Apple Apple - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished MacBook Pro - 16" Display- Intel Core i9- 16GB Memory- AMD Radeon Pro 5500M - 1TB SSD - Silver Review

This refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro has a stunning screen and best-in-class ports, but its Intel i9 CPU and 16GB RAM are slower than most modern laptops. At $840, it's only worth it if you need that specific Mac experience and are willing to trade performance for premium features.

This refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro is a classic workstation with a clear split personality. On one hand, it's packing a 1TB SSD, a gorgeous 16-inch Retina screen, and a staggering four Thunderbolt ports, which lands it in the top tier for connectivity. On the other hand, its core specs—the 9th-gen Intel Core i9 and 16GB of DDR4 RAM—are firmly in the bottom quarter of our database for modern laptops. It's a machine where the foundation is dated, but the experience around it still feels premium.

Let's talk about that foundation. The Intel Core i9 processor sits in the 23rd percentile for CPU performance. That means it's slower than about three-quarters of the laptops we track. In real terms, you're looking at compile times and video encodes that will lag behind most modern machines, even some mid-range ones. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU fares better, landing in the solid 69th percentile. It's capable for light creative work and older games, but it's not going to handle heavy 3D rendering or new AAA titles well. The 1TB SSD is a nice, fast storage win, and the 16-inch Retina display is still a standout, with True Tone making it a pleasure for long editing sessions.

At around $840, the value proposition is tricky. You're getting a fantastic screen, great ports, and a big SSD in a reliable, refurbished package. However, you're paying that price for a CPU and RAM combo that performs like a budget machine today. Compared to a new budget laptop, you'd get better raw performance. Compared to a modern refurbished Mac, you'd get vastly better efficiency and speed. This price only makes sense if the specific Mac experience and those premium features are worth the performance trade-off.

If you need raw power, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or a modern ASUS ProArt will run circles around this MacBook for similar or lower prices, with much better CPUs and GPUs. If you're wedded to macOS, even a base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip would offer dramatically better CPU performance, much better battery life, and a newer OS, though you'd lose the huge screen and some ports. This 16-inch model is a niche pick: it's for someone who specifically wants that large, beautiful Apple display and Thunderbolt hub in a reliable refurbished unit, and is willing to accept 2019-level core performance.

Skip this if you need a fast, portable laptop for modern work. The CPU and RAM performance are disappointing, landing in the bottom quarter of our rankings. Developers, video editors, or anyone who needs to multitask heavily will find it sluggish. Also skip it if you want a compact machine—it's heavy and scores low on portability. This is not a laptop for keeping up with current performance demands.

We can't recommend this as a general-purpose power laptop. Its core specs are too far behind. However, as a dedicated, stationary editing station for someone who already lives in macOS and values that specific screen and port setup, it's a reliable refurbished option. Buy it only if the large screen and ports are your absolute top priorities, and you're okay with the performance being a time capsule from a few years ago.