Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro Offers Portable Professional Performance

The 2017 refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro offers a compelling blend of performance and portability, featuring a 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, making it suitable for tasks ranging from financial modeling to client presentations. Its 13.3-inch Retina display with 2560×1600 resolution and 500 nits brightness, along with the Touch Bar and Touch ID, enhance productivity and security, while four Thunderbolt 3 ports provide versatile connectivity options. Weighing just over 3 pounds and housed in a durable aluminum body, it is designed for mobile professionals who need reliable performance on the go. In comparison, the 2025 Asus ProArt P16 targets creative professionals with high-end specs like an AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, and 32GB RAM; however, it has thermal issues and a mushy keyboard but offers strong audio and a useful performance control app. For those balancing gaming and schoolwork, modern laptops now offer a mix of portability, power, and price, with recommendations emphasizing at least 16GB RAM and ample SSD storage for multitasking and demanding applications. Users running single-threaded applications like Fusion 360 on newer MacBook Pros may face performance challenges, sometimes leading them to consider building PCs optimized for such workloads.