A few questions about 2010 MBP 15"

[Jahoe]

Hi guys,
Firstly I'd like to apologise for my poor technical knowledge. I've been Googling for a while but can't find answers. I'm going to buy a secondhand MBP mid 2010.

1. I've got a Samsung SyncMaster S23B350 that has a HDMI input. I've noticed the 2010 MBP doesn't have thunderbolt - only FireWire 800. Would I still be able to configure the Samsung so that I can use it as a secondary monitor?
   
2. Would the top-end mid 2010 MBP beat the bottom-end early 2011 in terms of performance? I play the odd game so it's not to crucial but which would be able to handle, for example, CS:GO the best?

Thanks for the help 😀!

 

[T5BRICK]

You just need a displayport to HDMI adapter.

The early 2011 model with the quad 2.0GHz processor is faster(by a large margin) according to geekbench. I couldn't tell you how that translates into actual use, my mid-2009 still works just fine for me.