Go with the macbook, honestly the macbook pro is just too much for your needs. That doesn't mean in anyway that you're getting a subpar machine. The macbook is a great computer that's done everything i've thrown at it without any trouble. I play games (unreal tournament, halo), go on the internet, type up essays/assignments, create presentations, and i've seriously not once regret that i've gotten a macbook instead of a macbook pro. The macbook pro, imo, is for people who want to do a lot of video editing and for intense gaming (well, as intense as it can get for macs), and i've talked a lot of people who have macbook pro's and use it for nothing more then listening to music, internet, and typing up notes and such for school. I ask them why they went for the MBP instead of the MB and the answer is usually "cuz I could afford it" or "the bigger screen". Is it worth an extra 500-800 dollars for a bigger screen when, if u really want, you could buy an external monitor for half the price? or wouldn't you want to save some cash instead of spending it for a machine with the best specs which you won't even use to its full extent, just because you could? That's up to you to decide.