what would you do to verify the condition of a used laptop ?

November 12, 2007 3:06 AM

What should i watch out for in a used macbook pro ?

I have found a guy who's selling his macbook pro. It's 2 months old and the reason he's selling it is that's it's too much horsepower for what he needs.He's living in the same city as i am so i will be able to check the machine before deciding on buying.
This would be my first laptop and my first apple computer.
I'm really interested but it's still a lot of money and i'd like to inspect the thing correctly before buying it.
First externally what should i check that is not evident on a rapid inspection.
Internally how do i check that the configuration advertised is really what's inside ? I guess it's a fairly simple thing to do in the OS. Is that process fakeable by a potential scammer ? If yes how to detect it ?
To sum it up, if you are a mac poweruser what would you do to verify the condition of a used laptop ?

posted by SageLeVoid to computers & internet (19 comments total)

whether it has a glossy or matte screen. actually ... check the screen when the computer is off to see if there are scratches or keyboard marks anyway. that sometimes happens.
posted by krautland at 3:13 AM on November 12, 2007

- Check the battery

- Listen for any weird noises (ie noisy or 'clicking' fans)

- Check for dead pixels in on the screen.

- Get information on the warranty - searching on the Apple forums seems that the original 1 year warranty is non-transferrable from the original purchaser, but you would have the option of purchasing an extended warranty from Apple if the MBP is still within the original one year warranty period. I'd contact Apple to find out the exact information, and purchase the extended warranty if possible.
posted by romakimmy at 4:07 AM on November 12, 2007

Make sure it sits flush on a surface. Some have had battery expansion issues. Not sure if it applies to the latest ones (sounds like a Santa Rosa if it's under 2 months old) but always worth looking at things like that.
posted by wackybrit at 5:26 AM on November 12, 2007

To check the configuration, select "About This Mac" from the Apple menu at the upper left of the screen. The dialog that pops up will show what OS, processor, and memory are installed. For more detailed information, click "More Info..." on the dialog. The System Profiler, which provides detailed information about the machine's hardware and software, will be launched.

I don't know how hard it would be to spoof any of this info.
posted by magicbus at 5:56 AM on November 12, 2007

To check configuration/details, go to the Apple menu and About This Mac, then click More Info. Apple System Profiler should pop up and tell you a lot. It'll give you the basics, i.e. how much RAM/HD. Click through to "Power" and it'll give you stats on the battery-- including a "cycle count" (the number of charging cycles it's been through, which shouldn't be many in 2 months) and a "battery health" approximation. It should also give you a serial number, which you can plug in on Apple's support website to double-check the warranty status.

Also, open up a blank text file and maximize the screen -- you can see some little screen blemishes clearly that way. (I can, at least, on my machine.)
posted by rdn at 6:01 AM on November 12, 2007

Check the monitor for dead pixels, check the power adapter, check the power adapter's connection to the laptop, check the battery, check Apple System Profiler, check that he has AppleCare, and you're good to go.

Was just having a conversation with somebody about how macbook pro can be a waste of money if you don't really use it for like, professional applications, so i think the reason "too much horsepower" makes some sense; the guy's probably broke and needs the money.
posted by phaedon at 6:46 AM on November 12, 2007

Is he selling it for a significant discount? Apple's Refurbished MBPs come with a full warranty and will save you $300-$400.
posted by mumkin at 8:15 AM on November 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

MBP owner here.

I've never considered that info could be spoofed, but it makes sense that it's possible. The About This Mac info is very very detailed and useful.

I'd get the serial number and look it up on apple.com/support, perhaps even from the computer (which will also help you test the wireless and/or ethernet). That'll tell you the warranty remaining (if any) and the exact model type.

I have seen MacBooks for sale on eBay with "dead network ports" so perhaps this is a part that can fail, too.

Personally, I'd burn a quick CD (or DVD). So many of the MacBook Pros seem to have had issues with that, and it's one of the few "moving parts" that can fail. Just a couple of random files, so the CD should burn in just a few seconds.
posted by rokusan at 8:21 AM on November 12, 2007

As others have said, Apple System Profiler will tell you a lot. Also run "Verify Disk" in Disk Utility.

Though I have to say, I'm a bit suspect. How much of a discount are you buying this at? "Too much horsepower" seems like an odd reason to sell a computer. Certified, warrantied, refurbed Macbook Pro's go for $300 off from Apple, which to me means that he'd have to be taking at least $500 off before I'd even give thought to the possibility. What's he going to do with that money? Buy a lesser laptop? He's still paid new Macbook Pro prices for it. It just doesn't grok to me.

If he really bought it two months ago, he should still have the receipt. I'd ask to see it- if he hesitates at all on this issue, I'd walk away.
posted by mkultra at 9:12 AM on November 12, 2007

I've bought most of my tech gear second-hand from other individuals (including the MacBook Pro I'm typing on now) and have never had a bad experience, but I'm careful. First of all, you can't assume anything he says is correct until you have proof.

The two basic questions are
1) whether it's stolen; and
2) what, if anything, is wrong with it.

If it's just two months old and checks out according to the great advice above (especially pay attention to finding any bad pixels), your only concern is whether it's stolen, because the warranty does transfer to you and any hidden physical problem would be repaired free by Apple.

All you need to do is get the serial from him (here's a good Apple serial decoder that will confirm manufacture week and basic specs). When you're in the same place (a well-populated public place, obviously, NOT his or your apartment) and you've gotten the money to him, he could call Apple to transfer ownership to you, but that isn't strictly necessary. (When mine needed a minor repair, I went to an Apple Store and they just asked for my own government photo ID before they would insert my name/info as the new warranty holder; I guess their assumption is that if I'd stolen it, I wouldn't come in and reveal my real name, so I must have bought it legitimately.)

You will also be eligible to buy the extended warranty if you decide to (if your MBP is now two months old, you'll have 9+ months to decide about that since it must be done by the 1-year anniversary of the sale date to its original owner).
posted by allterrainbrain at 9:13 AM on November 12, 2007

(Like mkultra, I'm assuming he'll give you the receipt and/or the box with the serial.)
posted by allterrainbrain at 9:18 AM on November 12, 2007

Thanks for all the great answers, lots of things that i didn't think about.
He says he still has the box. There's roughly a 400$ discount compared to a new one.
I didn't think refurbished mbps were that cheap, i might go that way instead.
posted by SageLeVoid at 10:05 AM on November 12, 2007

I'd also check that the remote / IR port worked. Easy to overlook.

And make sure it sleeps / wakes up properly when you open and close the lid.
posted by SemiSophos at 10:44 AM on November 12, 2007

I have a friend who swears by Apple refurbs and prefers them over brand new machines. As refurbished products, they're held to a higher standard of quality than new ones, and are vetted much more thoroughly by the QA techs. While this won't mitigate against an inherent design flaw, it should mean your macbook is less likely to have a random manufacturing defect.
posted by mumkin at 10:45 AM on November 12, 2007

Check to see if the spacebar squeaks. There are some cheap fixes but they don't always work. If it does squeak, you might want to see if the cheap fixes work before signing off on it.
posted by jedicus at 10:56 AM on November 12, 2007

If you have sensitive hearing and/or expensive sound equipment, check out the output sound ports on a good pair of headphones.
posted by onalark at 11:31 AM on November 12, 2007

If you want to lock the computer, check the security slot.
posted by lalochezia at 12:23 PM on November 12, 2007

I would make sure to try a "quick brown fox" typing test to make sure all the keys work.
posted by schrodycat at 3:23 PM on November 12, 2007

I forgot one other hardware bugaboo yesterday; check the built in webcam works.
posted by romakimmy at 2:49 AM on November 13, 2007