Headache in deciding non-Retina or Retina or used 15 macbook pro

[ywwonglp]

Having a hard time deciding a macbook pro to upgrade for my heavy music production use.

There're two refurb models that has the same price! Both around $2140usd at the HK store.

15 2.7 i7, 16g ram,512gb flash drive, retina
V.S
15 2.7 17, 8g ram, 1TB, non retina

Or shall i go for a used late 2011 15macbook pro, 1TB, 256ssd, 8g ram instead.
now this used model is almost half the price of getting the refurb, but i'm not sure how long it will last? the user has been using it a lot for photo and video production.

such a tough decision, i wish someone could give me some advice.

 

[Naimfan]

Since they're about the same price, I'd be inclined to get the retina, as it already has 16 GB of RAM - which cannot be upgraded later.

I'd also stay away from the 2011 models, as the graphics cards are failing at an alarming rate.

 

[deeddawg]

15 2.7 i7, 16g ram,512gb flash drive, retina
V.S
15 2.7 17, 8g ram, 1TB, non retina

I'm unsure why there's a question... double the ram and a half-terabyte SSD?

Kind of like choosing between a cold beer or a cup of warm vinegar.

 

[Kryckter]

Yeah, go retina!