17" MacBook Pro 2.6ghz, 4gb, hires matte for $2300. New

[Martin Weiss]

If you are like me disappointed by the 'new' 17" offering from Apple, have a look at this offer, where they sell brand-new upgraded 17" for 2300 USD. Shipping to the U.S. only - but there are companies that offer to forward packages to your foreign address for a little fee. Might be well worth it.

• Intel 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo processor
• 2GB memory (as two 1GB chips)
• 200GB 7200RPM hard drive
• 17-inch (diagonal), TFT 1920 x 1200 widescreen display
• Geforce 8600M GT with 256 VRAM and dual-link DVI
• Matte Screen
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive

And included are 2 2GB memory chips, so that you can upgrade it yourself to the max. memory.

Link: http://www.smalldog.com/wag18061/

This offer was sold out earlier today, but right now they are in stock again. I am not affiliated with Smalldog, but they seem very decent.

Should be a good solution to anyone who needs to make backups on set, and have the ability to view footage on 17". Should have a decent resale value once the new 17" do get announced.

Enjoy.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Those are factory reconditioned units. Often nothing wrong with them, but could have small scratches or other issues that would have lead someone to return the system.. Just be aware of that. Typically, they are serviced and are in working order, sold with 90 day warranty through Apple I think.

 

[Martin Weiss]

Condition: New
Warranty: 1 year, factory

They seem to be genuine...

But, right now they are sold out again. Almost as volatile as the rest of the market...

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Don't worry, small dog is the real deal. Since they are selling as new, it could be that they're Apple Store over-stocks. Small dog is an authorized Mac dealer, they sell new units too. Like I said, they have been doing this for years.

It looks like the Apple warranty is now 1 year on all their reconditioned units, so that's good. I haven't paid attention to that in a while.

Anyway, this is a pretty good deal for someone looking to pick one up. Although, I think an updated 17" model is just around the corner and probably wasn't ready for the announcement yesterday.


Apple has a similar deal direct from their store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB166LL/A

Looks like small dog is charging for those two RAM modules.

 

[Martin Weiss]

Thanks, Jeff.

The Apple refurb though has lower specs; it is 2.5 gig not 2.6 gig herz. And it is not the hires screen, which is crucial for HD work. The harddisk is 5400 rpm not 7200.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Yep. I didn't look at the Apple refurb that closely.

At this point, if I were buying a new MBP, I would go with the 15" and live with the smaller screen. It has a faster CPU and RAM, superior graphics chip, etc.. Or hold my breath a bit longer and wait for an updated 17" model.