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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Need help verifying specs of a new MBP

Need help verifying specs of a new MBP
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Lancer409
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Nov 24, 2007, 04:33 AM
 
Hello wonderful MacNN members! It's been a while now in PC land *ugh* and I am not on the cusp of owning a Apple computer again!

Here's the catch. My friend's cousin's friend has a New in box (sealed) Mac Book Pro that's for sale. I am looking to purchase this laptop. It's supposed to be in a sealed box, and I want to know if there is a quick way for me to figure out the specs of the machine.

As I recall, the first time you book up a machine, it'll go through "setup" mumbo jumbo. I may have 5 minutes or so to figure it out before I hand over the cash. I will make sure to crack the box open (to make sure it isnt a box of bricks) but I want to know if there is a simple way to verify. Is it as simple as looking at the box, and matching the serial label to the laptop inside?

This transaction will take place tomorrow afternoon, so a fast reply is super appreciated

(Kevin, turtle, rickey ... you power posters, i'm looking at you guys haha)

In any case, I'm super excited, yet I'm feeling anxiety as well. I wont have ages to examine the machine, and I dont know the seller personally so it's probly a one shot deal.

Thank you for reading, I look forward to posting on my mac soon. it's been too long since I last owned one (PB 12inch.)

Happy Holidays! If all goes well, I'll have an awesome black saturday!

(BTW, the machine is supposedly the current gen machine)

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ghporter
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Nov 24, 2007, 09:54 AM
 
The specs should be on the box-at least the ones that mater. Drive size, processor and speed, RAM...they should all be on the label. It's the computer generated label that has the part and serial numbers on it. Shouldn't be any problem to check it out without even turning it on-as long as the seals really are intact.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
SierraDragon
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Nov 24, 2007, 02:18 PM
 
IMO with a purchase of that type the seller can wait while an initial startup is done. It will not take that long as long as you keep telling it not to do setups and do not have an internet connection. Then you can go to About This Mac. I would not consider buying a Mac from a non-retail source without that info; just ask any of the folks who got nice iPhone boxes with no phone inside...

-Allen Wicks
     
Lancer409  (op)
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Nov 24, 2007, 04:55 PM
 
Cool. Thanks for your responses. I can only hope he is that patient. I didnt know if checking the box sticker was enough. Should I verify box serial number with the one on the laptop? (where is the serial number btw, is it in the battery slot?)

I'm glad to hear that the setup is pretty quick. It's been a few years, and I do not recall how long it has been. I just want to make sure there are no surprises when I get home is all. Buyer beware right?

Anything else I might need to know?

And how will I know for sure the machine has a LED panel? Does it state it on the box? Is there a quick way to find out?

(It's 10.4.9 btw, no leopard built in..) dunno if that helps.

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JustinHorne
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Nov 24, 2007, 05:28 PM
 
Assuming it's a 15inch current gen, it's LED. That said... Do you want to believe that based on the word of a seller who won't let you take more than 5 minutes to check a (probably around $2000) computer out before buying it?
Open it up, do About this mac, and take a look. THAT said... If it is a sealed box, you should be able to figure it out pretty easily.
     
Lancer409  (op)
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Nov 24, 2007, 10:20 PM
 
sealed box. seller was pretty cool. i checked it out. the about mac screen shows that it matches the specs.

the sticker on the sleeve that holds the macbook is pretty frail, and when i opened the seal on the sleeve, the sticker started to get small tears so i assume it's pretty hard to open it and make it unnoticeable.

everything is fine now, and i'm typing this on my mbp as we speak, but i didnt see LED on the box, or in the system profiler...


does anyone know how i can tell if it's a led or a ccf?

-Lancer409
(happily typing away ..it's been too long!)

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spiff72
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Nov 25, 2007, 01:21 AM
 
What speed is the processor? This might help to determine if it is an LED or CCFL.

It is a 15", I assume?

If it is 2.2 or 2.4 GHz, I think you have the LED version. If it is 2.16 or 2.33 GHz, it is CCFL.

I'm sure someone will correct this if I am mistaken here! Basically, the LED was introduced with the Santa Rosa chipset which are clocked at 2.2/2.4 GHz.
"Mac Daddy" - 15" MBP, 2.2 GHz Core i7, 8GB, 750GB HDD
"Mommy Mac" - 13" Macbook, 2.4GHz C2D, 2GB, 160GB
"Baby Mac" - 15" PB, 1.5GHz, 1.5GB, 80GB
64GB iPod Touch (4th gen)
     
Lancer409  (op)
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Nov 25, 2007, 02:22 AM
 
sweet.
it's a 2.2ghz. 128mb nvidia 8600m vidcard, 2gb ram, 120gb hdd.

i just wasnt sure if all 2.2's are LED or not. surprising that the box doesnt list this at all, considering LED is good point about the laptop.

since there are several gen of macbook pro's, i wasnt sure if 2.2 was ever a "uprated" version, or even a build to order option.

as such i was wondering if there was a way to make sure it was LED.

That being said, it's a beautiful machine.


and it's quick.

Thanks a million guys. The title could also be changed to:

I just got my MacBook Pro after waiting over 2 years!

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JoshuaZ
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Nov 25, 2007, 08:50 AM
 
Yeah! Macbook pro! Way to go!
     
ghporter
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Nov 25, 2007, 10:03 AM
 
If you can't find information about whether the machine has LED backlight from the machine itself, check its "born on" date. The date LED backlights were introduced eludes me, but someone will doubtless chime in with it shortly. Compare the two and you'll see if it's likely (probably if its certain) that your new machine has LED backlighting.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
spiff72
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Nov 25, 2007, 03:08 PM
 
This is where I got my info. The introduction date for the LED MBP was June 15, 2007.

http://www.lowendmac.com/macbookpro/15-june-2007.html
"Mac Daddy" - 15" MBP, 2.2 GHz Core i7, 8GB, 750GB HDD
"Mommy Mac" - 13" Macbook, 2.4GHz C2D, 2GB, 160GB
"Baby Mac" - 15" PB, 1.5GHz, 1.5GB, 80GB
64GB iPod Touch (4th gen)
     
ghporter
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Nov 25, 2007, 07:43 PM
 
Thanks! I was thinking it was somewhere in the May-June timeframe, but I couldn't find anything to clear that up for me. That would be week 23 of 2007 for those of you playing the serial number game at home.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Lancer409  (op)
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Nov 26, 2007, 05:59 AM
 
week 24 =D

I guess that means I'm rocking a LED monitor =P.

The reason why I care is because my old compaq's backlite has aged horribly. On max, it's pretty dim, and compared to it's lowest setting, there's not much difference. What's the "half life" of led backlights?

And yes, I am loving this laptop tremendously. I will be picking up leopard in the next few days.

So far I havent seen the cpu crack 25% usage. that's with 45+ tabs open, and watching movies on vlc and chatting. oh yeah. dashboard too.

Should I bother upgrading ram? I mean, it's getting pretty cheap right now (compared to 100 dollars for a 1gb stick being a biiig deal on my powerbook g4)

Should i upgrade ram now, or wait for prices to drop further?


I wonder what's coming for macworld =D Third year in a row i'll be in attendance. =D

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ghporter
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Nov 26, 2007, 09:21 AM
 
Compaq hardware = low grade poo. Seriously, they are not to be used as a yardstick for measuring other computers by. But since you seem to have a newer, LED-lit display, that's no big deal, eh?


Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Lancer409  (op)
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Nov 26, 2007, 09:32 PM
 
nope. went to the store today, and saw the glossy displays on a 15, compared to the matte on a 17" (i'd compare 15 to 15, but there was a lady playing some flash game where you "make over" a cartoon girl, and dress it... for more than 20 minutes... *blank stare*


the glossy does look a bit nicer than the matte 17, but i dunno how much the led screen on the 15 affected it. the glossy screens looked really smudged up and such though. now i'm not sure which i like more. the matte doesnt lose much ground on color and contrast... well not drastically. if only i could "borrow" a glossy one, and wipe the gunk off the screen, then check for color in a dark room. (maybe the blacks are a lot blacker on a glossy)

in any case, yeah i'm pretty satisfied right about now. when i bought the compaq, i didnt know they were THAT horrible. comparing it to other pc laptops made me acutely aware of the crap plastic and build quality compared to even a HP.

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