Refurbished Retina Macbook Pro Buyers Guide

Buyers Guide to Refurbished Retina Macbook Pros

The Retina display on the Macbook Pro is one of the most significant improvements to the Macbook Pro since it was first introduced back in 2006. The Retina display has about twice the resolution of previous models. The 13.3-inch Macbook Pro had only 1280x800 pixels before the introduction of the Retina display. Beginning in 2012 with the first Retina display Macbook Pros, it now has 2560x1600 pixels. Even better, the 15.4-inch Macbook Pro jumped from 1440x900 pixels to 2880x1800 with the Retina display.

The pixels on the screen are so small on the Retina Macbook Pros that you cannot distinguish them individually. They simply blend together into one continuous image. When you are reading text off the screen, it’s almost like reading from a printed page. And for doing graphics processing and video production, you can see every detail with incredible clarity.

There’s a lot more to the Retina Macbook Pros than just the display

Along with the high resolution Retina screens, a lot of other changes have taken place with the Macbook Pro since 2012. Here are some highlights.

So long optical drive!

The Retina Macbook Pros do not have an optical drive. This is a good thing. When was the last time you used an optical disc? You don’t need them any more for software programs, because everything is downloaded from the internet. And the same is true with movies. Just about everything you watch is online streaming.

Without an optical drive, the Retina Macbook Pros are a lot thinner and lighter. That’s a big plus. And if you truly can’t live without an optical drive, you can always get an external one that stays on your desk and plugs into the USB port. GainSaver sells external optical drives with refurbished Retina Macbook Pros. Just select that option from the Configurator before checking out if you’d like to purchase one.

Really fast processors!

Retina Macbook Pros begin a new generation of processor performance that is required to drive the super high resolution screens. The 13.3-inch Retina Macbook Pros have over 4 million pixels that need to be updated with every video frame. The 15.4-inch Retina Macbook Pros have over 5 million pixels!

Depending on the year of introduction, the refurbished Retina Macbook Pros incorporate the third or fourth generation Intel i5 and i7 processors, with either dual or quad cores. Each core can handle multiple processor streams at once, so the processor never gets slowed down.

Iris Graphics, Iris Pro Graphics (IG), and Dual Graphics (DG)

The graphics performance of the refurbished Retina Macbook Pros is significantly improved, starting with the first generation of Retina Macbook Pros in 2012.

Then, beginning in Late 2013, Apple introduced Retina Macbook Pros with IG and DG graphics to drive the high resolution displays even faster. Iris Graphics in the 13.3-inch Retina Macbook Pro and Iris Pro Graphics (IG) in the 15.4-inch Retina Macbook Pro are enhancements to the fourth generation Intel processor. Iris and Iris Pro Graphics provide the Intel processor with improved graphics capabilities. The Iris Pro Graphics (IG) in the 15.4-inch Retina Macbook Pro has more embedded memory than the Iris Graphics, making it that much more powerful.

All Late 2013 15.4-inch Retina Macbook Pros have Iris Pro Graphics (IG), and some 15.4-inch Retina Macbook Pros also have Dual Graphics (DG). Dual Graphics is the addition of an NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics processor that works in parallel with Iris Pro Graphics. The power boost made possible by the NVIDIA graphics processor makes the Dual Graphics (DG) Retina Macbook Pros the first choice for high end video production work. You’ll get greater speed and responsiveness editing HD videos, and you’ll see more frames per second when playing 3D games.

Shop Refurbished Retina Macbook Pro Laptops by Generation

GainSaver has every generation of Retina Macbook Pro to choose from. You can easily navigate the GainSaver website and see the different Retina Macbook Pros.

Choose the Macbook Pro category from the menu at the top of the page under Apple.

In the navigation panel on the left, select the Year of Introduction. Retina Macbook Pros were first introduced in 2012.

The follow list of refurbished Retina Macbook Pro laptops at GainSaver shows the Apple part numbers from each years, and also some the significant changes in that year over the previous generation. Use this list as a guide to help you find exactly the right used discount Retina Macbook Pro that suits your needs.

Mid 2012 and Late 2012 Retina Macbook Pro Laptops

• MD212LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.5Ghz Dual Core i5 (Late 2012)
• A1425-2557 - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.9Ghz Dual Core i7 (Late 2012)
• MC975LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina) 2.3Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2012)
• MC976LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina) 2.6Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2012)
• MD831LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina) 2.7Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2012)

These systems are the first generation of Macbook Pro with the Retina display. The 13.3-inch Retina Macbook Pro was introduced a few months after the 15.4-inch systems in Late 2012. Not all Macbook Pros introduced in 2012 came with the Retina display, but this was the last year for the non-Retina Macbook Pros.

If you are shopping for a discount refurbished Retina Macbook Pro and price is your primary consideration, GainSaver has great deals on these used Mac laptops.

Notable Improvements over the previous Macbook Pro generation

• 13.3-inch Macbook Pro Retina display is 2560x1600 resolution
• 13.3-inch has the Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics processor
• 15.4-inch Macbook Pro Retina display is 2880x1800 resolution
• The 15.4-inch systems has the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics processor plus the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory
• All Retina Macbooks introduced in 2012 incorporate the third generation Intel i5 and i7 processors

Early 2013 Retina Macbook Pro Laptops

• MD213LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.5Ghz Dual Core i5 (Early 2013)
• ME662LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.6Ghz Dual Core i5 (Early 2013)
• A1425-29i7 - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.9Ghz Dual Core i7 (Early 2013)
• A1425-30i7 - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 3.0Ghz Dual Core i7 (Early 2013)
• ME664LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina) 2.4Ghz Quad Core i7 (Early 2013)
• ME665LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina) 2.7Ghz Quad Core i7 (Early 2013)
• A1398-28i7 - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina) 2.8Ghz Quad Core i7 (Early 2013)

Notable Improvements over the previous Macbook Pro generation

Faster processor speeds were introduced in Early 2013

Late 2013 Retina Macbook Pro Laptops

• ME864LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.4Ghz Dual Core i5 (Late 2013)
• ME865LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.4Ghz Dual Core i5 (Late 2013)
• ME866LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.6Ghz Dual Core i5 (Late 2013)
• A1502-28i7 - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.8Ghz Dual Core i7 (Late 2013)
• ME293LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina IG) 2.0Ghz Quad Core i7 (Late 2013)
• A1398-23i7 - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina IG) 2.3Ghz Quad Core i7 (Late 2013)
• A1398-26i7 - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina IG) 2.6Ghz Quad Core i7 (Late 2013)
• ME294LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina DG) 2.3Ghz Quad Core i7 (Late 2013)
• ME874LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina DG) 2.6Ghz Quad Core i7 (Late 2013)
• A1398 - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina DG) 2.7Ghz Quad Core i7 (Late 2013)

Notable Improvements over the previous Macbook Pro generation

• 13-inch Iris Graphics –Iris Graphics boost performance up to 90% over previous models
• 15-inch Iris Pro Graphics (IG) have 128MB of embedded memory
• 15-inch Dual Graphics (DG) – Iris Pro Graphics plus NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M. With 2GB of GDDR5 memory, the processor is twice as fast as the previous generation of NVIDIA graphics processors.
• Fourth generation Intel i5 and i7 processors
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi, with three times the speed of earlier 802.11n Wi-Fi
• Thunderbolt 2, which is twice as fast as the original Thunderbolt
• PCIe Flash, which provides flash storage up to 60% faster than the previous generation of Retina Macbook Pros

Mid 2014 Retina Macbook Pro Laptops

• MGX72LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.6Ghz Dual Core i5 (Mid 2014)
• MGX92LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 2.8Ghz Dual Core i5 (Mid 2014)
• MGXD2LL/A - Macbook Pro 13.3-inch (Retina) 3.0Ghz Dual Core i7 (Mid 2014)
• MGXA2LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina IG) 2.2Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2014)
• MGXC2LL/A-BTO - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina IG) 2.5Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2014)
• MGXG2LL/A-BTO - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina IG) 2.8Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2014)
• MGXC2LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina DG) 2.5Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2014)
  • MGXG2LL/A - Macbook Pro 15.4-inch (Retina DG) 2.8Ghz Quad Core i7 (Mid 2014)

  Notable Improvements over the previous Retina Macbook Pro generation

  Faster processor speeds were introduced in Mid 2014.

  Why buy a refurbished Retina Macbook Pro?

  The Retina display is the new standard for Macbook Pros. And once you have used one, you will never want to go back to a low resolution Macbook Pro from an earlier generation. The resolution is so high that you may not need to connect an external display, even when you are doing image processing or video creation. But if you do want an external display, the Retina Macbook Pros support that too. You can connect multiple high resolution screens using the Thunderbolt port.

  Explore the GainSaver website and check out the complete specs, images and customer reviews on the used and refurbished Retina Macbook Pro laptops at GainSaver to find the one that fits your price/performance requirements. GainSaver has the best prices anywhere on refurbished Retina Macbook Pros. You’re sure to find a deal you can’t pass up.