First, if it's a manufacturing defect,why havn't you taken it into Apple to be fixed? I hope you have Applecare.
1) The Pro runs it better due to the 650M.
2) Your uses?
3) Yes due to its quad core and dGPU.
One of the guys at the Genius Bar (an Apple tech) said that the problem was likely due to the lid being impacted on by something, so Apple can't fix it. He did clean my screen, though.
I mostly use my laptop for web browsing, PDF/ebook reading and word processing.
you're a big boy/girl do what you please, but what are you going to do when Apple debuts the magical new rMBP sell the MBA?
Maybe sell the MBA? Or keep it if it's satisfying my needs at that point. It seems that the value of my rMBP is roughly equivalent to a new MacBook Air because of the lid issue (and is decreasing as we get closer to the release of the new rMBPs), so I was thinking I might as well try the new Air and ensure that I retain some future value.
Is you rMBP in warranty? Even if you sell recommend you procure Warranty first if still have it. Does going back to a lower resolution screen bothers you? The air and rMBP are 2 very different machines
I have about two weeks of warranty left.
The lower resolution bothered me when I bought a 2012 Air after moving from a 17 inch MBP, which is when I bought the rMBP. I later bought a TBD, though, so the resolution of the actual machine doesn't matter that much. When I am using the rMBP away from the TBD, I mostly use the 1440 by 900 anyway, because the screen is physically too small for me to be able to use the 1920 by 1080 resolution in a productive way.
DON'T SELL YOUR rMBP AND BUY AN AIR!!
I hope that helped.
No charge for my services!
LOL

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While this doesn't directly answer your question, my 2012 mini, with the HD4000 graphics, drives TWO thunderbolt displays.
Awesome! Good to know that the Air (if I get one) won't have any issues running the display.
But if you can get your rMBP fixed at no charge that's clearly the way to go. It will be worth a minimum of $100 on the resale value even if you do decide to sell it. But don't sell it. It's throwing money away in order to get a less capable (but still great) computer.
Apple said it would cost around $700 to fix it
