refurbished or used M1 Macbook Air.....

[theogBiGJOE]

Hey guys, a couple of months back I asked around here on the laptop/prebuilts forum to see if I should buy a 2017 Macbook Pro with 16gb RAM and 512 gb storage for music/photo/video editing/production (ProTools, Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Lightroom, Photoshop etc.), and I was told no, I would be better off saving up a bit longer and buying an M1 machine, (here's the topic https://linustechtips.com/topic/1388936). So, I trusted you guys, just over $1k in laptop savings, and I'm looking around for 16gb RAM options which are pretty hard to find in my price bracket. I noticed on Apple.com that they sell refurbished M1 Macbook Airs with 16gb RAM/256gb storage for $1,019, which comes to about $1,119 with tax+shipping in my area. I have also found a used M1 Macbook Air in "good" condition ("barely used") on Swappa that also has 16gb RAM/256gb storage, for $950 with tax+shipping, but the warranty expires at the end of February. Would it be better to buy the used one and save the $200, or buy direct from Apple? Also, would it be prudent to pony up some extra cash for a 512gb option, or can I just use external ssd's to hold my projects? Thanks guys

 

[ki8aras]

if you already have external storage, then paying up more for 512gb would be kind of a waste, but if not then 256gb isn't enough for anyone these days.

also what does "good" condition mean? does it come with a warranty? because apple's certified refurbished does come with a warranty and you can rarely land on a unit that looks like its been used.

 

tl:dr if the used unit listing has included pictures then look at them and deem if it looks good enough and also research their warranty policy because a 200 dollar reduction is nothing to scoff at

[Commodus]

3 hours ago, theogBiGJOE said:

Hey guys, a couple of months back I asked around here on the laptop/prebuilts forum to see if I should buy a 2017 Macbook Pro with 16gb RAM and 512 gb storage for music/photo/video editing/production (ProTools, Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Lightroom, Photoshop etc.), and I was told no, I would be better off saving up a bit longer and buying an M1 machine, (here's the topic https://linustechtips.com/topic/1388936). So, I trusted you guys, just over $1k in laptop savings, and I'm looking around for 16gb RAM options which are pretty hard to find in my price bracket. I noticed on Apple.com that they sell refurbished M1 Macbook Airs with 16gb RAM/256gb storage for $1019, which comes to about $1150 with tax+shipping in my area. I have also found a used M1 Macbook Air in "good" condition ("barely used") on Swappa that also has 16gb RAM/256gb storage, for $950 with tax+shipping, but the warranty expires at the end of February. Would it be better to buy the used one and save the $200, or buy direct from Apple? Also, would it be prudent to pony up some extra cash for a 512gb option, or can I just use external ssd's to hold my projects? Thanks guys

 

I'd say refurb. It'll have a one-year warranty just like a new machine, and you won't have to worry about any shadiness on the part of the seller. That and refurbs are, well, refurbished to look and act more like new machines.

[Darkseth]

Apple refurbished is "basicly new", usually with a brand new battery.

Swappa is buying second hand from a private person, just with swappa inbetween making extra money.

 

However, if the condition is perfect too, and it works.. why not? 200 bucks are 200 bucks.