Refurb Macbook 2.4 vs. Refurb MBP 2.26

[woland8816]

Sorry if this has been asked before, a search found a similar thread but not quite the same.

In the apple refurb store the Macbook 2.4 ghz with a 250 gig hard drive and illuminated keyboard is the same price as the 13" Macbook Pro with a 2.26 and 160 gig hard drive. I don't really need firewire and the sd slot, while nice, is not essential.

I was hoping for opinions on the screen. I do like a nice display. What exactly does 60% greater color gamut mean in the real world? Does this outweigh the faster processor and larger hard drive?

Any help would be apreciated.

 

[dan5.5]

I would go for the pro, the display is better and the battery life is amazing

 

[mantle536]

i had to make the exact same decision. and like you i didn't need firewire or sd. I went with the 2.4 for the faster processor and i like having a removable battery(whereas the MBP is enclosed) as for the screen, my friend has a 13" MBP and side by side i can't see a difference. I figure the the HD and processor were just to good of a deal.

 

[JonTok]

I vote the Pro

I've owned both machines, with a MBA between them. I'd go for the Pro - it feels sturdier somehow than the older 2.4, has the SD slot, and the battery is truly superb - I get 6 hours+. The screen, using Open Office, seems a little clearer to me too. Also, the difference between 2.26 and 2.4 is not noticeable. Basically you can't go wrong with either of the two.

 

[clyde2801]

It depends on when your al-uni-mb was made. The first ones made in late 08 had two screens the 9c8c, whose screen was 'meh', and the 9c89, whose screen was horrid for contrasts and viewing angles.

The screens received a stealth update in early 09 (jan-feb?) until they were discontinued when the 13" mbp came out.

I've seen 2.4 al-uni-mb's on cl on my area for $900. You may get such an ad down further, but I'd make sure it came with, or was eligible for, applecare. Plus with cl, unlike the rufurb store, you can look and see which screen came on the model you were looking at.

I'd go with the mbp. You can always upgrade the hd on either to a larger faster one, but if you get a crappy screen on the umb, you're kind of stuck with it.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I just ordered that exact MBP this morning. I thought about the MB for a moment, but decided that I wanted the battery life in the MBP.

 

[woland8816]

Thanks everyone

Hi,

Thanks for weighing in on this, it was most helpful. I ended up going against the grain here and got the Macbook, figuring I could return it and that the MBP deal is up all the time. I plan to rigorously test the battery life -- as that is a consideration I did not think about before posting.

But again thank you all for being a valuable resource.