Advice on buying a 13" MacBook Pro

Question

Advice on buying a 13" MacBook Pro

Hey everybody!

I am currently getting ready to buy my wife and I our first Mac. But I need some advice in making sure I'm picking the right one.

I'll give you the rundown:

I'm looking at the 13" MacBook Pro because I'm double majoring in communications and advertising so I would like something relatively portable as I spend a lot of time going from class to class and going to the library. I've been doing a lot of presentations with graphics and writing papers.

My wife is getting ready to start (finally) her own photography business and she is the one that pointed me towards Macs.

Money is somewhat of an issue, I have been saving but my PC just died on me a little bit earlier than what I would have liked, so a new computer is needed rather quickly.

So I was thinking of either of the 13" models (for portability sake) and maxing the RAM out. I would also be buying her, her very own external hard drive for her pictures.

And then later on this summer grab her a Thunderbolt Display so she has a bigger monitor.

So I guess my biggest question is, which one would be best for the next year until we get on our feet and I graduate? Or should I just man up and buy a 15"? After I graduate, the laptop will go right to her or I'll buy her a new bigger one after I find a job. Thank you for any and all advice you all can give me.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Feb 17, 2013 5:19 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Feb 17, 2013 5:28 PM in response to Come'ERE'Beer187

I would make do with what you can afford. As a matter of fact, look in the refurb section of the Apple store. You can get some good deals, they still come with a 1 year warranty and are eligible for AppleCare. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Reply

Answer 2

Feb 17, 2013 5:55 PM in response to Come'ERE'Beer187

Yes, go with what you can afford, but don't be scared to buy refurbished from Apple directly. Sometimes you can pick up a refurbished unit that's the higher-spec'd one for much less or the same price as a new lower spec'd one. The refurbished Apple products are like new ones and come with the same warranty as a new one. It's almost a win win if you ask me. Also, save your money that you'd spend on maxing out the RAM. If you buy a refurb 13" MacBook (2012 model), you can add this CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10 CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10 and max it out at a much lesser cost than Apple would charge.

Here's the link for all currently available MacBook Pro's in the refurb store. MacBook Pro

Reply