Let's have a series on this!
This should definitely be a series!
Its pretty useful to check the sold listings to see what people are actually paying.
12:30 I was expecting "...and a Fusion drive that you SHOULD upgrade".
Well, it seems to be almost unanimous that you should make this a series - and I completely agree! One thing that you might also consider is doing an occasional video or series on buying vintage Macs. Just a thought. Love your vids and can't wait for the one I'm sure you'll do for the Sep 7 Apple Event!
The Luke Miani Shopping Network is and always has been my favorite part of this channel.
Pls keep this as a series. Your commentary is amusing!
God I miss these videos thanks Luke for bringing them back!
Bro that thumbnail though actually almost made me rip my eyes out 😂 RARE?!?! But also I do think this could be a good series!
My trashcan is still going strong!
This should definitely be a series
I really enjoy your shopping on ebay segments! It's fun and great information as always. MOAR!!!!
Love this content, back to proper old school Luke content 😝
Yes Luke, we would love this as a series bro!
Luke, thanks man I was just looking for a used mac
Thank you. I didn’t know most of this stuff, like open box and misleading listings.
I bought yesterday a Late 2011 MacBook with core i5 processor for a good price (110 bucks) comes with 16 gigs ram. Official comes with High Sierra but patches you could upgrade it to Monterrey. eBay you can get very good deals but you need to stay aware from the scammers.
Factory refurb Mac Mini M1 for $579.99 has been pulled from Apple's website. It was there last week. My best friend bought one and was delivered yesterday.
Just want to say thank you my friend. using your technique and suggestions I found a excellent 2015 Macbook air in near new condition for a low price with a 90 percent battery. THANK YOU!
Thanks for a great informative video! I would definitely want to see videos like this again in the future.
It's unfair to ask regular people who don't follow tech news at all to "use common sense" at 7:30 when shopping on ebay. How should they know what is reasonable price and what any of the specs mean?
Thanks for the info. This really helped me make a more informed decision when purchasing a Macbook Pro on ebay.
New video idea for Luke: Putting an M1 Mac Mini into a spares and parts 2013 Trashcan MacPro or even a G4 Cube body.
I like these videos, you're a consummate eBay shopper. Definitely do more. When I look at used I try to find things with included upgrades that have become devalued. Sure you can upgrade a 2019 iMac but cutting open the display is not exactly fun. I got an i5 iMac a couple years ago for $200 that had an 8tb hdd added which at the time was worth more than the whole listing. I'm looking at an M1 air, mini or iMac, but i want it with 16gb or RAM and more storage for not much more money. It seems like these deals are often from sellers that are more like shops or clearance centers not careful users who remember exactly how much extra they paid for those add ons.
Currently looking for some used macs, this was super helpful.
Appreciate the concept of "less is more" re doing searches on ebay. I often put in more info and as you point out the results end up getting pretty goofy. As far as the machines you were looking at here... my predeliction would be to opt either for something older (the 2011-2012 years being my favorites) or for something way up at the M1 end of the pond. That trashcan - hey, I remember that video you did about how ungreat it was! As far as follow-ups... yeah, digging into various model years / models... and maybe even a "shopping for Mac parts" episode. Dang that is a hassle if one isn't very careful. (Ex: a 2011 vs 2012 matte screen purchase... they are NOT the same.) Anyway, another great outing from ya. Thanks.
Also, ppl take a screenshot of the eBay listing, as after they sell it, they sometimes change listing.
Make this a series, loved it!!
What an interesting video! eBay is sooooo confusing. I’m not one of your regular subscribers but this would turn me into one.
Phenomenal video, thank you very much for taking the time and effort putting it together.
The madness continues.....yes definitely should be recurring love these. ❤️
Keep this series going! But do a twist, let the community vote on 2 that you should buy, the best and the worst.
Finally the old miani.
Got an Amazon renewed M1 Air with 16GB/512GB for $1,150. And with a 90 day return policy, I don't see a bad side.
Yes. Definitely want to see more of this!
I was actually in a situation we’re my 2018 i5 Mac mini was stolen and I purchased the new m1 Mac mini. I loved it but had a few issues with rebooting and Bluetooth connections. So I sold it and bought a 2018 i5 Mac mini and upgraded the ram to 32gb for around $600 total. It works like a charm and I have no issues with it. I use my mini for work and the issues I had just made me upset and looked unprofessional when I had clients sitting there watching me trying to get my trackpad to reconnect. The Bluetooth accessories were apple trackpad and keyboard that I used with the previous mini as well.
Upvote for Shopping Series....Loved this one.☝🏾
yes! make it a series! i love laughing at the horribly expensive prices that these people put these things up for
Great idea for a series Luke - to help viewers recognise good and bad buys.
Hey Luke, I've watched quite a few of your videos on buying and upgrading old macs and finally have my first Macbook Air. In setting it up, I got to thinking about bad actors and someone adding a rootkit to the BIOS prior to selling. In your experience, have you come across anything like this? Is there a way to determine if a device has been rooted? Appreciate your thoughts on this and thank you for all the great content!
Definitely make a series. I do like your eBay search videos.
As a non Mac user who sometimes flips Macs, I find your eBay shipping videos useful.
An informative and useful video as always. Thanks a lot.
I love this series!! Make more videos with tips and tricks on how to buy a Macbook on eBay.
Extremely informative video!
Thank You your new video it helps.
like series. helps understand what is under the Hood.
Was using my TiBook G4 with osx10.1 today. Seemed fine, don’t think I’ll need to upgrade yet.
Hey Luke, please continue this series!
If you have 1000$ just get m1 air. Wouldn't recommend it though if most of your apps are on windows if so buy a good new windows laptop or a intel mac. Doing vming in arm macs can be expensive
Yeah some people have issues with the base model m2 MacBook Air but for what I need a Mac for as a music producer it works perfectly compared to my old intel macs
So I bought an iMac from someone on Facebook. The person had a 2017 iMac box. I asked if this was the one that came with the unit. When I received it the iMac was a late 2013. Turns out the seller bought it refurbished and sold it to me in a non-matching box. My mistake was not requesting more pictures and asking better questions. PayPal did refund me, but I had to pay a good amount of money to ship it back. Definitely do a series. A lot of regular people who don't have $1,000 to drop on a Mac look for the deals on older used Macs. I suspect someday the bottom will completely fall out on most of the old Macs, but that day has not yet come.
Normally when I’m shopping for a used Mac, I also run MacTracker along side of the browser. Great to have the specs on hand when looking at the listings.
Would love for this to be a series! My 2011 17” Macbook Pro just died for the last time. I really want another Mac that big so I am debating how much money I want to spend. I really want the 16” Macbook Pro M1 with 1TB storage but that would be a hard sell to the wife. I was originally planning on the 2015 MBP with 16gb/1TB dedicated graphics for $600 but think its time to go Apple Silicon. I’d rather have nothing than settle to be honest since we have the M1 iMac….
this should for sure be a series
1st laptop (2:07) - please note conflicting conditions: for parts or not working vs laptop is in a fully working condition - RUN
Would love this to be a series on the channel!
great content, subbed
A few years ago, before Apple announced Apple Silicon transition, I was looking for a used “trash can” 2013 Mac Pro. I think they look cool too. I was still using a 2011 Mac mini (last one with FireWire and discreet graphics) which had the older Mini DisplayPort style Thunderbolt port like 2013 Mac Pro. Ended up finding a sale on a new (old design) 2017 MacBook Air (wide silver bezel). Found out I really enjoyed using a modern Mac laptop. The smaller screen was more usable than I imagined and not being tied to desk clutter was great. So now I have M1 13-inch MacBook Pro (instead of M1 Mac mini), just recently purchased. My favorite Apple computer this century.
@7:53 the laptop 2018, with 2.9 Ghz $3350 I don't get it, Ive been a Mac user for the last 25 years, other than the 1st one bought new- a G3/300 tower I bought used on Ebay, about every 18 months or so I would find a newer tower and try to double my specs in one way or another to get a seat of the pants wow increase in speed etc when possible, so I went to I sort of remember something like G3/600 then G4 different models then G5, MacPro tower aluminum case and usually obtained a noticeable increase in speed. I always put a brand new WD caviar black drive in. After 18-24 months of hard daily use (and on 24/7) I'd retire it to an archive and get another one and new drive and transfer the drive contents to the new drive.
NEVER had any hard drive failure of any kind.
With the 2013 trashcan $5,000 model I said no way! but that was all they were producing and even that doesnt really have any better specs than my current daily user- an Early 2009 tower with 3.33Ghz 6 core and 16gb/1333 ram with an updated metal capable card running Mojave. So I look at what's available now used on Ebay and while there are newer model years than 2009 their specs are no better, even this laptop at 7:53 has WORSE 2.9Ghz is a DOWNGRADE and I dont like laptops anyway.
The post 2013 desktop tower models are crazy prices even used and what I've seen for their specs is marginally more than my 2009 at best at say 3.5Ghz, 3.7... by this time we should have had something like a 9.0Ghz and way faster bus and ram speed than 1333.
But now I can't go past Mojave as the newer OS won't download, yeah I know there's way to "trick" the store to download and do it, and jury rig the thing to make it work on a mac it's not meant for, but that's a hassle. SO at this point I'm facing having to buy a newer model and upgrading a level or two on the OS and then down the road running into this issue again when the next OS comes out and it won't run on THAT machine, I already had to replace the GC because of the metal requirement.
I tried building a Hackintosh using the Tony whatever it is web site, but I was never able to get the OSX to boot up, so I erased the drive and installed Linux mint on it. I think it won't be long, when Mojave is no longer viable for daily use I'm leaving Mac and migrating completely to my Linux mint box
Definitely would appreciate a series like this, but maybe not too frequent. Something like a quarterly update might be nice!
Yes! Once a month or so values, what's trending up, down and where's the sweet spot, the best bang for you buck!
Please make it a series Luke, thanks!
As someone who was just outbid on like 3 M1 MacBook Airs I'll be sure to use the filters and sort by buy it now. I think this would make a great series.
The filters only work if the person selling added that info. There are thousands of items that you will miss.
Nah lol most people list the serial and stuff to identity it
Ive seen the intel 16" for around 1000-1200 bucks. I think that's a much better deal than a base M2. PLUS YOU CAN GAME ON IT!!
So many Junk Merchants on ebay. It's an endurance challenge searching through the crap. This could def be a series.
My dirt cheap Mac is an 11in MacBook Air from 2015. I’ve been scoring 11in models for under $300 on deals for prolly 5-6 years now and my kids and I love them. My kids love the size and weight going to and from school and sitting on smaller desks in a classroom. It’s smaller and lighter in clamshell than a 12.9in iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard case. My current one is a maxed out 2015 with the 2.2GHz i7 and 512gb ssd. I paid $300 for it in 2020 and the i7 is as fast as a base model 13in MacBook Pro from 2015. The SSD is upgradable as well! The computer is as small as the 12in MacBook that replaced it from 2015 to 2017 but it’s much faster because it doesn’t thermal throttle due to a lack of a fan. The fan is quiet most of the time. No butterfly keyboard! MagSafe! It has Thunderbolt 2 so with a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter and a Caldigit dock you can still use dual monitors with mouse and keyboard on a desk. Something else the 12in can’t do. I even bought a 2017 12in and went back to the 11. The biggest thing holding it back is a lack of a Retina display. But the bigger metal bezels give it a cushion that protect the display when you drop it on a corner and if you did break the computer parts are EVERYWHERE for it and cheap! Luke has done videos repairing these guys and it’s as easy as they come! And if you can’t repair it get a whole new one under $300! It’s honestly not my primary computer, my 2019 Mac Pro and M1 Pro MacBook can prolly run circles around it with a single core it still comfortably surfs the web, uses office, watches RUclips or other digital media, VPNs into my home network and screen shares into my more powerful computers or connects my NAS VMs from the road still! But best of all it’s a TOUGH on the go machine! I feel better hauling this laptop around without a warranty camping out at the beach than I do a new one with a warranty!
Would love to see this more Luke
Great Video I loved it ! Its a big YES! for me, wished I had this guide before, but mercifully I found a bargain, of a MacBook Pro and I went for an "Apple Refurb" for an iMac and never looked back.
Fairly uninitiated at the used game as the last Mac before that I had was a Bondi OS8 then OS9 but I consider I was lucky.
This would be great for folks that want to get in to the Apple "ecosystem" thing but dont have "a Shed load of Money."
I'm kinda surprised you don't have a video out yet on the Apple Self Service Repair program being extended to the new MacBooks.
Looking forward to it but also no rush :)
7:05 you don’t have to demonstrate anything. Inad return, they will side with a buyer no matter what
I went to Facebook Marketplace on Saturday and bought a 2 month old 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 chip. I got it for $500.00. It is still under warranty as the warrantee goes with the device not the owner. Yah for me!
Please Luke please. I’m still waiting for an updated budget refurb showdown between a MacBook and ThinkPad. I was thinking 2015 MBP13 vs ThinkPad T480s, both are around $300. But honestly do whatever you think would be the most interesting showdown.
Hey Luke! I feel great finding your channel! And hey, I think I will need your expertise on Macbook stuff! So let's say I have only USD 600, and I want to move to Macbook. With this small amount of money, which one should I go with? I want to move all of the art and stuff to Macbook, and yes, I own a 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9. I would probably need the portability but still powerful enough to use Adobe animate, Toon Boom Harmony and some other animation apps. So yea, I'm trying to learn more about these apps. It will be really helpful if you have sometimes to answer this! I'm really new, so I need your expertise for sure! Thank you
Hey, I am the seller of 2:08 laptop :)
I scored a base-model m1 macbook air in very good condition for $650. There is no charger, but I have one lying around that came with a broken 2017 13" MBP. It's replacing my mid-2012 MBP. It's a score if you ask me.
I need an iMac episode next!
Make it a series I love these videos
i would like to see it as a series. it would be helpful for people like a guide to find good deals
Definitely should be a series so we can know which mac is worth buying if the price is down and we might be interested to get a used one for any purposes.
Luke, I bet if you had kept reading that "honest to a fault" ad there would have been a link to make the purchase off eBay. Maybe in one of the attached images.
This should be a recurring series!
Do a part 2 to this Luke!
Luke could make these eBay videos once a month, and I'd watch them! very interesting to compare notes
Thank you so much, it helped me!