3 choices, advice please !

[Sarngate]

So i'm in the market for a new laptop after my current Windows machine decided it would be HILARIOUS to make random noises through my headphones consistently, as well as the mic input dying. The fact that the battery also lasts 40 minutes after a year and a half just pushed me over the edge.

I looked for a while at different Windows laptops, some with i3 processors and some with CULV's, but i couldn't really find a laptop with a good mixture of power and battery life. I also had the problem that the only laptops with both i3 and decent batteries, the Timeline X series from Acer looks like a business laptop and has poor build quality.

I also receive the Apple Education discount, so my question is:

Should i go for the MBP 13'', the soon to be refreshed MB 13'', or try and grab an older MBP with switchable graphics for a cheaper price ? I like the sound of the 9400/9600 15'' model, my only reservation with that would be battery life as i know the 2010 models have improved that significantly.

Any input would be great

 

[Christina1971]

Do you have any budget constraints? Do you like to do some processor intensive activities?

Because, if budget is an issue, the soon-to-be-updated Macbook looks like quite a nice deal. 7 hours of battery life sure sounds nice compared to the 3 hours or so I'm getting now. Though the 10 hours you'd get with the 13 inch MBP sounds good too.

I personally would only get the older 15 if I wanted a larger screen. For the kinds of things I do, switchable graphics would not be an important consideration. That's just me though.

 

[Sarngate]

Well i wouldn't want to spend any more than the price of the MBP with the education discount (£858) and the thing which is putting me off the Macbook is that i have heard quite a lot of problems regarding the quality of the polycarbonate shell. Cracks along the hinge and stains seem to be quite common problems, hence the reason why the MBP is appealing.

Main reason why i like the idea of the used MBP is that i can get a 15'' version with the increased resolution and switchable graphics, and then buy a new battery for a total price which is still less than a new 13'' MBP.

Perhaps the Macbook cracks were problems with initial production units, but there was a thread i read somewhere which had literally a dozen different people with the same problem, and some of them had difficulties getting their units repaired under warranty.

I guess if anybody here has experience with the new Macbook that would be very helpful.