LF Advice on a MBP that fits my needs

[nhood01]

For the most part, all i do on computers is run Adobe creative suite and a few other graphics apps, surf the web, view media, and play games. (just World of Warcraft right now, but i might run more graphic intensive games when Steam is released). In Adobe Ps i periodically work with files in upwards of 1 GB.

Im looking to buy a MBP. Im not sure which model will suffice.

Im not too hot on dropping 1.7 K on a 15" i5 model. The 13" looks enticing, but its processors seem like quite a step down from the 15", 17" models. I'm a little sad to see a C2D rather than an i3 in the 13", but i understand there are underlying issues between NVIDIA and Intel that prevent this. However, there is a noteworthy step up from the previous gen 13".

When it comes right down to it, i don't care about running a C2D as long as it will be enough for my computing needs.

Furthermore, i could save a bit more $ and go with a previous gen 13" or 15" if they are powerful enough.

Here are some of the options i'm looking at:

(Previous gen. perhaps gen before last. not 100% sure)

$1,349

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
SD card slot
Built-in 7-hour battery
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Illuminated keyboard

(April 2010 model)

$1,100

13-inch: 2.4GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
250GB hard drive1
SD card slot
Built-in battery (10 hours)2
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics

Sorry for the lengthy post.

Lastly, do you think it would be worth while to drop 300 $ to buy an Intel SSD to put into either of those two (more so for the 13" since its 1,100)? There is no TRIM support for OSX but a SSD @ 50% speed is still WAY faster than the highest RPM HD's and will give me a very snappy computer.

Thanks

Let me hear your opinion.

 

[nhood01]

Anyone?

 

[alphaod]

Okay, for your usage, either one will suffice; the updated 2.4GHz model would be my choice here because not only is it cheaper, it also has a better GPU; the 133MHz clock difference is negligible here.

However as you have mentioned, the 15" does have a faster processor; even the 2.4GHz i7 is faster than the older 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo, so that's something to definitely consider. The high-resolution anti glare is also an option, but that adds even more to your purchase… just food for thought.

Going back to the Intel SSD you mentioned, yes it is a good choice; however it does not run at only 50%; in fact new it runs at 100%, over time because Intel has have its maintenance mechanism (not TRIM related), you will not see much of a performance drop over time. If you really want, you can run a Secure Erase once every 6 months or so. Erase takes about 90 seconds to zero-out everything and then restore from a Time Machine backup in about 20 minutes or so.

Good luck.