Tips for future Mac owners.
Buying a used Mac can be compared to a lottery – you never know what you’ll end up with. Often behind the ideal case and a pleasant price hides a “drowning man”, a device with a firmware password, without which even macOS can not reinstall, or a model three years older than the promised seller. Today we tell you how to buy a Mac “with your hands” and do not regret it.
The most obvious tip is to carefully inspect your computer before you buy it. If you buy on the Internet – ask the seller to take photos from all angles that you can come up with. Pay attention to suspicious things: scratches, dents, cracks in the body; Broken pixels and damage to the matrix if it’s a MacBook; torn bolts, gaps and other defects.
Any fall can cause damage to internal components. The stronger the desktop or laptop is beaten externally, the more reasons to refuse to buy. Note that small scratches on the lid and scuffs can still be not taken seriously – it is unlikely that you will find a five-year-old Mac, which will be perfect.
Before you buy, ask the seller for a serial number and check it for Site Apple. This will see if you’re trying to “steam” the 2013 model under the guise of MacBook Air 2017, and more information about the status of service support. Another important point: check the serial number on the bottom of the device with the one displayed in the menu About this Mac ». They should be the same. If the numbers are different, don’t buy a computer or laptop – most likely, it was assembled from a few. Who knows how long Frankenstein will last and what’s inside him.
When the Mac successfully passes the first two stages of verification, that’s a good thing. But don’t stop. The next step is to check your device for a firmware password without which you can’t download from the recovery section or install macOS cleanly.
Turn off the computer and then turn it on while holding the keys Command And R . Then go to the menu Utilities » — « Firmware password utility ». If the Mac is downloaded from the recovery section, and you see the option Include firmware password The test is over. No password, you can restart the device as usual and check if the iCloud laptop is clean.
Open the panel System settings » — iCloud and see if there’s anyone’s account. We advise you not to follow the seller’s promises on the Internet to leave your account after sending a prepayment or receiving a computer in the mail.
Obviously, you don’t need a Mac without a working “iron.” Look at the state of the battery, the number of recharge cycles, the full and the remaining capacity. Open the menu About this Mac with a clamped key Option (Alt) and go to the tab Power supply ». Run through your eyes and change through other substitutions: so you can find out the number of free RAM slots or the type and condition of the drive, for example.
Before buying an Apple laptop, check the display for lights, broken pixels and cracks. In the case of the MacBook Pro, also pay attention to the anti-reflective coating, which on some models will climb over time.
The last step of the test is to connect to the Wi-Fi network and check the wireless module. Open your browser and go to YouTube to see if the built-in speakers are working at the same time.
Also, turn on Bluetooth and see if the Mac finds other devices and these devices are Macs. The same should be done with ports – bring a flash drive or cable to your iPhone so you can connect quickly. Start FaceTime, open several apps, make sure your computer doesn’t slow down. If everything suits and nothing arouses suspicion, the device can be bought.
We hope our article will help you choose a used MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro or whatever you want to buy there. Take your time and check your computer thoroughly. This is the only way you will buy a reliable device for a few years, not a broken trough, collected from five different computers and working on the honest word and prayers of the user.
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