# laptop advice needed **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [June 2, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579 "2014-06-02T19:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![XwalkerX](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/xwalkerx/32/7598_2.png) [@XwalkerX](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/XwalkerX)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/1 "2014-06-02T19:23:26Z")
so i currently have a non unibody macbook pro 15" that ive been using for about the past 4 years. for the past 6 months ive been having issues with the screen going negative when it gets warm but if i move the screen it will go away (annoying but tolerable) well today i go to turn it on and i get the usual apple startup screen (grey screen with the apple logo and the pinwheel) but after so long the pinwheel stops going around and it just freezes. i tried to start it up in safe mode but still the same thing. i then tried to reset the PRAM (control+command+p+r) but no progress so i then tried to reset the SMC (removing the battery and power connection, holding down the power button for 5-10 seconds then reinstalling both and start the comp up) that also yielded no results. so after talking to iank and doing a bit of reading on the topic i have kind of an idea that it may be the logic board now i hear that logic board replacements run upwards of $500 to start and since its out of applecare its going to be a $50 diagnostic fee at apple just to figure out what it is so the real question is do i cut my losses and look into buying a replacement MBP with 2x the RAM and 2x the storage for like 700-800? or do i repair mine? ---
**Author:** ![llink78](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/llink78/32/8037_2.png) [@llink78](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/llink78)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/2 "2014-06-02T19:48:24Z")
Buy new one. Sell your old one on ebay for a few hundred dollars. ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/3 "2014-06-02T19:56:32Z")
Check with the Apple store, they have a large recall on bum video cards I believe. Also that era suffers from hard drive and mainboard issues. Added— I almost forgot the hinges go bad on the unibodys fairly easily. I’d focus on the potential recall though…try to get it fixed for free then hock it and buy a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![XwalkerX](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/xwalkerx/32/7598_2.png) [@XwalkerX](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/XwalkerX)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/4 "2014-06-02T20:03:45Z")
should i look into a used MBP or is that too much of a gamble? ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/5 "2014-06-02T20:12:11Z")
> [@XwalkerX](#): > > should i look into a used MBP or is that too much of a gamble? “They don’t make em like they used to” I’ve worked with Macs for 20 years, the past 3-4 years have been the worst quality I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t buy used but I would consider Apple refurbished since their shit comes with a 1 year warranty and you can buy Applecare. In case you’re wondering…I’m not throwing out random advice here, I see 100+ new MBP come in every year. I’m involved with imaging them and supporting them for 4 years. I have a pool of about 500 MBP and MBA I/my team supports. ---
**Author:** ![XwalkerX](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/xwalkerx/32/7598_2.png) [@XwalkerX](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/XwalkerX)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/6 "2014-06-02T20:28:13Z")
ok so i guess then apple refurbished is the best option vs paying full retail. my next question @TradersBASE is do i look into a MBA or a MBP? i dont do any serious computing or gaming. maybe some light picture/video editing. i am questioning my need for a MBP overall. i was looking at this > **[Refurbished MacBook Air 13" - Apple Certified Refurbished Notebook Computers](https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_air/13)** > > Shop for a refurbished MacBook Air 13.3-inch computer. Every refurbished MacBook Air has been tested and certified by Apple, and includes a 1-year warranty. ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/7 "2014-06-02T20:33:38Z")
None of the new MBP come with optical or ethernet which used to help differentiate the best fit between MBA or MBP. The air are super light but have fewer ports, I would go with the MBP personally. Something else to mention, the retina screens have a burn in effect that is pretty annoying. It goes away so it’s not like it screws your screen long term but it’s annoying as all hell. ---
**Author:** ![XwalkerX](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/xwalkerx/32/7598_2.png) [@XwalkerX](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/XwalkerX)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/8 "2014-06-02T20:43:48Z")
> [@TradersBASE](#): > > None of the new MBP come with optical or ethernet which used to help differentiate the best fit between MBA or MBP. The air are super light but have fewer ports, I would go with the MBP personally. Something else to mention, the retina screens have a burn in effect that is pretty annoying. It goes away so it’s not like it screws your screen long term but it’s annoying as all hell. the display on my current laptop is pretty bad so i doubt i would be dissapointed with the MBA but i do hook it up to my tv as a display when i stream stuff sometimes so as a computer noob im curious what things i need to be looking for 4GB or 8GB of RAM? flash storage or a traditional HD? and the part i know the least about is the processor… i-5 or i-7? the more i read reviews from all the mac leghumpers the MBP seems to edge out the MBA based on display as one of the main deciding factors… ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/9 "2014-06-02T21:06:30Z")
> [@XwalkerX](#): > > the display on my current laptop is pretty bad so i doubt i would be dissapointed with the MBA but i do hook it up to my tv as a display when i stream stuff sometimes > > so as a computer noob im curious what things i need to be looking for > > 4GB or 8GB of RAM? > flash storage or a traditional HD? > > and the part i know the least about is the processor… i-5 or i-7? > > the more i read reviews from all the mac leghumpers the MBP seems to edge out the MBA based on display as one of the main deciding factors… They are non upgradable so go for the most you can afford basically. SSD are blazing fast but your capacity takes a hit, depends on what you need for space. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/10 "2014-06-03T04:09:51Z")
I just picked up a new retina 13inch MBP love it. Also my previous work MBP which was 15inch retina and 2 years old had 0 issues. It really depends if you’re going to do photoshop and need processing power the new MBP 13 isn’t much bigger than the air. If you can get away with less processing power and don’t want retina go MBA but the MBP 13 isn’t much more expensive at this point. ---
**Author:** ![JustinH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JustinH](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JustinH)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/11 "2014-06-03T04:40:29Z")
We just had one of these in the office at work go bad. Ours had applecare, I seen the bill from apple it would have been right around 500 bucks for the logic board and one other thing, I think heatsink? When we were researching the problem I have read that apple sometimes repairs these things out of warranty because it is a known issue, good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/12 "2014-06-03T04:58:35Z")
I’m on a team with 100+ macbooks that are all 2-3 years old we have only had 1 fail. They also come with a 1 year warranty ---
**Author:** ![ProgRocker](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/progrocker/32/5434_2.png) [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/13 "2014-06-03T05:08:10Z")
We buy AppleCare (3year) with all our mac stuff. You’re buying a $1500 machine what’s another $100? ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/14 "2014-06-03T05:14:30Z")
> [@LZ](#): > > I’m on a team with 100+ macbooks that are all 2-3 years old we have only had 1 fail. They also come with a 1 year warranty Better count your blessings. 😛 There’s almost 1lb difference between the MBA and the MBP, while it’s only 1lb that is like 25% more weight. FWIW I use a 15" retina for several hours a day and I’ve had no issues personally. Applecare is a no brainer because the logic board repair is near $1k from what I recall. Noteworthy, Applecare does not cover accidental damage so don’t be retarded and drop or spill water on your laptop. 🙂 Looking through old tickets here…the batteries aren’t as solid as they used to be either. I’ve had many swell and damage the mainboard as well as jack up the touchpad module. Added— Scrap the $1k, I just glanced at various invoices and the $1k repairs included various modules on top of the logic board. Our 3 biggest issues are mainboard, hard drive and LCD hinge failure. ---
**Author:** ![XwalkerX](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/xwalkerx/32/7598_2.png) [@XwalkerX](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/XwalkerX)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 10:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/15 "2014-06-03T10:45:26Z")
im going to the genius bar tomorrow morning to see what they say and ill decide then what i want to do i guess > [@ProgRocker](#): > > We buy AppleCare (3year) with all our mac stuff. You’re buying a $1500 machine what’s another $100? applecare is $250 for a MBP ---
**Author:** ![ProgRocker](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/progrocker/32/5434_2.png) [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 10:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/16 "2014-06-03T10:50:40Z")
Pennies in comparison. I’m used to dealing with education pricing which usually isn’t much better than consumer pricing. Sounds like it might be a loose solder somewhere? My guess is the Genius Bar is basically going to tell you to either replace the whole computer or come up with $500+ for the logic board. Might want to look around locally for someone doing the repair. Apple now accepts Old as fuck Macs for recycling in exchange for a gift card. This might be worth some thought too. > **[Trade in with Apple GiveBack](https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in/)** > > Trade in your device for credit toward a new one, or recycle it responsibly for free with Apple GiveBack. Good for you. Good for the planet. ---
**Author:** ![maxwell](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/maxwell/32/6524_2.png) [@maxwell](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/maxwell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 11:22am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/17 "2014-06-03T11:22:43Z")
@XwalkerX, personally i’d go the ssd route as it will be quieter, faster, stouter and not put out as much heat as a traditional spinning hdd. As long as you have cloud based or external storage for when you run out, you’ll be happy you did. Otherwise, go as big as you can afford on RAM and CPU, as you’ll probably have this next one another 4-5 years as well. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/18 "2014-06-03T11:41:49Z")
I’m pretty sure you cant get a new apple laptop without a ssd ---
**Author:** ![maxwell](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/maxwell/32/6524_2.png) [@maxwell](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/maxwell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 11:46am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/19 "2014-06-03T11:46:25Z")
> [@LZ](#): > > I’m pretty sure you cant get a new apple laptop without a ssd I also believe this to be true… I just know he was looking used as well. Personally, I don’t think I could buy another traditional HDD again unless it was for some sort of storage solution. I’ve upgraded to SSD in everything I have and it’s just a world of difference in the performance of the machine. ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579/20 "2014-06-03T12:01:23Z")
> [@LZ](#): > > I’m pretty sure you cant get a new apple laptop without a ssd You can CTO certain MBP’s with a traditional drive. Personally I think you’d be nuts to not run SSD but what the hell do I know. LOL, the non SSD offering I see is a 1TB 5.4k drive on the non retina MBP. What a piece of garbage! [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/laptop-advice-needed/269579.md?page=2)