Deciding which MacBook to choose

[Nrazzer]

Hello guys,
I am going to buy my first MacBook Pro ever this week. I can't really decide if I should go with the old MBP or the new one with retina display. The reason why I can't decide is because 1. The Retina version only has 128gb ssd while the old one has 500gb HDD. 2. The retina version comes without CD/DVD drive.
So please help me out on this one, which one would be the best for me, as it is my first MacBook and I just need it for school and when I'm going to a friend's house etc.

 

[Meister]

What do you need your macbook for?
What is your budget?

 

[Hieveryone]

128GB is really small. Why don't you personalize your order online? Get a 2.4, 4gb ram, and 256 GB SDD 13" retina.

If you're a student you get a student discount.

 

[Saint.Icon]

Go refurb if you can.

Personally, I'd suggest a retina MBP. Even the base model. I went with a refurb 13" and grabbed a 1TB ultra slim external hard drive for the times when I need extra storage. The end result is piles of fast storage with USB 3.0, a cheaper price, and a thinner, lighter, solid state computer that I can worry less about than one with a spinning drive.

 

[Nrazzer]

I need it for school and casual use at home for movies etc. So it's not like I need a hardcore gaming computer. And my budget is 1650 dollars, which is what a standard MBPr costs in Denmark.

 

[imageWIS]

128GB is really small. Why don't you personalize your order online? Get a 2.4, 4gb ram, and 256 GB SDD 13" retina.

If you're a student you get a student discount.

I disagree, it's better to go for the 8 GB model, which is going to be far more future proof.

 

[Meister]

I need it for school and casual use at home for movies etc.

what programms do you need for school?

 

[Nrazzer]

I only need the Office pack, maybe some video editing and not much else. I'm going to a business school so that's pretty much all we use.

 

[Meister]

I only need the Office pack, maybe some video editing and not much else. I'm going to a business school so that's pretty much all we use.

Any macbook that is sold today is easily capable of fullfilling your tasks for the foreseeable future.

Its now just a matter of:
- do you prefere the retina screen or non retina screen
- do you prefere the 13" or 11" or 15" screen size
- how much storage do you need
- how important is battery life, weight and size too you
- do you absolutely need a DVD drive for whatever reason

After you have thought about these things, I recommend looking at all the models in person and get a feel for them.
Then sleep over it and look at the specs and prices again.

Enjoy