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frontpagewildbird12 posted Jul 17, 2025 10:02 PM
frontpagewildbird12 posted Jul 17, 2025 10:02 PM

Grade A Refurb: Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Laptop: M1, 2560x1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD

+ Free Shipping

$400

StackSocial
240 Comments 65,470 Views
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Deal Details
StackSocial has Grade A Refurbished: Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Laptop (2 Colors) for $399.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member wildbird12 for finding this deal.

Available:
Specs:
  • Apple M1 Chip 8-core CPU + 7-Core GPU
  • 13.3" 2560x1600 Retina IPS LCD Display
  • 256GB Solid State Drive
  • 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.0
  • Integrated 720p FaceTime HD Camera
  • Backlit Magic Keyboard with Force Touch Trackpad
  • Weight: 2.8 lbs
  • Ports
    • 2x Thunderbolt 3/ USB 4 Ports

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
  • About this product:
    • This product is listed with a Grade "A" rating. It arrives in a near-mint condition and may have very minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case. To learn more about refurbished products, click here.
  • About this store:
    • Returns accepted within 30 days of shipment for orders within the Contiguous US.

Original Post

Written by wildbird12
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
StackSocial has Grade A Refurbished: Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Laptop (2 Colors) for $399.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member wildbird12 for finding this deal.

Available:
Specs:
  • Apple M1 Chip 8-core CPU + 7-Core GPU
  • 13.3" 2560x1600 Retina IPS LCD Display
  • 256GB Solid State Drive
  • 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.0
  • Integrated 720p FaceTime HD Camera
  • Backlit Magic Keyboard with Force Touch Trackpad
  • Weight: 2.8 lbs
  • Ports
    • 2x Thunderbolt 3/ USB 4 Ports

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
  • About this product:
    • This product is listed with a Grade "A" rating. It arrives in a near-mint condition and may have very minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case. To learn more about refurbished products, click here.
  • About this store:
    • Returns accepted within 30 days of shipment for orders within the Contiguous US.

Original Post

Written by wildbird12

Community Voting

Deal Score
+70
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Top Comments

back2basics
230 Posts
92 Reputation
I'm a heavy user and the M1 8gb was my main computer for 4 years. These days, it's my secondary but I still use it when I don't want to bring my main M4 16gb 15". My m1 8gb hit the swap super heavy. I didn't feel a performance drop, but was worried at the amount of SSD wear it would do. 5 years later, my ssd still has 78% life remaining accord to the SMART data.
This M1 8gb won't be good for AI or heavy workloads, but is more than enough power for the average internet based user. At this price point, they only have premium chromebooks or crappy Windows laptops. I'd take my M1 8gb over any other if this was my price cap or giving it to a basic user.
IPrince
83 Posts
26 Reputation
If you can afford the difference, this sells for $599 brand new at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-.../715596133
PurpleBorder8835
25 Posts
14 Reputation
Not everyone has $850 to drop. Some people have a hard cap of $400 or $500, which would have kept them out of the MacBook market until today.

239 Comments

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Jul 18, 2025 02:54 AM
197 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
Jul 18, 2025 02:54 AM
msk2000Jul 18, 2025 02:54 AM
197 Posts
Should really be $300 sharp. This computer has been outdated compared to latest models that have better performance. Corporate greed is just taking advantage of working class folks
1
2
Jul 18, 2025 02:58 AM
144 Posts
Joined Dec 2023
Jul 18, 2025 02:58 AM
TenseScene1475Jul 18, 2025 02:58 AM
144 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
8gb of ram is the real detriment on this. It's 2025 -- 32gb is considered the bare minimum standard anymore. Such a paltry 8gb amount was the low end back in....what, 2013?

With casual admin use (email, discord, onenote, firefox), I'm hitting 65-70% on a 16gb M1 Air. You'll be slamming the swap memory -- or having to treat it like a mobile by single tasking. Just with that stuff alone, I'm occasionally hitting that swap memory like it owes me money.

You're better off looking at the entry-level M4 Air which routinely hits $850. Yes, it's more than twice the price -- but you're getting a CPU that is significantly better AND twice the ram (just in the base config). For $1000, you can get that same config in a 15" chassis. All with the option to get a spanking fresh 3-year warranty.

If u r really concerned about ram just bring it to local ubreakwefix and they can upgrade it to 16gb by 200 bucks+tax. And they even give 90 days warranty. I upgraded mine and it works very well.
Jul 18, 2025 03:14 AM
1,230 Posts
Joined Feb 2020
Jul 18, 2025 03:14 AM
GreySwing658Jul 18, 2025 03:14 AM
1,230 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
Yes, because if I was a PC person, I'd be advocating a $850-1000 M4 Air?

If you know how ram works on Mac os and hardware you'd know this works just fine for most ppl.
1
Jul 18, 2025 03:32 AM
2,906 Posts
Joined Sep 2019
Jul 18, 2025 03:32 AM
LavenderPickle7682Jul 18, 2025 03:32 AM
2,906 Posts
Quote from sr27 :
@GrummanPilot99 Quote from GrummanPilot99 [IMG]https://api-web.slickdeals.net/images/misc/backlink.gif[/IMG] : You don't understand how ram works. If there's more RAM it will use more of it. If there's only 8 GB available, there would still be probably 20% headroom left running those same apps you're talking about This is an absolutely comical take for anyone with education in system architecture. Lol. I am dying from laughing every time I read this.
I know, right? When people are saying "8gb is the SAME as 16gb" and I'm like...do you even hear yourself?
4
Jul 18, 2025 03:32 AM
2,906 Posts
Joined Sep 2019
Jul 18, 2025 03:32 AM
LavenderPickle7682Jul 18, 2025 03:32 AM
2,906 Posts
Quote from GreySwing658 :
If you know how ram works on Mac os and hardware you'd know this works just fine for most ppl.
Then why'd Apple change the base ram to 16gb if 8gb is more than enough? Please, backpedal that for me.
4
Jul 18, 2025 03:33 AM
2,906 Posts
Joined Sep 2019
Jul 18, 2025 03:33 AM
LavenderPickle7682Jul 18, 2025 03:33 AM
2,906 Posts
Quote from TenseScene1475 :
If u r really concerned about ram just bring it to local ubreakwefix and they can upgrade it to 16gb by 200 bucks+tax. And they even give 90 days warranty. I upgraded mine and it works very well.
....or I can just get a brand new machine, current gen processor, 3 year warranty, 15" display for sub $1000.
4
Jul 18, 2025 03:34 AM
2,906 Posts
Joined Sep 2019

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Jul 18, 2025 03:47 AM
66 Posts
Joined Jun 2017
Jul 18, 2025 03:47 AM
NickonSDJul 18, 2025 03:47 AM
66 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
Because intelligent people don't trust other people's servers for the things that matter.

It's insane that you think everyone has the same needs with computing. This is a steal for anybody who wants something well built and that will serve them well for a long time.
2
Jul 18, 2025 03:48 AM
66 Posts
Joined Jun 2017
Jul 18, 2025 03:48 AM
NickonSDJul 18, 2025 03:48 AM
66 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
Then why'd Apple change the base ram to 16gb if 8gb is more than enough? Please, backpedal that for me.

Because this came out years ago lol
Jul 18, 2025 03:48 AM
325 Posts
Joined Mar 2016
Jul 18, 2025 03:48 AM
DavidL8545Jul 18, 2025 03:48 AM
325 Posts
Please note that a return shipping fee as well as the original shipping cost (if any) will be deducted from any refunds.
Important Notes:
Return must be new, unused, and in its original packaging.
The time it takes to post a credit to your account is determined by the issuing bank. Please contact your bank for details.
While most items are eligible for a return, some items are Final Sale and are clearly marked on the sale page. Final Sale items are never eligible for returns or exchanges.
Additionally, there are some common exceptions to our return policy, such as health and hygiene items, perishables, and all custom or personalized products made for you. These products are not eligible for return or exchange and will be noted on the respective product pages.
Returns are only accepted for items shipped to any address within the Contiguous United States.
We are unable to support return requests for items that have been forwarded using the assistance of a freight carrier to forward parcels to other destinations.
Jul 18, 2025 03:59 AM
185 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Jul 18, 2025 03:59 AM
iindigoJul 18, 2025 03:59 AM
185 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
8gb of ram is the real detriment on this. It's 2025 -- 32gb is considered the bare minimum standard anymore. Such a paltry 8gb amount was the low end back in....what, 2013?

With casual admin use (email, discord, onenote, firefox), I'm hitting 65-70% on a 16gb M1 Air. You'll be slamming the swap memory -- or having to treat it like a mobile by single tasking. Just with that stuff alone, I'm occasionally hitting that swap memory like it owes me money.

You're better off looking at the entry-level M4 Air which routinely hits $850. Yes, it's more than twice the price -- but you're getting a CPU that is significantly better AND twice the ram (just in the base config). For $1000, you can get that same config in a 15" chassis. All with the option to get a spanking fresh 3-year warranty.
I would say that for the masses, 16GB is still more than they'll regularly use and is still alright as a bare minimum on a new machine. 8GB is pushing it, but depending on the use may not be a problem.

At $400 you're dipping into the territory of Chromebooks and semi-disposable cheapo Walmart bargain bin laptops (while being a heck of a lot nicer), and those are rarely used for anything more than browsing with a handful of tabs open, for which 8GB is fine.

I'm a dev and technical person of 20+ years and I have 16GB machines that rarely see their RAM usage exceed even half their capacity simply because their purpose isn't RAM intensive.
Last edited by iindigo July 17, 2025 at 09:01 PM.
Jul 18, 2025 04:01 AM
2,906 Posts
Joined Sep 2019

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Jul 18, 2025 04:17 AM
692 Posts
Joined May 2011
Jul 18, 2025 04:17 AM
dohnnysdiscountgasJul 18, 2025 04:17 AM
692 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
That's....not how ram works, but hey, keep mansplaining things!
It's not how RAM works, but it's how macOS utilizes the RAM in the system. My lady friend has a 4GB 11" I just used the other day and it shows free RAM available...

More is better, obviously, but at some point you gain nothing. macOS holds onto cached files that may not be read again simply because there's no reason to evict them.

An 8GB m1 might not be the best multitasker but it's god damn good at it anyway. I would not advise someone to pay double for an m4 16GB *if all else were exactly equal*. It's a deal!...
Last edited by dohnnysdiscountgas July 17, 2025 at 09:20 PM.
1
Jul 18, 2025 04:23 AM
692 Posts
Joined May 2011
Jul 18, 2025 04:23 AM
dohnnysdiscountgasJul 18, 2025 04:23 AM
692 Posts
Quote from LavenderPickle7682 :
Then why'd Apple change the base ram to 16gb if 8gb is more than enough? Please, backpedal that for me.
Because the mythical Apple Intelligence needs RAM to work and even adding 8GB just for that purpose is not much

Not saying more ram isn't better, but your point is majorly flawed and irrelevant. They sell the minimum they can because margins. That minimum went uo because Ai is a marketing point now that outweighs the hardware expense.

In other words, if you turn on Apple Intelligence or Apple doesn't let you disable it, you may not be gaining anything between and 8 and 16 machine because 8 of it could be reserved

And whatever they do today is kind of irrelevant since they can and do make changes like this on a whim. They already have made it so even if you disable Apple intelligence you can't reclaim the storage space it consumes
2

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Jul 18, 2025 04:26 AM
97 Posts
Joined Oct 2019
Jul 18, 2025 04:26 AM
SensibleStar7876Jul 18, 2025 04:26 AM
97 Posts
Quote from BeigeRoute2868 :
8gb on Mac silicon is equivalent in performance to 16gb pc because windows is memory hog
More like 12gb ram

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