Macbook Pro 15 2010 vs 2010 vs 13" 2011

[baaadboy]

Hi guys,
I am soon to be a mac user. I finally got sick from my old windows machine and decided to switch. I am a software engineer so I thought some iOS development as a hobby wouldn't hurt, so I need a macbook pro.
But which one?

I assume 1280x800 resolution on a 13 inch pro is too low for XCode right?

But seriously I can't justify paying 600 more for a 15" pro, just for higher resolution. I could care less about quad core stuff, since I won't notice the difference anyway.

So my choice comes down to this:
1.Either get a refurbished Macbook Pro 15 2010 base model for 1269+tax=1357 from apple
2. Get a brand new Macbook Pro 15 2010 base model for 1433.62 shipped from costcentral.com
3. Get a brand new Macbook Pro 15 2011 base model 1799+tax=1925 from apple

I don't think I can justify overpaying for a new 2011 model just for the sandy bridge processor. But if i really have to, I might consider it overpaying but I wouldn't like to.

Which one do you guys think I should get?
The price of the refurbished is really tempting, but if I take into account taxes, the difference for the brand new one (2010 model) is actually 76 dollars.

I am more leaning towards the brand new 2010 model, for 1433 shipped, but can't decide.

Please help

 

[DirtySocks85]

Hi guys,
I am soon to be a mac user. I finally got sick from my old windows machine and decided to switch. I am a software engineer so I thought some iOS development as a hobby wouldn't hurt, so I need a macbook pro.
But which one?

I assume 1280x800 resolution on a 13 inch pro is too low for XCode right?

But seriously I can't justify paying 600 more for a 15" pro, just for higher resolution. I could care less about quad core stuff, since I won't notice the difference anyway.

So my choice comes down to this:
1.Either get a refurbished Macbook Pro 15 2010 base model for 1269+tax=1357 from apple
2. Get a brand new Macbook Pro 15 2010 base model for 1433.62 shipped from costcentral.com
3. Get a brand new Macbook Pro 15 2011 base model 1799+tax=1925 from apple

I don't think I can justify overpaying for a new 2011 model just for the sandy bridge processor. But if i really have to, I might consider it overpaying but I wouldn't like to.

Which one do you guys think I should get?
The price of the refurbished is really tempting, but if I take into account taxes, the difference for the brand new one (2010 model) is actually 76 dollars.

I am more leaning towards the brand new 2010 model, for 1433 shipped, but can't decide.

Please help

I'm not a dev (but I dabble in programming and minored in comp sci in college), but why would that resolution be too low for XCode? It's an IDE; We're talking about a modern LCD here, not a dot matrix printer. Perhaps I missed something. Testing retina display quality graphics intensive applications perhaps?

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Given that you didn't want to spend that much, I'll go with option 2 in your list of choices.

Good luck.

 

[FOX160]

Just hook the 13 inch up to an external monitor
I dont know about Xcode but i use an samsung SyncMaster 2333HD
TV/Monitor.

 

[superericla]

You can get option 3 on amazon for less. I was able to get mine from amazon tax free which saved quite a bit and shipping is free.

 

[baaadboy]

Thank you all for replies guys.
I think I will go with option 2. The cheapest 2011 model I could find is 1699, still significantly more expensive than 2010 model. I am not really into "future proofing" my laptop, since I will be getting a new one in 2-3 years anyway. Besides, I never liked the idea of having the same laptop for more than 4 years, I mean come on, you get tired of staring at the same thing for that long.

I think I will go with option 2 and buy a third party ssd drive.

 

[baaadboy]

I'm not a dev (but I dabble in programming and minored in comp sci in college), but why would that resolution be too low for XCode? It's an IDE; We're talking about a modern LCD here, not a dot matrix printer. Perhaps I missed something. Testing retina display quality graphics intensive applications perhaps?

Well yeah, i mean it depends on what you are used to. I have been using a windows machine with 1680x1050 and for me 1280x800 will be a serious downgrade. I played with my friend's macbook pro 13" for several minutes and while he was satisfied with the way Xcode looked, to me it seemed way too cramped.