In my experience, big eBay sellers just don't put the necessary care into checking if their computers work properly. Im a small seller and I always run full diagnostics, do SSD upgrade, replace the thermal paste, and replace the battery if its over 800 cycles. Its really not that hard to give a crap about your customers! Plus you don't get the return request 28 days later when the battery begins to swell and tank your eBay rating...
Ryan Pavey Ryan Pavey Do you know what is the highest ram an “MacBook pro mid 2009 15inch” with dedicated graphics? I have 4 gb of ram and want to know if 8 gb is the highest or 16 gb is the highest, and would also what kind of “MHz it can handle”
That would suck if the buyer used the computer for a month and then returned it for a full refund because the battery stopped charging. They’d get a full refund too under eBay’s buyer satisfaction policy too
When buying used laptops, always give them a wipe down with anti bacterial, or alcohol wipes. You don't know where the previous owner had their hands ;)
I did purchase this computer model second hand on eBay, and was very happy with my purchase. One good check to do is, to plug something into each of the sockets on the left side, to make sure that the socket, usually soldered directly onto the logic-board, are not loose or otherwise detached. My Thunderbolt port is temperamental, which is probably due to the previous owner having plugged in something too heavy which stressed the socket and harmed the reliable connectivity.
I'm in the process of buying a used MacBook and have narrowed it down to 4 sellers, all have great ratings on eBay ( not exactly legit since leaving bad feedback is discouraged). The one which stands out offers a 3 month warranty but here's the iffy part. His entire selling pitch is bashing every other MacBook seller on eBay,saying they are not being upfront about "updated to 2020 specs etc.... Does anyone have a preferred ebay seller that is trustworthy?
The dirt and dust is a good thing as it indicates that the machine was never opened. The fabric inside the case may have been a pull tab from a connector.
Important to check the MagSafe port it might be burnt from sparkling, also the speakers and run MacsFanControl to check temperatures that indicate if the thermal paste or the fan needs to be replaced or repaired.
Been watching your channel for a few months and I now have a late 2012 imac and a mid 2012 Macbook Pro, both with very good spec. Got really lucky with the MBP, as I only paid £135 for it as it wasn't working. It is now and cost me £0.00 to get it going. Going to stick an SSD in it and Christmas is sorted for my daughter. Thanks for your help!
There is one major mine field that you missed. - Macbooks with recurring issues, like graphic card failures that manifest only a few months in. - Logicboards that randomly die like the A1708 after a while. Ebay is a mine field for buyers. I have been scammed several times. - never accept non secure payments, although it might be tempting to save money on the fees. Often times there is a reason why they accept only insecure payments methods.
I bought an old MBP and it was like one of those you flagged. I learned what you exposed before I saw your video. I thought I was getting a 201++ and it was a 2009. I will in Jan 2020 never get a MBP older than 2012, which I did buy again after breaking my old one. I have upgraded it to 2 SSD, one dedicated to Catalina and one to Linux Mint 18.3, dual booting with rEFInd in Mac and with over kill memory 16GB. The second SSD is a caddy mod which you can view on how to do here on You-Tube by searching "upgrade MBP 2012". I cleaned the computer with a can of air and everything has worked out great. I sold the old 2009 MBP for $ 100. The new 2012 cost me less than $400. I did lose money but I learned.
Bought my 2nd MacBook for university just 3 weeks ago : a MacBook Air 13" from 2013 4Gb/128Gb. It is so light to go with it and have an all day battery life without worrying about recharging My first was a MacBook Pro 13" 2011 4Gb/512Gb, it was bulky and I wanted something light but it was pretty good. The unibody is the best MacBook Apple manufactured : you can change everything and nothing is soldered. The Air has 4Gb of ram, I wished I had more but just for working : productivity app like Office and browsing the internet it is pretty good for that even with 4Gb of ram but the bad side is that you can't open so much apps at the same time, in that case the system will notify you that the ram availability is pretty low
@x811 the ram in the Air is soldered, you can't upgrade it. What you buy out in the box is what you will get forever. If you talk about the unibody you can upgrade the ram but it is bulky to keep with everyday at university
Like, nothing beats drinking my morning coffee and watching any one of your videos. Great b-roll. You know your stuff, you do neat projects. Just a great channel I really appreciate all the hard work my friend ☝️👍
I would like to thank you for your video’s they have helped me know how to get my first MBpro on eBay I just got my first MB Pro 15in mid 2012 w/CD drive. And I only paid $405 before shipping & taxes after$455. 😃 The computer is in grate shape 😃 I’m just waiting for the power cord to show up that I also got on eBay. Keep up the great work.
By the way- the seller gave $25 back as compensation for the failed hard drive! Also, don't forget to try out Dashlane today for 10% off Premium membership at www.dashlane.com/miani
One thing I have been wondering of late, how is it that Apple MacBook batteries are rated to retain up to 80% capacity after 1000 charge cycles, but the corresponding figure for laptops of Windows manufacturers like HP, Dell and ASUS are at max 500 charge cycles ? It is reflected in regular experience to how MacBooks retain their battery charge capacity even after couple of years whereas Windows laptop batteries, even that of expensive ultrabooks, usually lose a significant chunk of capacity within he first 2 years ?
When I had my cellphone/computer repair business, I had a customer that brought in her laptop for me to fix. I cracked that sucker open and cockroaches started scurrying out of that thing. 🤢🤮 I wanted to burn the office down. Luckily you didn't have cockroaches in your laptop. 😀
I also repair devices, not as a livin, but as a hobby, once, a person brought me a laptop with ants in it . . . I opened up the laptop and those lil guys wher escaping from their "house" . . . Disgusting!
EBAY is terrible for sellers - buying and lying is the mantra of more than a few. "Not what I wanted" literally gets your money back on Sold as is items" and every other excuse including "I never received it." - I guess the post office and I are lying. Loved the video, but buying a used mac / pc from a non-commercial seller I wouldn't expect a healthy hard drive.
When looking at MacBook Pro's....... Definitely the 2012 models and possibly 2013's too.... HAVE VERY UNRELIABLE RAM SLOTS....!!!!!!!!!! WHICH ARE VERY LIKELY TO FAIL....!!!!!!!!!!! Probably depending on how hot they have run for how long in the past Seven or Eight Years......!!!!!!!!! And as we Know Mac's Do Run Very Hot......!!!!!!! Quite a lot of the time...... This is normally fine in other years models however in the 2012 models one slot is surface mount which meant that the solder joints often weaken or detach from the board due to extreme heat and pro the board expanding and contracting as well...... Symptoms of a failing card slot include in my case flashing horizontal lines across the screen getting worse and worse over time Before refusing to Boot up all together until the chip in the offending slot is removed after which the Mac will run normally on one slot which can be upgraded to 1x 8gb..... So its not quite all doom and gloom but def a "Huge huge bummer...!!!!!!!!" I have been advised that the surface mount slot is un repairable by a qualified independent Apple Engineer who said that he had never managed to get one working again and confirmed that it's a VERY COMMON PROBLEM....!!!!!!!!!! The other Slot is soldered 'pin through board' And seems Relatively 'Bomb Proof' So far......!!!!!!!! I'm Assuming that macs run so hot probably in order to push the performance envelope as far as possible...... Some of the effort is definitely going toward developing form factor and more sophisticated industrial design, But You only have to look at the level of engineering on the heat sinks in iMacs on the CPU and GPU to get some idea of the amount of effort that's put into dissipating heat as efficiently as possible.....!!!!!!) ...........At the mo my MBP has been running flawlessly on one stick of 8gb Ram for more than a Year So Im Assuming that it'll continue to do so almost forever..... much like 2009-10-11 MacBook Pros all of which have Both Slots Soldered Pin through Board and Seem to be Bomb Proof....!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately I believe Mbp's after 2013 can't have the Ram Upgraded and 2009-10-11 can't run Anything beyond High Siera due to the limitations of the Graphics Card's which aren't capable of running "Metal"...... Although a 2009-10-11 Mbp with 16gb RAM and SSD upgrades is certainly no slouch unless you need advanced Metal Graphics Processing...... and it seems that Apple Probably think that there is enough money In Services like iTunes iCloud and Proprietory Software like Logic and Final Cut and the App Store to Risk Alienating Half of their Customer base who are still running older machines and Are a Reservoir of Extremely Brand Loyal Customers who are likely to upgrade at some point anyway..... and will certainly continue to use their services and continue to spend their money exclusively with Apple in the mean time...... So it seems like they will hopefully keep everyone going on High Siera for a good while at least the latest version of which contains a patch so that professionals or any one else using Final Cut etc can hopefully continue to do so for a good while to come..... before eventually deciding to upgrade.... So hopefully Apple will see sense and agree that as many brand loyal customers for software computers or services can only be a good thing especially when a good proportion of them certainly can't afford £1500 + for a mid tier Imac or Mbp But will Continue to Spend Hundreds of Pounds on Logic or Final Cut, iTunes the App Store and Other Services and Will continue to forever unless Apple Really Upset them by Refusing to Support their older but for the moment Perfectly Capable Machines....... This Really Would Mean Alienating a Huge Proportion of their Otherwise Extremely Brand Loyal Customer Base...... And for the moment High Siera seems to continue be being supported to keep all of their existing Customer Base Happy and Brand Loyal for a Good Long While to Come....... Also one assumes that Apple Probably Knows exactly how Many people are still using older machines and exactly how much Monet they continue to spend and how much revenue is generated.....
I Bought A Macbook Pro Mid 2012 (Non-Retina) for Rs 22,000 1 Year Ago, Because Of Your Previous Video, Stating "Best Value Because Of Upgradability and Non-Retina Saves A Few Bucks and Buy It For $300 (Rs 22,471.50)". (Planning To Buy A Used IPhone Too Because Of Your Other Used IPhone Video). Thanks A Ton Luke. PS: Hard Drive is from some shady company (Instead of official); Runs Terribly Slow When Opening Multiple Apps (I'm A Software Engineer so... IntelliJ Idea, XCode, Multiple Terminal Windows and Ofcourse Chrome with many open tabs). After ~2-3 Months Battery Shows "Service Recommended".
Retina's macbooks have a real issue with their screens.I bought a 13inch early 2015 (8/128/i5) and after one week it's screen was glitching like hell and it needed replace,also then i bought a 2013 13 inch with the same specs and after a while the same thing happened.So how to do you know which retina screen will work fine (especially in these older models that are out of the replacement program)Any advice?
The battery tabs/fasteners break over time, it is because the screw is too tight. If this is a virgin laptop (never opened) it is going to have a lot of dust and the one you have is actually very much like the ones I see. And don't get me started about eBay!!
That same exact battery screw hole is a bit broken on my 2012 MBP with original battery. I wonder if it's a weak point. Mine shows no signs of any major drops.
Here in South Africa we buy off Gumtree, Cash Crusaders or off Facebook market place so we physically see the machine and don't buy online. what about doing a vid , buying a Macbook from Craigslist and what to look out for?
Hi new follower and I just bought a mid-2015 mac book pro. I used your buying MacBooks on eBay. So excited! I can't find drive dx in the app store. Is there another one? Thank you!
Bought from a 2012MBP from areseller.... no ram, no HDD, because those would be the first things i'll replace anyway.... now i'm worried it won't come with the hard drive pins or the bracket....
Mr Miani, I bought an early 2011 15” MacBook Pro with several issues including a broke screen. I’ve fixed everything including the screen, upgraded it to 1tb ssd, 16gb ram and it includes the 2.3ghz processor and dual graphics card. Basically it’s the same as a mid 2012. How much should I sell this for? I’m only into it for like 200 bucks. Thank you!
Unfortunately eBay in Europe is not as good for the buyer as it is in US. I bought a Mac mini without hard disk. I opened it to put one in. The IR cable , 10 screws and the small cover for the heat sink were missing. One cable of four from the fan was broken. I asked for a refund from eBay and they told me I'm not getting one because I OPENED THE MACHINE!!!!!!!! I told them that i had to open it to put a hard drive inside, but that didn't change anything!!!
I've never been a seller, but these days I would feel absolutely dirty for claiming a refund because an 8 year old laptop had a 'failing hard drive', just feels wrong to claim something like that. It's definitely worse to just say it's 'slow', so I feel for you there :(
It’s the responsibility of the seller to make sure a device listed as ‘fully functional’ is just that. If I sold someone a device that failed and caused them to lose their data I would definitely feel ‘absolutely dirty’
@@lukemiani Thanks for the reply man, I guess that makes sense, eBay does have certain standards in regards to business sellers and private sellers that wouldn't be common in other peer to peer marketplaces such as craigslist. But I guess it's also a matter of paying a premium price to get those kinds of protections
Hi Luke. I have a question which I've never been able to answer before. I bought a 2014 Macbook Pro new. It is advertised as a 128GB SSD, but every tool I've ever used to check it says the size is 121GB. Even the smart test shows it as 121GB. I'm just wondering if Apple was doing something weird with their drives back then? 🤔
Great Videos Luke. Any idea if i should rebuild my early 2011 unibody macbook that keeps dying or trash it and buy a used one? Want to but responsibly can't get the new 16in one. Thanks! I do small video's in imovie! 🤣 i think i know the answer but changing the mother board is being offered for 450 dollars.
This isn't a permanent fix though. This method is very spotty after Sierra, and will not work after resetting NVRAM and is also known to randomly stop working. Also, you're stuck with the very weak intel graphics
Yes, it works fine in high Sierra, however windows does not work, unless you can enable hd3000 through efi (I couldn’t figure it out) however in Mac OS the machine works fine. You have to enter the command frequently but the machine works great for 120$ with the i7
Dear Luke, i would like to recommend you to use coconutBattery to check a mac's battery. There is also a great tool to check macs, It called TechTool Pro 11. This is a powerful and a very useful tool to check conditions of any mac. I use it often 'cause i often buy used macs and it always helps me to check all mac's hardware systems conditions. And thank you for your videos! They're all great! ))
@@shteinbok That's awesome. I really want to buy my next MBP off of eBay auctions because the savings are insane! If you don't mind me asking, how do you get the Macs for a low enough price to resell?
It was likely left with 0% charge for a very long time. I deal with many 2012 MBPs and often they have low cycles but were left sitting and have terrible health. Whats good is you can get a new OEM battery for $50.
Why is it likely that the hard drives are failing..? In my original 2012 MacBook Pro I replaced dvd drive with ssd and still up to this day both hard drives are working perfectly
I just purchased a MacBook Air 2015 on eBay . It will arrive on on a week but I forgot to ask if it is coming with charger or not. There is no mention of the charger, does that mean that is coming without charger? Anyone please?
If you are concern about budget, I would suggest get the mid 2012 non retina one. Some said its the most repairable, upgradable, and durable macbook. If budget is not your concern , get the 2015. I hope it helps.
Luke do you know what is the highest ram an “MacBook pro mid 2009 15inch” with dedicated graphics? I have 4 gb of ram and want to know if 8 gb is the highest or 16 gb is the highest, and would also what kind of “MHz it can handle”
I just recently bought the exact same model Macbook and it ended up having GPU kernel panics. No big deal, heat gun time. Well, I fix that and turn it on, everything works great. In the process of updating to Mojave and a capacitor next to the screen ribbon pops and fries the screen connector, whiting out the panel. Rip my Macbook I thought was initially a good purchase...
I think you’ve just explained the main problem with buying much older MacBooks. They can be brilliant bargains, but you can also end up waiting time and money when they fail and you have no comeback with them. It’s always a bit of a gamble.
honestly I've never put much faith in HDD smart data, I've had many hard drives over the years with reallocated sectors that lasted many years and in fact most are still working today
Thanks Luke for the Drives DX but I am using it on unibody macbook pro non-retina which I install 2 SSD from the test result seems to be accurate only the main drive but for the drive on the DVD slot wasn't accurate. Thanks anyway!!
Hi guys.. I want to ask because my macbook, if I use 10mins its to hot then the lcd change into have a horizontal line and the images I mean the screen was faded.. What is the problem on that? Thank you for someone know that.. Thank you
Hey Luke, I have a very important question for you. When replacing the hard drive with new one, how do you load up the OS so that it keeps working. I'm asking because I bought a 2009 MacBook Pro for $50 and have to replace the HDD but don't know how. Also I use windows for most of my stuff, So a windows tutorial would be nice but if not I can make it work from a Mac's side too. PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO OR SEND HELP PLEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE!!!!!!!!
Gerardo Mena Hi, you should look up how to make a macOS installer drive from a usb drive. And there are plenty of guides online for replacing a hard drive (use an ssd - it will make your MacBook so much faster!) it’s not a difficult job at all. Just follow the guides to the letter. Bare in mind that you won’t be able to run the latest version of MacOS. Google your MacBook model and find which one is appropriate (probably High Sierra I would think) You can get a copy from any torrent site very easily. You will need to have access to another Mac to do most of this. Or you could use vmware to install macOS on a windows computer to use that to make the installer drive. Once you have macOS installed and running properly you can then use bootcamp (part of macOS) to install windows. It guides you through and is fairly straightforward. All you’ll need is a windows 10 .iso downloaded from Microsoft. Apple will download all drivers you need for you automatically. Have a google. I think I’ve perhaps made that more complicated sounding than it really is... if you have a friend who has a Mac you really have an easy job 👍🏻
10:05 - 11:31 Literally the reason I refuse to use eBay at all. I sold an iPhone 4S, buyer complained about it being slow, tried to refund, I WON the appeal to deny the refund, buyer kept his phone, eBay kept my money (which they had taken out of my paypal account the minute the buyer clicked 'refund'), and I got nothing. I called eBay repeatedly for months to get my money, they never gave it to me. I had a long standing account with tons of good reviews, had to delete it. Anything anyone buys on eBay, eBay gets a cut, and eBay does NOT deserve anyone's money. Ever. Do. Not. Buy. Anything. On. eBay.
In my experience, big eBay sellers just don't put the necessary care into checking if their computers work properly. Im a small seller and I always run full diagnostics, do SSD upgrade, replace the thermal paste, and replace the battery if its over 800 cycles. Its really not that hard to give a crap about your customers! Plus you don't get the return request 28 days later when the battery begins to swell and tank your eBay rating...
Ryan Pavey Ryan Pavey Do you know what is the highest ram an “MacBook pro mid 2009 15inch” with dedicated graphics? I have 4 gb of ram and want to know if 8 gb is the highest or 16 gb is the highest, and would also what kind of “MHz it can handle”
FlamingKillerMC you can find that information in apple official website or just type **MacBook Pro 15 Inch Mid-2009** and you’ll find it.
Can you sell and ship to nigeria for me
Always buy from a small seller.
That would suck if the buyer used the computer for a month and then returned it for a full refund because the battery stopped charging. They’d get a full refund too under eBay’s buyer satisfaction policy too
When buying used laptops, always give them a wipe down with anti bacterial, or alcohol wipes. You don't know where the previous owner had their hands ;)
or dont. by not donig so you will strenghten your immune system
That Aged Well 👍🏽
Covid
This piece of advice certainly has aged well, considering what the world is going through right now.
@@benjyfriedman lots things said in the past will be kn the future
I do not own an apple, however, I am often asked by friends to assist them with repairs/upgrades. I really appreciate your videos.
Thanks Luke. I've bought a couple of mid 2012 pros over the last few years, and this is simple - but rock-solid - advice for anyone to follow.
I did purchase this computer model second hand on eBay, and was very happy with my purchase. One good check to do is, to plug something into each of the sockets on the left side, to make sure that the socket, usually soldered directly onto the logic-board, are not loose or otherwise detached. My Thunderbolt port is temperamental, which is probably due to the previous owner having plugged in something too heavy which stressed the socket and harmed the reliable connectivity.
this channel is very underrated keep the great work up
lol. Yea
I'm in the process of buying a used MacBook and have narrowed it down to 4 sellers, all have great ratings on eBay ( not exactly legit since leaving bad feedback is discouraged). The one which stands out offers a 3 month warranty but here's the iffy part. His entire selling pitch is bashing every other MacBook seller on eBay,saying they are not being upfront about "updated to 2020 specs etc.... Does anyone have a preferred ebay seller that is trustworthy?
I agree
Truuuueeeee
I do agree with you yeah youtube ki ek sajish hai
The dirt and dust is a good thing as it indicates that the machine was never opened.
The fabric inside the case may have been a pull tab from a connector.
Important to check the MagSafe port it might be burnt from sparkling, also the speakers and run MacsFanControl to check temperatures that indicate if the thermal paste or the fan needs to be replaced or repaired.
Been watching your channel for a few months and I now have a late 2012 imac and a mid 2012 Macbook Pro, both with very good spec. Got really lucky with the MBP, as I only paid £135 for it as it wasn't working. It is now and cost me £0.00 to get it going. Going to stick an SSD in it and Christmas is sorted for my daughter. Thanks for your help!
Happy to help!
1:02 Exterior inspections
4:20 Battery Health
4:55 Drive Dx
6:05 Interior inspections
Moosa ali you a good fella.
Not even getting Drive Dx
Im not finding Drive Dx, Is there another similar app ?
@@eunicecarr6430, may be you can check here: binaryfruit.com/drivedx ?
Thanks bro
This is becoming my favorite mac channel . Luke is a expert in this field . joined the subreddit and its pretty cool .
There is one major mine field that you missed.
- Macbooks with recurring issues, like graphic card failures that manifest only a few months in.
- Logicboards that randomly die like the A1708 after a while.
Ebay is a mine field for buyers. I have been scammed several times.
- never accept non secure payments, although it might be tempting to save money on the fees.
Often times there is a reason why they accept only insecure payments methods.
I bought an old MBP and it was like one of those you flagged. I learned what you exposed before I saw your video. I thought I was getting a 201++ and it was a 2009. I will in Jan 2020 never get a MBP older than 2012, which I did buy again after breaking my old one. I have upgraded it to 2 SSD, one dedicated to Catalina and one to Linux Mint 18.3, dual booting with rEFInd in Mac and with over kill memory 16GB. The second SSD is a caddy mod which you can view on how to do here on You-Tube by searching "upgrade MBP 2012". I cleaned the computer with a can of air and everything has worked out great. I sold the old 2009 MBP for $ 100. The new 2012 cost me less than $400. I did lose money but I learned.
Hey Luke, I really appreciate your videos and the only thing that in my opinion would make them better is a lapel microphone. Keep it up👌
sotosoul totaly agree with you! His content is gold, but the sound/voice is wack ^^
@@MrLouiu3 It's not that bad, c'mon 😄 It would just be even better
Bought my 2nd MacBook for university just 3 weeks ago : a MacBook Air 13" from 2013 4Gb/128Gb. It is so light to go with it and have an all day battery life without worrying about recharging
My first was a MacBook Pro 13" 2011 4Gb/512Gb, it was bulky and I wanted something light but it was pretty good. The unibody is the best MacBook Apple manufactured : you can change everything and nothing is soldered. The Air has 4Gb of ram, I wished I had more but just for working : productivity app like Office and browsing the internet it is pretty good for that even with 4Gb of ram but the bad side is that you can't open so much apps at the same time, in that case the system will notify you that the ram availability is pretty low
@x811 the ram in the Air is soldered, you can't upgrade it. What you buy out in the box is what you will get forever.
If you talk about the unibody you can upgrade the ram but it is bulky to keep with everyday at university
from Italy , you deserve more than 90.000 subs... great job man!
YOU HIT 100K!! I’ve been a subscriber for a while and this is my favorite channel on UA-cam. Keep up the outstanding work
I learn a lot watching your videos. Thank you.
you deserves 10 million subs man. i learned so much from you video. thank you so much. from philippines :)
Like, nothing beats drinking my morning coffee and watching any one of your videos. Great b-roll. You know your stuff, you do neat projects. Just a great channel I really appreciate all the hard work my friend ☝️👍
Make a video cleaning the whole macbook
I would like to thank you for your video’s they have helped me know how to get my first MBpro on eBay I just got my first MB Pro 15in mid 2012 w/CD drive. And I only paid $405 before shipping & taxes after$455. 😃 The computer is in grate shape 😃 I’m just waiting for the power cord to show up that I also got on eBay. Keep up the great work.
By the way- the seller gave $25 back as compensation for the failed hard drive! Also, don't forget to try out Dashlane today for 10% off Premium membership at www.dashlane.com/miani
One thing I have been wondering of late, how is it that Apple MacBook batteries are rated to retain up to 80% capacity after 1000 charge cycles, but the corresponding figure for laptops of Windows manufacturers like HP, Dell and ASUS are at max 500 charge cycles ?
It is reflected in regular experience to how MacBooks retain their battery charge capacity even after couple of years whereas Windows laptop batteries, even that of expensive ultrabooks, usually lose a significant chunk of capacity within he first 2 years ?
Simply the best... Miani, Luke Miani... LOL, Thanks bud, for the updates and to help us Mac enthusiasts go on more projects!!! :)
Awesome video!! You explained everything so well.
When I had my cellphone/computer repair business, I had a customer that brought in her laptop for me to fix. I cracked that sucker open and cockroaches started scurrying out of that thing. 🤢🤮 I wanted to burn the office down. Luckily you didn't have cockroaches in your laptop. 😀
Holy crap, that is terrifying
I also repair devices, not as a livin, but as a hobby, once, a person brought me a laptop with ants in it . . . I opened up the laptop and those lil guys wher escaping from their "house" . . . Disgusting!
Your channel is that only channel that I clicked the notification bell of.
EBAY is terrible for sellers - buying and lying is the mantra of more than a few. "Not what I wanted" literally gets your money back on Sold as is items" and every other excuse including "I never received it." - I guess the post office and I are lying. Loved the video, but buying a used mac / pc from a non-commercial seller I wouldn't expect a healthy hard drive.
Thanks for all the great info , looking at getting a used MacBook 2015 model, just gotta be careful of what to buy.
When looking at MacBook Pro's....... Definitely the 2012 models and possibly 2013's too.... HAVE VERY UNRELIABLE RAM SLOTS....!!!!!!!!!! WHICH ARE VERY LIKELY TO FAIL....!!!!!!!!!!! Probably depending on how hot they have run for how long in the past Seven or Eight Years......!!!!!!!!! And as we Know Mac's Do Run Very Hot......!!!!!!! Quite a lot of the time...... This is normally fine in other years models however in the 2012 models one slot is surface mount which meant that the solder joints often weaken or detach from the board due to extreme heat and pro the board expanding and contracting as well...... Symptoms of a failing card slot include in my case flashing horizontal lines across the screen getting worse and worse over time Before refusing to Boot up all together until the chip in the offending slot is removed after which the Mac will run normally on one slot which can be upgraded to 1x 8gb..... So its not quite all doom and gloom but def a "Huge huge bummer...!!!!!!!!" I have been advised that the surface mount slot is un repairable by a qualified independent Apple Engineer who said that he had never managed to get one working again and confirmed that it's a VERY COMMON PROBLEM....!!!!!!!!!! The other Slot is soldered 'pin through board' And seems Relatively 'Bomb Proof' So far......!!!!!!!! I'm Assuming that macs run so hot probably in order to push the performance envelope as far as possible...... Some of the effort is definitely going toward developing form factor and more sophisticated industrial design, But You only have to look at the level of engineering on the heat sinks in iMacs on the CPU and GPU to get some idea of the amount of effort that's put into dissipating heat as efficiently as possible.....!!!!!!) ...........At the mo my MBP has been running flawlessly on one stick of 8gb Ram for more than a Year So Im Assuming that it'll continue to do so almost forever..... much like 2009-10-11 MacBook Pros all of which have Both Slots Soldered Pin through Board and Seem to be Bomb Proof....!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately I believe Mbp's after 2013 can't have the Ram Upgraded and 2009-10-11 can't run Anything beyond High Siera due to the limitations of the Graphics Card's which aren't capable of running "Metal"...... Although a 2009-10-11 Mbp with 16gb RAM and SSD upgrades is certainly no slouch unless you need advanced Metal Graphics Processing...... and it seems that Apple Probably think that there is enough money In Services like iTunes iCloud and Proprietory Software like Logic and Final Cut and the App Store to Risk Alienating Half of their Customer base who are still running older machines and Are a Reservoir of Extremely Brand Loyal Customers who are likely to upgrade at some point anyway..... and will certainly continue to use their services and continue to spend their money exclusively with Apple in the mean time...... So it seems like they will hopefully keep everyone going on High Siera for a good while at least the latest version of which contains a patch so that professionals or any one else using Final Cut etc can hopefully continue to do so for a good while to come..... before eventually deciding to upgrade.... So hopefully Apple will see sense and agree that as many brand loyal customers for software computers or services can only be a good thing especially when a good proportion of them certainly can't afford £1500 + for a mid tier Imac or Mbp But will Continue to Spend Hundreds of Pounds on Logic or Final Cut, iTunes the App Store and Other Services and Will continue to forever unless Apple Really Upset them by Refusing to Support their older but for the moment Perfectly Capable Machines....... This Really Would Mean Alienating a Huge Proportion of their Otherwise Extremely Brand Loyal Customer Base...... And for the moment High Siera seems to continue be being supported to keep all of their existing Customer Base Happy and Brand Loyal for a Good Long While to Come....... Also one assumes that Apple Probably Knows exactly how Many people are still using older machines and exactly how much Monet they continue to spend and how much revenue is generated.....
Loving your videos. Watching so many. Learning a lot. Thanks.
Great video did all these checks on my daughters 2012 Mac book pro she’s had it since new and the hard drive is very slow, thanks you 😉
I Bought A Macbook Pro Mid 2012 (Non-Retina) for Rs 22,000 1 Year Ago, Because Of Your Previous Video, Stating "Best Value Because Of Upgradability and Non-Retina Saves A Few Bucks and Buy It For $300 (Rs 22,471.50)". (Planning To Buy A Used IPhone Too Because Of Your Other Used IPhone Video).
Thanks A Ton Luke.
PS: Hard Drive is from some shady company (Instead of official); Runs Terribly Slow When Opening Multiple Apps (I'm A Software Engineer so... IntelliJ Idea, XCode, Multiple Terminal Windows and Ofcourse Chrome with many open tabs). After ~2-3 Months Battery Shows "Service Recommended".
Great vids man.
Retina's macbooks have a real issue with their screens.I bought a 13inch early 2015 (8/128/i5) and after one week it's screen was glitching like hell and it needed replace,also then i bought a 2013 13 inch with the same specs and after a while the same thing happened.So how to do you know which retina screen will work fine (especially in these older models that are out of the replacement program)Any advice?
Gotta love those mid 2012 💻 pros
The battery tabs/fasteners break over time, it is because the screw is too tight. If this is a virgin laptop (never opened) it is going to have a lot of dust and the one you have is actually very much like the ones I see. And don't get me started about eBay!!
Hey Luke can you do a segment or episode on upgrading the original AppleTV? Like installing a ssd drive or 3rd party software to run Plex or ATV?
That same exact battery screw hole is a bit broken on my 2012 MBP with original battery. I wonder if it's a weak point. Mine shows no signs of any major drops.
Luke.... can you show us what an water damage sensor looks like in its tripped and not tripped state? Thanks!
Here in South Africa we buy off Gumtree, Cash Crusaders or off Facebook market place so we physically see the machine and don't buy online.
what about doing a vid , buying a Macbook from Craigslist and what to look out for?
Hi new follower and I just bought a mid-2015 mac book pro. I used your buying MacBooks on eBay. So excited! I can't find drive dx in the app store. Is there another one? Thank you!
Still gonna call you “Luke Miami” 😂good vid bro
I really like your channel please keep making content, thanks
eBay sucks if you are a seller since there is no burden of proof needed.
Thank You for these videos
Excellent video!
Bought from a 2012MBP from areseller.... no ram, no HDD, because those would be the first things i'll replace anyway.... now i'm worried it won't come with the hard drive pins or the bracket....
9:17 how can I find those backgrounds on the iMacs behind you
Google.com
Mr Miani, I bought an early 2011 15” MacBook Pro with several issues including a broke screen. I’ve fixed everything including the screen, upgraded it to 1tb ssd, 16gb ram and it includes the 2.3ghz processor and dual graphics card. Basically it’s the same as a mid 2012. How much should I sell this for? I’m only into it for like 200 bucks. Thank you!
Just learned its going to cost over $900.00 for a new battery and 1 TB on my 2015 MacBook Pro :(
You are very fortunate to have the liquidity in your cash flow to purchase all these computers. I should be so fortunate
I have a mid 2010 MacBook and it only has 400 cycles and the hard drive is still good
Macbook pro 15” mid 2012; can you tell me which screwdrivers will be needed to remove the 3 screws attached to the battery?
Unfortunately eBay in Europe is not as good for the buyer as it is in US. I bought a Mac mini without hard disk. I opened it to put one in. The IR cable , 10 screws and the small cover for the heat sink were missing. One cable of four from the fan was broken. I asked for a refund from eBay and they told me I'm not getting one because I OPENED THE MACHINE!!!!!!!! I told them that i had to open it to put a hard drive inside, but that didn't change anything!!!
great tip with the DriveDx
I've never been a seller, but these days I would feel absolutely dirty for claiming a refund because an 8 year old laptop had a 'failing hard drive', just feels wrong to claim something like that. It's definitely worse to just say it's 'slow', so I feel for you there :(
It’s the responsibility of the seller to make sure a device listed as ‘fully functional’ is just that. If I sold someone a device that failed and caused them to lose their data I would definitely feel ‘absolutely dirty’
@@lukemiani Thanks for the reply man, I guess that makes sense, eBay does have certain standards in regards to business sellers and private sellers that wouldn't be common in other peer to peer marketplaces such as craigslist. But I guess it's also a matter of paying a premium price to get those kinds of protections
Thanks Lukey.
I'm buying one today, I'll definitely download n check.
Can you throw some light on diagnostic tool for MacBook and also any idea about PNP001 errors
Hi Luke. I have a question which I've never been able to answer before. I bought a 2014 Macbook Pro new. It is advertised as a 128GB SSD, but every tool I've ever used to check it says the size is 121GB. Even the smart test shows it as 121GB. I'm just wondering if Apple was doing something weird with their drives back then? 🤔
I just recently bought a MacBook Air 2018 with the same "issue"
Drive DX is no longer on app? can you recommend another one?
What does a liquid damage sensor look like?
Use old hard drive as a long-term storage you can get a USB connector to plug into your computer
Or FireWire to use as an older macOS install disk.(Iike for PPC stuff)
Great Videos Luke. Any idea if i should rebuild my early 2011 unibody macbook that keeps dying or trash it and buy a used one? Want to but responsibly can't get the new 16in one. Thanks! I do small video's in imovie! 🤣 i think i know the answer but changing the mother board is being offered for 450 dollars.
Wow....thank you for the education
Get a 2011 MBP 15" with a broken gpu. Disable it with a NVRAM command and enjoy.
Does this really work?
This isn't a permanent fix though. This method is very spotty after Sierra, and will not work after resetting NVRAM and is also known to randomly stop working. Also, you're stuck with the very weak intel graphics
Yes, it works fine in high Sierra, however windows does not work, unless you can enable hd3000 through efi (I couldn’t figure it out) however in Mac OS the machine works fine. You have to enter the command frequently but the machine works great for 120$ with the i7
No, the permanent way is the DeMux mod from dosdude1.
Is there a battery and disc test for iPads and iPhones?
Dear Luke, i would like to recommend you to use coconutBattery to check a mac's battery. There is also a great tool to check macs, It called TechTool Pro 11. This is a powerful and a very useful tool to check conditions of any mac. I use it often 'cause i often buy used macs and it always helps me to check all mac's hardware systems conditions.
And thank you for your videos! They're all great! ))
Thanks for the tips! I had never heard of those before. Do you buy and resell them or just buy them?
@@jordanbanko5347 You're welcome. I usually buy them for a company that I work for. But sometimes I buy them to resell.
@@shteinbok That's awesome. I really want to buy my next MBP off of eBay auctions because the savings are insane! If you don't mind me asking, how do you get the Macs for a low enough price to resell?
Very good video.
What my mid 2012 manufactured in June 2013 with only 617 cycles has a 68% battery
Do you leave it plugged in overnight on the regular?
It was likely left with 0% charge for a very long time. I deal with many 2012 MBPs and often they have low cycles but were left sitting and have terrible health. Whats good is you can get a new OEM battery for $50.
@@BigZoShowTime It is always plugged in when I am home should I continue to do so?
Hi there, Luke! THANKS for this great video! Drive DX is not available. Do you have another recommendation? Thanks!
Why is it likely that the hard drives are failing..? In my original 2012 MacBook Pro I replaced dvd drive with ssd and still up to this day both hard drives are working perfectly
Very helpful, thank you. 👍
I really enjoy ur videos! Hi from France ❤️
Where on ebay can we get ur macbooks? Need one for my brother and I’m sure I can trust u! 😋
I just purchased a MacBook Air 2015 on eBay . It will arrive on on a week but I forgot to ask if it is coming with charger or not. There is no mention of the charger, does that mean that is coming without charger? Anyone please?
Usually if there is no mention about a charger it’s not included.
Excellent video...
What do people think of Mac of All trades for getting used Macs?
I like your channel., Thank you for your good work!
Hey Luke I’m a fan and I have a question would you recommend the MacBook Pro 2013 now in 2020?
If you are concern about budget, I would suggest get the mid 2012 non retina one. Some said its the most repairable, upgradable, and durable macbook. If budget is not your concern , get the 2015. I hope it helps.
Apiet Nugroho thanks for the advice!!!
Can you do a instructional video on how you installed your radeon vii in your 5,1cmp
Luke do you know what is the highest ram an “MacBook pro mid 2009 15inch” with dedicated graphics? I have 4 gb of ram and want to know if 8 gb is the highest or 16 gb is the highest, and would also what kind of “MHz it can handle”
8GB is your max. Stick with 1066MHz.
great video!
I just recently bought the exact same model Macbook and it ended up having GPU kernel panics. No big deal, heat gun time. Well, I fix that and turn it on, everything works great. In the process of updating to Mojave and a capacitor next to the screen ribbon pops and fries the screen connector, whiting out the panel. Rip my Macbook I thought was initially a good purchase...
joe opentoe Time to send it to Louis Rossmann!
I think you’ve just explained the main problem with buying much older MacBooks. They can be brilliant bargains, but you can also end up waiting time and money when they fail and you have no comeback with them. It’s always a bit of a gamble.
I think you bought a 2011 MacBook Pro...
Stay away from those in case of next time
@@eccremocarpusscaber5159 it’s like that with any used computer.
honestly I've never put much faith in HDD smart data, I've had many hard drives over the years with reallocated sectors that lasted many years and in fact most are still working today
Thanks Luke for the Drives DX but I am using it on unibody macbook pro non-retina which I install 2 SSD from the test result seems to be accurate only the main drive but for the drive on the DVD slot wasn't accurate. Thanks anyway!!
POP THE BUBBLE WRAP DO IT YOU MUST
This wird thing what u find is usualy on a fan connector ;)
“A healthy dose of eucalyptus oil should do the trick”
Luke, you are the fucking best! Wasting your money so tech noobs dont have to! Keep it up!
Lots of appreciation, from ireland 🇮🇪
Nice video, so technical 🤦🏽♀️
Would you recommend or use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust from the inside of a unit?
Hi guys.. I want to ask because my macbook, if I use 10mins its to hot then the lcd change into have a horizontal line and the images I mean the screen was faded.. What is the problem on that? Thank you for someone know that.. Thank you
I attempted to install a data dou le on a macbook pro and one of the screws are stripped, any ideas?
Hey Luke, I have a very important question for you. When replacing the hard drive with new one, how do you load up the OS so that it keeps working. I'm asking because I bought a 2009 MacBook Pro for $50 and have to replace the HDD but don't know how. Also I use windows for most of my stuff, So a windows tutorial would be nice but if not I can make it work from a Mac's side too. PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO OR SEND HELP PLEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE!!!!!!!!
Gerardo Mena Hi, you should look up how to make a macOS installer drive from a usb drive. And there are plenty of guides online for replacing a hard drive (use an ssd - it will make your MacBook so much faster!) it’s not a difficult job at all. Just follow the guides to the letter. Bare in mind that you won’t be able to run the latest version of MacOS. Google your MacBook model and find which one is appropriate (probably High Sierra I would think) You can get a copy from any torrent site very easily. You will need to have access to another Mac to do most of this. Or you could use vmware to install macOS on a windows computer to use that to make the installer drive.
Once you have macOS installed and running properly you can then use bootcamp (part of macOS) to install windows. It guides you through and is fairly straightforward. All you’ll need is a windows 10 .iso downloaded from Microsoft. Apple will download all drivers you need for you automatically.
Have a google. I think I’ve perhaps made that more complicated sounding than it really is... if you have a friend who has a Mac you really have an easy job 👍🏻
where is your ebay store?
geez-you're good
10:05 - 11:31 Literally the reason I refuse to use eBay at all. I sold an iPhone 4S, buyer complained about it being slow, tried to refund, I WON the appeal to deny the refund, buyer kept his phone, eBay kept my money (which they had taken out of my paypal account the minute the buyer clicked 'refund'), and I got nothing. I called eBay repeatedly for months to get my money, they never gave it to me. I had a long standing account with tons of good reviews, had to delete it. Anything anyone buys on eBay, eBay gets a cut, and eBay does NOT deserve anyone's money. Ever. Do. Not. Buy. Anything. On. eBay.
Dude thought u were Scott Baio, great info though, I’m thinking of going the used route when purchasing the pro