Buying a used Macbook Pro

if you get the core 2 duo then you gotta get a ssd and memory

however if you get the i5 then the ssd/memory really isnt necessary for your needs

either way it'll cost the same based on your needs

 

Why not go i5 with SSD and Memory?

 

Contrary to what others have implied, most Core i5 MBPs don't come with tons of memory and SSDs. Most will be base configured uMBP-13s with 4GB RAM and a 5400rpm HDD, so you may wish to get a faster drive and additional RAM anyway.

The advantage to the Core i5 machines is that they will be Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge, which means that you'll get a Thunderbolt connection, an XDSC card slot, larger max RAM capacity, and they'll be faster. On 2012 or 2013 models you'll also get USB3.

You don't need any of those things for what you want to do, but they may be nice to have for future-proofing.

You also don't need an SSD, but it sure will make your user-experience better. Large ones can be quite pricey though though so if you need a lot of space (and I suspect that you will given your intended usage) you may wish to consider a hybrid.

You will likely need a RAM upgrade, 4GB just barely gets by these days.


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