13" vs. 15". Money-wise.

[TimBroers]

I'm currently facing a difficult decision right now. I would like to buy a new MacBook Pro but I'm not quite sure which one. Let me explain a few things first:

-The laptop COULD possibly be bought in the US, shaving about 20% off the price in euros.
-The laptop will be used for some random things mostly (internet, a few old games, messenger, etc.) and some 3D-editing in the future.
-My budget (if I try hard) would be about 1500 euro's (about 1800 US dollars)

The systems which I have to chose between are the base-model 13". With the 2.4 Ghz C2D. And the base model 15". With the 2.4 Ghz i5. Performace-wise, the 13" would be more than enough for me. The ONLY reason why I would want a 15", is the higher resolution of the screen. Ive used my sisters 13" quite often, and the resolution is rather small for my needs, I like to have multiple windows open at once.

Buying the 13" in the Netherlands would cost me 1150 euros, which is well within budget (or 950-1000 euros when bought in the US, which would be even better). Buying the 15" in the Netherlands would be impossible, but buying it in the US it would cost me about 1450-1500 euros. Blowing away my budget.

So. What do you think I should do? (I think the answer is obvious, but I could still use some feedback)

 

[hellfire88]

It seems like you don't really need the Core i5 CPU/nVidia 330m GPU in the new 15" MBP's so perhaps you can look into getting a refurb previous-gen 15" MBP with the Core 2 Duo CPUs. This way you get the bigger screen with the higher res and can save some $$ (you can get the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo refurb for about the same price as the current 13" MBP 2.4GHz.).

 

[hellfire88]

Oh yea here's a good website to check Apple's refurb prices:

http://www.refurb.me/

You mentioned you may be able to buy in the US so this is a possiblity.

 

[TimBroers]

It seems like you don't really need the Core i5 CPU/nVidia 330m GPU in the new 15" MBP's so perhaps you can look into getting a refurb previous-gen 15" MBP with the Core 2 Duo CPUs. This way you get the bigger screen with the higher res and can save some $$ (you can get the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo refurb for about the same price as the current 13" MBP 2.4GHz.).

The Dutch Apple-store doesnt have a refurb-section. If I wanted a last-gen 15" Id have to check at some electronics-stores to see if they have some left or buy them secondhand.

As far as buying in the US: a friend of my sister has offered to buy one if he ever travels to the US again. So he has to be able to buy the laptop at a store since they cannot be delivered to him.