Apple MacBook Pro 13.3" REF-MV9A2LL/A 2018, Core i5, 8GB, 512GB SSD, Space Gray

A refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro for $500 sounds tempting, but the old Intel CPU and just 8GB of RAM hold it back hard. The Retina display and build are still great, yet a used M1 MacBook Air at a similar price offers way more power and battery life. Only buy this if macOS with Boot Camp is a must.

In our rundown, the CPU falls well below average, and the 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM is among the worst we've seen in this class. Real-world, that means it handles light office work without complaint, but multitasking gets messy quickly. The integrated Iris Plus 655 graphics sit right in the middle of the pack, fine for streaming video but a non-starter for gaming or even modest video editing. Storage speeds are okay thanks to that 512GB SSD, but the read/write numbers aren't going to impress anyone who's used a modern NVMe drive.

Our database stacks it against modern peers like the ASUS ProArt PX13, MSI Prestige, Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro, Lenovo ThinkPad P14s, and HP ZBook Ultra G1a. Those laptops run circles around this old Intel chip in raw performance and offer more RAM, better screens, and modern port layouts. They do cost a lot more new, but even a $500 new Windows laptop today typically pairs a recent Ryzen or 12th-gen Intel CPU with 16GB of RAM, leaving this MacBook in the dust. The only edge here is the macOS experience and that premium aluminum unibody.

At $500, this MacBook Pro sits in a weird spot. A clean used M1 MacBook Air often goes for about the same price and absolutely demolishes it in speed, battery life, and thermals. The only real reason to pick this Intel model is if you rely on Boot Camp for Windows or need legacy macOS software. Otherwise, that price buys you a much more capable Windows ultrabook with a newer processor and double the RAM. Value feels shaky.

This is a Geek Squad Certified Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro from the Intel days, priced at $500. It packs a crisp 2560x1600 Retina display, a Touch Bar with Touch ID, and that classic Apple build quality that still feels premium. But under the hood, the 8th-gen quad-core i5 and just 8GB of RAM tell a story of a machine that's getting long in the tooth.

For the basics, writing, browsing, streaming, it's competent and snappy enough. But the moment you push it with a dozen tabs, a big spreadsheet, or any app that asks more of the GPU, the fan kicks in and performance tumbles. You're also living that full dongle life: four Thunderbolt 3 ports are fast but won't accept a standard USB-A plug without an adapter.

Anyone who keeps a ton of browser tabs open, edits photos, or runs demanding apps should skip this. The 8GB RAM fills up fast and swapping slows everything down. If you can't stand dongle life, the all-USB-C port setup will drive you nuts. And anyone who needs all-day battery without hunting for an outlet will be disappointed. Look at an M1 MacBook Air or a modern Ryzen ultrabook instead.

Pick this up if you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, need a cheap, lightweight laptop for writing, email, and casual browsing, and don't mind a few dongles. It's not a machine for students who juggle heavy research or anyone doing photo or video work. The screen and build are lovely, but the performance ceiling is low. Budget buyers should seriously consider a refurbished M1 Air instead.