Here is the product page for FC725LL/A

PC Mag review.

Agreed. Can we move the conversation towards the product and the price. Apple vs Pc, PS3 vs Xbox, iphone vs android...all boring sycophantic nonsense.

goldnectar wrote:Agreed. Can we move the conversation towards the product and the price. Apple vs Pc, PS3 vs Xbox, iphone vs android...all boring sycophantic nonsense.

Unless, of course, you're actually discussing the comparable merits of them in an objective fashion.

FreePlayPSP wrote:I see the Woot mods are a bit fast and loose with the rules about what can and can't be posted as comments!

Saying that you can buy an equivalent laptop for $1000 less is somehow taboo?

I bought this last time around and love it. It's my entire office. The screen is large enough to be serious, yet I can move it room to room. No problems at all!

Go on... you know you want one~

dreamdoc wrote:I bought this last time around and love it. It's my entire office. The screen is large enough to be serious, yet I can move it room to room. No problems at all!

Go on... you know you want one~

NO. Must... RESIST. Too many... computers... already!

ThunderThighs wrote:Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know some of you think Apples are horrible, overpriced, and you'd rather build your own Linux machines from dental floss and baling wire. But that's not what we're here to discuss.

(Saw thumbnail on deals.woot)
"Sweet! I need a laptop, probably be about 400 bucks!"
(Notices it's Apple, multiplies by 4...still underestimated)

FreePlayPSP wrote:Unless, of course, you're actually discussing the comparable merits of them in an objective fashion.

Well of course. Aren't all discussions on the internet like that?

Anyway, note that this one does have the official Apple refurbishment and warranty, so that's a plus.

I thought this was supposed to be a deal? According to the product page, this is the same price...not that I would want to buy it anyway. Freaking Apple...

I'm not seeing it mentioned anywhere on the page, so: the difference in the two models is the display. "FC" is glossy, "G0" is anti-glare.

This appears to be the Early 2011 model (2.2 or 2.3GHz), and about $200 cheaper than Apple's own refurb store is charging for the Late 2011 model (2.4GHz). All told, about $800 off MSRP (or in Apple's case MDRP, Manufacturer's Dictated Retail Price).

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD311LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-24ghz-quad-core-intel-i7

If I were in the market for something with a screen this big, I'd definitely pull the trigger. Then I'd pump the RAM up to max. But I'm more of a 13" guy myself (insert your own innuendo here).

These machines are fast, stable, and great for video and photo production. (Pity, though, that Apple train-wrecked Aperture and Final Cut Pro in recent versions.)

A 17" 16x10 screen is almost enough reason in itself for me to get this. But the price is still too high for my budget and I don't really like how the Apple laptop keyboards and touchpads feel in their laptops. Drop the price a bit more and I'd be really tempted though.

No retina display,no interest.

jiche wrote:No retina display,no interest.

The retina displays LOOK incredible...but don't forget, Apple has locked in the parts on all of the retina MBPs, so how you buy it, is how it remains forever. No option to expand RAM, HDD size, etc. if rather have one of these machines and know that I can repair it if something fails, or if I want a bigger HDD, that is an option.

I'm ready soon to the make the switch to Apple hardware (I expect I will keep running Windows somehow) but the 8GB max RAM kills this deal for me. My current "cheap" PC laptop has 12 GB already and maxes out at 16GB. Would need the same or better in a new one.

I have the 15 inch brother of this laptop, bought a couple of years ago. It was my first Mac, bought after decades of unmerciful, unearned contempt for Apple.
I admit that it is nice to have a premium computer to celebrate success in my life. Otherwise, it has been disappointing. It is slow to boot and shut down, gets bogged down by misbehaving apps, and I had to get its motherboard replaced. USB ports are persistently finicky, but I have a good workaround. The apple store service was technically good, but they have peculiar cultural issues there.
I use it more now after discovering that Safari won't crash like Firefox. I struggle to use it for photos and video, but I am finally working through the way those things are databased in my laptop hard disk.
Some apps work really well. VMWare runs flawlessly for Linux stuff, and Parallels worked good for a Windows install, which I strangely rarely used. I edited a few big videos, and it didn't flinch, although the output took longer to process than I thought it would. On a daily basis, it's as good as any other laptop.
This is a great price compared to what I paid new for mine. Get it if you know how to use these things. I also highly recommend the AppleCare warranty.
Now, it's time for me to go to Starbuks and let people give me quick glances of envy/contempt at my glowing Apple logo.

birdoprey5 wrote:I'm ready soon to the make the switch to Apple hardware (I expect I will keep running Windows somehow) but the 8GB max RAM kills this deal for me. My current "cheap" PC laptop has 12 GB already and maxes out at 16GB. Would need the same or better in a new one.

I would withhold judgement on memory. OSX deals with 8GB better than you would expect, and mine is rarely challenged even when running tough apps.

birdoprey5 wrote:I'm ready soon to the make the switch to Apple hardware (I expect I will keep running Windows somehow) but the 8GB max RAM kills this deal for me. My current "cheap" PC laptop has 12 GB already and maxes out at 16GB. Would need the same or better in a new one.

Hop over to OWC and upgrade to 16 GB then. It's a lot of screws, but not that hard to upgrade ram, or the disk yourself. (in case, you want an SSD, say).

vttroy wrote:I have the 15 inch brother of this laptop, bought a couple of years ago. It was my first Mac, bought after decades of unmerciful, unearned contempt for Apple.
I admit that it is nice to have a premium computer to celebrate success in my life. Otherwise, it has been disappointing. It is slow to boot and shut down, gets bogged down by misbehaving apps, and I had to get its motherboard replaced. USB ports are persistently finicky, but I have a good workaround. The apple store service was technically good, but they have peculiar cultural issues there.
I use it more now after discovering that Safari won't crash like Firefox. I struggle to use it for photos and video, but I am finally working through the way those things are databased in my laptop hard disk.
Some apps work really well. VMWare runs flawlessly for Linux stuff, and Parallels worked good for a Windows install, which I strangely rarely used. I edited a few big videos, and it didn't flinch, although the output took longer to process than I thought it would. On a daily basis, it's as good as any other laptop.
This is a great price compared to what I paid new for mine. Get it if you know how to use these things. I also highly recommend the AppleCare warranty.
Now, it's time for me to go to Starbuks and let people give me quick glances of envy/contempt at my glowing Apple logo.

I also have its 15" cousin, and haven't had a problem at all.
In addition I have an earlier 13" model that I tote back and forth to work for the past three or four years. Windows users are awed, when I fix their windows machines, or service my network with it.
Yeah, they cost a lot more, but AFAIC, they are worth it. They do everything I want them to do, and do not crash, nor do they become very sluggish.

I switched to one of these from Windows Laptop. Don't make the same mistake. Underperform, over-priced. Can get one heck of a Windows laptop for this price. If you like exactly what Jobs liked, you will probably like it. If you know anything about computers, you will want more flexibility that this thing offers. Same goes for iPhone and that's why I switched to Android and am satisfied.

Regarding the memory and hard drive on this, they both can be upgraded if you have a little skill. First, the memory is easy to upgrade to 16 Gig max, although Apple only states 8 Gig max. I've upgraded my daughter's Apple and can confirm that all 16 Gig are visible and usable.

Upgrading the hard drive requires removing the back of the laptop, but it is doable. Install a SSD on this and it really screams.

As I've stated on the last Mac offering, the specifications can be compared to a PC and the Mac appears overpriced. But in the long run, the Macs are designed and assembled more robustly than most PC laptops. A comparably designed and assembled PC laptop (Alienware for example) will cost the same as this Mac.

And yes, I am an engineer that has to support both Macs and PCs, so I am very well aware of the differences between the two systems and the advantages of each.

dont be fooled by the 8gig memory max. That was the max when the machine was released, they never update that spec sheet as better chips become available. If you go to any memory vendor you can now get more. I THINK I got the model number right and on otherworldcomputing.com you can upgrade it to 12 or 16 gig. How many quad core 2.2ghz models can there be?

khakionion wrote:I'm not seeing it mentioned anywhere on the page, so: the difference in the two models is the display. "FC" is glossy, "G0" is anti-glare.

I bet you never found Waldo either...

FC725LL/A Intel Core i7 (2.2GHz) 6MB shared L3

G0M3BLL/A Intel Core i7 (2.3GHz) 8MB shared L3

Daft Punk is playing at my house. My house.

I have always believed that Macs were overpriced, seeing as how they perform basically the same function as a Windows machine for 4x the price. But by the same analogy we should all be driving Geo Metros, because they basically perform the same function as an AMG CL63 Black Series. In my case, it turns out when you do get a little extra money to spend, it is nice to be able to go beyond basic functionality. Does it make sense? Nope, but neither does buying a $5000 dollar watch but people still do. People are weird.

What version of OSX is installed ?

When this model first came out, it had Snow Leopard (10.6), but the current version of OSX is Mountain Lion (10.8).

Selling my Girlfriends Macbook pro this week. When she saw the specs of the $500 computer I picked up off of Woot last week, she felt embarrassed about dropping 4x the amount on her Macbook pro.

Going cut her losses while it's still fairly new.

CaptainPlanet112 wrote:I thought this was supposed to be a deal? According to the product page, this is the same price...not that I would want to buy it anyway. Freaking Apple...

Did you actually look at the Apple web site? I'm not sure where you're seeing it on their product page, since this is a discontinued model. Apple no longer makes the 17" models (Though you can still get refurbs from them sometimes, this is still cheaper than the current refurb stock on the the Apple Store.) I bought this same computer about 18 mo. ago and paid nearly $3000. This is a great deal for someone like me that was sad to see the demise of the 17"-ers. I like the larger screen, and for the work I do it's the best option. Complain all you want about "Freaking Apple", but if you don't like it, don't buy it and just shut up. Comments like yours add nothing to the conversation.

Tesseract wrote:dont be fooled by the 8gig memory max. That was the max when the machine was released, they never update that spec sheet as better chips become available. If you go to any memory vendor you can now get more. I THINK I got the model number right and on otherworldcomputing.com you can upgrade it to 12 or 16 gig. How many quad core 2.2ghz models can there be?

I currently have a G0M3BLL/A and I was able to put 16GB in it. For the high end graphics work and editing I do, it's great to have the extra RAM.

$1789 direct from Apple. Is a $90 savings really woot-worthy?
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M3BLL/A/refurbished-17-inch-macbook-pro-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7

Tesseract wrote:dont be fooled by the 8gig memory max. That was the max when the machine was released, they never update that spec sheet as better chips become available. If you go to any memory vendor you can now get more. I THINK I got the model number right and on otherworldcomputing.com you can upgrade it to 12 or 16 gig. How many quad core 2.2ghz models can there be?

Generally the chipset determines the maximum amount of RAM that can be used. The chipsets used with these I7s would be able to support 16gb RAM. But the manufacturer can limit that in the bios, if they wish to lock it out. It appears this is not the case though https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4002478?start=0&tstart=0. It looks like you can add RAM to this model, although be careful the type,timings,voltage and speed you use. Do NOT use cheap RAM, MAC stuff is more picky regarding this- best thing to do is look for reviews or recommendations (Crucial's site should help). Under no circumstance do 12 gb- that's just plain goofy- if you are going to upgrade do it right and go to 16 gb to maintain dual channel.

So you may ask- why would Apple put that limitation on their RAM even though in actuality it can support more. Basically they are afraid people will go out, buy cheap modules and wonder why their $2000 computer isn't working and then call them to Bit$h about it. The denser the memory modules the greater the potential for errors- that is why it's imperative to use good RAM when buy 8 GB sticks.

I still think this is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a laptop, but if you are going to pay it-might as well upgrade the memory right.

The screen is very decent and will not feel sluggish at all.

However, the pricing is tad too high in my opinion. Such similar specs from competing companies will fetch easily 500 bucks less.

Agreed that 1920*1200 on a laptop is very rare but you can get full HD on a smaller screen such as 11, 13 or 15 inches from various companies. That is if the screen is the most important buying factor.

analogDAVE wrote:$1789 direct from Apple. Is a $90 savings reall woot-worthy?
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M3BLL/A/refurbished-17-inch-macbook-pro-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7

Good point - with only a 5% savings, seems like a strange choice for Woot. Perhaps Apple will not provide the supply of refurb units if they discount by more than 5%.

For anyone doing objective comparison shopping, I'd like to point out that woot sold this machine for $650 after shipping a couple weeks ago.

The specs are comparable--major differences are
1) HP is $1,000 cheaper
2) resolution on the Mac is slightly better
3) HDD on the HP is 250 GB larger
4) memory on HP is 12 gb compared to 4 gb on the Mac, expandable to 16gb
5) 2 HD bays in the HP
6) slightly faster processor in HP
7) no HDMI out on Mac

Of course there are other differences that are harder to compare, like OS and coolness factor.

I'm not against Apple by any means, but I have never been able to justify their prices. I suspect they're able to inflate prices due to the coolness factor created by their incredible marketing department.

I bought the HP a couple weeks ago to replace an HP that I had for 5 years that I put through hell, including dropping it multiple times. Never had a single issue with it.

To each his own!

You save about $82 buying on woot over apple.com

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M3BLL/A/refurbished-17-inch-macbook-pro-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7

Can anyone tell me if Woot is Apple Certified Reseller?

birdoprey5 wrote:My current "cheap" PC laptop has 12 GB already and maxes out at 16GB. Would need the same or better in a new one.

From everymac.com

*Apple officially supports a maximum of 8 GB of RAM, but as first confirmed by site sponsor OWC, this model actually is capable of using up to 16 GB of RAM with two 8 GB memory modules.

If you want to see an immediate performance increase on this laptop, I would upgrade the RAM upgrade to 8gb. Forego the 16gb ram upgrade and instead swap out the 5400 rpm HD for an SSD. Newegg $160 for 256 GB Sandisk http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171741&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL051713&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL051713-_-EMC-051713-Index-_-SSD-_-20171741-L04D
This will give you a lot more bang for the buck.