MBP 13" vs 15" LED display

I've been looking for a new Macbook for some time now. Up until recently I've been split between the 13" $1200 MBP and a refurb 15" MBP.

I've heard people saying the new 13" MBP has the same screen as the 15", but after visiting the apple store the other day, I am debating whether this is true. I compared the 13 and 15 inch MBP in-store, with both on highest brightness and the 15" blew away the 13". Compared to the 15", the 13" display looked rather dim and boring, while the 15" was bright and the colors popped out at me. I can confirm this isn't a fluke, as I tried several different 13". Anybody else notice this?

I'm going away to college in 2 years, and I'm hoping that if I buy the refurb 2.4 GHZ 15", a higher model, that it will fit my needs for ~4-5 years. I think the 9600 GT would benefit me most, due to my interest to play modern PC games (albeit if on a lower resolution). The extra 2" of real estate could really help too. I'm majoring in Computer Science. Here are my most important needs (in order)

1. Decent system performance/speed
2. Build quality/reliability (won't constantly break like Dells)
3. Ability to handle recent games for 2-3 years (even if on a lower resolution)

 

Then why wasn't it as bright or vivid? Could it have been the extra 2" that maybe made the 15" feel brighter?


I guess I can wait another 1-2 years before buying, although what better features might come out between now and then? I keep hearing about arrandale, but I really don't get what is so great about it. Quad-core? For most people, dual-core is more than sufficient.

Also, how would the resale value be in 2-3 years aprox. of a late 2008 unibody 15" MBP

 

thanks. I actually found another thread dealing with this, and I've determined the screen had to be the 9CA0.

I've pretty much decided to go with the refurb 2.4 GHZ 15". I have a 2 year old Toshiba A135 laptop that's been given me headaches. IMO the MBP would seem like a Porsche to my current VW. Plus, we're talking about Vista VS leopard so there's really no comparison