refurbed MBP Rev A v. new MPB Rev. B

I see I can get the top of the line Rev. A for $1599 with 1GB - v. a grand more for Rev. B.

Opinions, please on whether Rev. A will suffice for my writing, iMovie, Garageband needs...

Thanks. very much.
Have to decide quickly as my iBook 12 inch hard drive died last night - and leaving on a business trip next week (which means I'd likely have the Rev. a refurbed while the Rev. B might not be ready.)

Yes, if that's all you do, then save your money by buying the cheaper one, then upgrading later when/if you need the extra power.

IMHO it's ridiculous to pay for the very best when you will only use a fraction of the power and the system will be updated in six months to a year most likely (then the new C2Duo will be cheaper or refurbished).

Just my opinion.

This is exactly what I did last week. And I have been very pleased with my refurb RevA. It is a great deal for the price.

Another vote for Rev A! You won't be disappointed.

Well, you might... it's not to say a refurbished machine won't have cosmetic issues. Mine has a slightly ghetto latch paint job, a slightly warped keyboard with some tilted keys, and some scuffs on the apple remote. These could be issues even in a new machine (except for the latch and remote), but all have been fixed under the warranty. Just find a nice "genius" at an Apple store near you. ;)

Considering the savings, it's like buying a used laptop off ebay with a full year warranty and contact with the seller for life. ;)

Rev A refurb is absolutely the correct choice for your needs, a great value. I bought one for temporary use until highest end C2D MBP performance issues are empirically reported. In a month I will buy a C2D and the refurb will go to my Dad, replacing both his G3 Powerbook and G5 iMac with more power, and it will provide good service for at least 4 years.

Do buy the single DIMM 1 GB RAM 2.0 GHz model or better and do spend the $127 to add a second GB of RAM from OWC:
Memory Upgrades for your Apple MacBook Pro 2.0GHz (15-inch Intel Core Duo) - Early 2006 at OtherWorldComputing.com.

Almost all refurbs are either brand new unopened boxes (especially now at the end of the Rev A cycle) or boxes that were returned under warranty in the first few weeks of ownership, repaired and carefully vetted by USA technicians to a much higher level than new asian boxes, then sold as refurb. The number of refurbs with use-generated cosmetic defects approaches zero.

-Allen Wicks

I'm going to vote for Rev. B, specifically because of the reports of cooler running operation and general improvements Apple has made (specifically the new rear vents, which seem to be a big factor in this cooler operation). If there was no other change beside that I would say it is worth the extra expense.

Knowing what we know now about the new MBP's, I would almost always recommend them over the previous generation MBP's.

I also vote for Rev B. The Rev A. MBPs tend to have quite a few issues which are more than my liking. It seems there has been some "cooling" re-design for the Rev B MBP (Core 2 Duo models) by the look of their air vents. The verdict on C2D MBP reliability has not yet reached the jury as many people are still waiting for their C2D MBP to arrive.

My MBP Rev A rarely goes above 60 degrees Celsius and often hovers around 51-55 in normal use (web surfing, general file use, itunes, etc.). It gets a little warm when using photoshop or illustrator, maybe around 70 degrees. The fans must always be on running at some speed, but I can't hear them. This machine used to run super hot when I first got it.

With the latest firmware the "old" MBP works fine. I'm happy that they are addressing the heat issue through case design in the new ones but, for the price, the older ones work.

Here's another vote for the refurb rev A.

You don't seem to need very last bit of CPU power and $1k is a lot of money to put towards RAM, HD, peripherals, etc.

Very Interesting info on the internal changes to the 15" C2D MBP:

AppleInsider | A closer look at Apple's Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro.

The refurb MBP I ordered came with a warped display and when Apple RMA'd the box they told me me the refurbs were no longer available. Since my intent was to buy a lower end CD MBP and a high end C2D MBP, my total cost just went up. Pshaw. At least the RAM I ordered for the refurb will also fit in the C2D.

-Allen Wicks

Am I missing something or did they fail to mention the DL burner and upclocked GPU?:confused:

They did miss the burner. Is the GPU upclocked? I just ordered a C2D from Amazon one day delivery US$2003 total.

-Allen Wicks

X1600 core/mem clock [MHz]
MBP rev A: 310/278
MBP rev B: 418.5/450
stock GPU: 470/470

The new "upclocked" gpu results in an extra 4fps between a C2D and a CD both running at 2.16 Ghz according to the latest lab results published by Macworld today. This test was for UT 2k4. The 2.33 C2D scores better but it looks as if the gain is due to processor speed increase.

It sounds like you will be fine with rev A. Now if it was me, I will get a rev B just because of the resell value and the chances for less issues. I just finished an agonizing few months of "issues" with my white MacBook, in retrospect I wish I got me a Pro.

I just got my new toy today.......I love it! This is my fiirst apple laptop. I LOVE it. I don't think it runs overly hot.....for me, its about the same temp as my old acer.....I can sit it on my lap comfortably without burning a hole through my skirt. It runs very quiet...MUCH quieter than my old acer. In fact...I hear nothing.

I did have a kernal panick for some reason after playing with it for a while, but nothing else has happened. I used migration assistant to get my files and apps on here and all's well. fyi, I got the marware protective thingy for mine.

edit: I got the 2.33 with 160, 256, and 2gigs.