Caught between 13 i7 and 15 2.2 quad

[Ach111es]

I'm also in the same boat. While I don't really know if classes will be demanding on my lappie, Here is what I currently do:
Video editing
Light photoediting
File conversion and large file movement
Cd burning
pretty intensive browsing (maxes out my current CPU)
Probably COD or homefront too, as well as Diablo 3 when it's out.

Also resell value is big to me. I would like to update in 1-2 years depending on how the mbp up dates. So I am wondering which laptop is the most bang for the buck.

Here is my current laptop:
Dell Vostro 1510, windows 7
Bulky 9 cell battery-gets about 4hrs word processing/web
Core 2 duo 2.1ghz
Nvidia 8400m gt 256mb
4gb ram
250 hd 7200
Like 1280 res on 15 inch screen

I frequently get frustrated because even opening a couple programsaxes out my processor and using one note while browsing actually causes freezing.
Thanks to everyone for their help and input.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Seems the quad is the better choice, due to its GPU and faster CPU.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

It sounds like you're quite a heavy multitasker so the quad will more than likely be better for you. Video editing (rendering etc) in particular will definitely be faster on the 15" quad and when Diablo 3 comes out you'd wish you had the i5's dedicated GPU if you had the 13". The GPU in the 2.2GHz 15" Quad is vastly superior to the 13" i7 and is a fair chunk better than the 2.0GHz 15" Quad.

Resale value is all relative. You're going to lose more money on the 15" model purely because you're spending more in the first place. However, even for a mid-to-heavy user, the 15" 2.2GHz Quad is likely to last quite a while. I'd guess that in 1-2 years the MacBook Pros of the day will be pretty much the same internally, probably 8GB of RAM, 2.8GHz Quad-core processor, 7xxx series graphics card with probably about 2x the GPU power. They'll probably have a different external design but that'll be it. They will not be a big step up in performance so my guess is that you won't actually want to upgrade in 1-2 years. Make sure to get the Applecare and you'll probably keep it for at least 3 years.