Son wants a 2nd hand mac -help!

brians_daughter

Hello all,

My son has been saving for a laptop, he's only 14.

He's finally for £400 and we've been looking. Now, if it were my money he would be getting a new acer one, however, it's not my money and apparently "a mac would be better for school" he loves graphic design etc.

I've rung school and had a quick word with his tech teacher (i remember him NEEDING fifa 13 last week lol) who said a mac, given my sons interests, would be a good move but said he wouldn't want to rec a model etc.

I know £400 won't get him much at all, but he's adamant it's want he wants, and it's his money

I don't want to add to his funds, as personally I can't see why he can't use the family laptop, but he says we go mad when he installs stuff (which we do!)but if it came to it we could add a little extra to it

He's been looking on ebay and is pestering me to bid on a few, so can anyone offer advice on what model is best suited. It's for Internet, general schoolwork, and to fuel his love of design so doesn't need to be huge in memory etc although he is impatient so speed would be a must I would imagine.

I've tried for 2 weeks to talk him out of a second hand mac when he can have a brand new, under warranty one but he's not moving on this one, so could anyone tell me what I'm looking for? If he outgrows it my middle son will inherit it so not too fussy about resale value etc just something that works and is reliable!

Hope it's enough info to go on etc.

System

if he is insiting on getting a second hand mac, surely he know why he wants one and which model he wants?

brians_daughter

Yes, he's looked at a few models the A1226 being one of them.

Just generally looking for advice if anyone could say x,y and z model may be suited, or stay away from a certain model due to known faults etc ) He's only 14, so although he's tech savvy I wouldn't want him to choose a model only to find there's another that's better suited

NeverEnough

It would be best to ensure it was a relatively recent model of Intel processor heritage and not one of the old G4/ motorola processor models, given that software development has all but ended for the old Motorola platform. A high spec Mac Book Pro will cost a fair bit more than £400 though...... Perhaps look at the slightly cheaper mac laptops aimed at students, they were once called iBooks in their G4 version, I think they are now Macbooks, as opposed to MacBook Pro, main difference is the case is plastic as opposed to metal, you might be lucky and find one in the price range you are looking at. You could also buy a used mac from a dealer like Scrumpymacs and get a warranty with it.

brians_daughter

Thanks never enough, how much do you think we need to spend for a "decent" model ? (note it's gone from 'him' to 'we' lol)

Could you rec certain models its worth looking out for? Really do not want him to be disappointed with it, he's saved since may!

Thanks

InsideInsurance

Does he already have a computer or is there a spare monitor in the house? If you do then a Mac Mini is going to be the cheapest option as it comes without a display.

As a school kid he would get a discount on buying one but if you know someone at university the discount would be bigger. If you can find a Mac Mini on the refurb store with the educational discount you would be able to get last years model for damn close to your budget or this years for not a massive amount more.

If you dont have a monitor or are wanting a laptop instead then you will be looking at second hand and will be seeing the downside of apple, that they hold their value astonishingly well for a computer. You must make sure it comes with an intel processor as has been said otherwise you'll be stuck on much older versions of software and unable to use new releases. A Intel Core 2 Duo is going to be the level you are at and circa 2008 which is still a reasonable machine but the i5 is going to be out of your price

brians_daughter

Hi, we don't have a spare monitor and he shares his room with his younger brother, don't think he'd like the thoughts of leaving him with it!!

Could anyone give advice on this? Is it reasonable for his needs and is it priced well? I'm a bit our my depth here!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINT-CONDITION-MACBOOK-PRO-15-INCH-500-GB-MODEL-MA609B-A-/280986726846?pt=UK_Computing_Apple_Laptops_ET&hash=item416c1d31be#ht_2769wt_922

jaydeeuk1

Another option could be to build a hackintosh. Will need to know your arse from a screw driver and use the right components but hundreds of articles on the internet on how to do it. £400 should get a pretty decent machine too.

johnnyboyrebel

A netbook is all very well but for graphic design spending the extra on a MacBook pro pays.

Also he will want the biggest screen so 17" MacBook pro.

jaydeeuk1

brians_daughter wrote: »

Hi, we don't have a spare monitor and he shares his room with his younger brother, don't think he'd like the thoughts of leaving him with it!!

Could anyone give advice on this? Is it reasonable for his needs and is it priced well? I'm a bit our my depth here!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINT-CONDITION-MACBOOK-PRO-15-INCH-500-GB-MODEL-MA609B-A-/280986726846?pt=UK_Computing_Apple_Laptops_ET&hash=item416c1d31be#ht_2769wt_922

£400 for a 5 year old computer! IMO hell no.
Is he after a laptop then?

http://www.macbreaker.com/2012/03/four-best-hackintosh-laptops-for-2012.html

cinderfella

In view of the fact that nowadays there is no difference between PC & Mac regarding graphic design there is know only limited argument for choosing a Mac. In fact moneywise there is every reason to buy a PC.

http://www.ccmep.org/apple-vs-pc-for-graphic-designers/

Point him in the direction of the Argos Outlet on ebay & let him see what bang he will get from his bucks. A brilliant PC for £300 or a piece of Mac junk for £400!:)

(my reference to PC means laptop)