Should I buy...

[Idartalis]

..a refurbished 2010 13" MacBook Pro? I can get one for £749, which is the cheapest I can find outside of eBay.

Or should I wait a month and get the base 2011 model or 13" 2011 MBA? (When I get enough so I can afford it.)

I won't be doing anything that's heavy on the processor, just a bit of gaming (WoW mainly) which the Nvidia 320m is better at and virtual machine sessions for various operating systems.

I just can't make up my mind. ): Help me out.

I've been using Windows and various Linux distros for a long time, I've tried out OS X inside VMware and I liked what I saw.

Also, will I be eligible for free Lion upgrade? The refurbished MBP doesn't come from Apple store and most likely won't have Lion installed.

 

[Liquinn]

I'd personally wait a month, but will you be OK with the rumored 'redesigns' with Ivy Bridge coming out next year? That's the problem I'm facing too.

Linux, Windows and OS X are great in their owns ways, and yeah, I tried OS X inside VMware a few times, and that's what made me want to get a proper Mac, among other things.

I don't think you will be able to get the free Lion upgrade, as you can only get that if you purchase the product directly from Apple.

Though if you do get the MBP, please tell me your experiences with it.

Cheers

 

[Idartalis]

It doesn't matter what I get, the 'redesign' is coming anyway.

2010 refurb & paying for Lion upgrade is still cheaper than getting the refurb from Apple store. (£50 cheaper, is it worth it? Are there any differences in warranty if I don't get it from Apple store? (The MBP in question is from PC World)

I'm not bothered about the lack of Thunderbolt, I don't really have any uses for it and I still can connect to my 24" monitor using mini DP port.

With that said, I'm leaning towards the 2010 model (mainly for the gaming performance and cost), looks like I'm gonna keep researching for few more days before making up my mind.

 

[elkk]

imo wait for the macbook air, my 13 inch outperforms my mid 2010 27inch iMac. and don't worry about the ivy bridge refresh, while there will be a performance increase, it won't be anything near what the jump for C2D to Sandy Bridge was.

desktops are one thing, but i've always made it a point not to buy a refurb. laptop, especially when you can't replace the battery.. i've always been too worried about diminishing returns to buy a device that's already had some of its charge cycles run through.

EDIT: i can run LoL, Eve, and WoW (if i wanted) on my MBA, those SSD's are quick. gaming on a MBA is very doable.

 

[Juan TS]

It doesn't matter what I get, the 'redesign' is coming anyway.

2010 refurb & paying for Lion upgrade is still cheaper than getting the refurb from Apple store. (£50 cheaper, is it worth it? Are there any differences in warranty if I don't get it from Apple store? (The MBP in question is from PC World)

I'm not bothered about the lack of Thunderbolt, I don't really have any uses for it and I still can connect to my 24" monitor using mini DP port.

With that said, I'm leaning towards the 2010 model (mainly for the gaming performance and cost), looks like I'm gonna keep researching for few more days before making up my mind.

You should wait for a refurbished 2011 MBP,because they come with the "new" processors i5 and i7, which are a huge step compared to the Core Duo

 

[Idartalis]

Hmm, I see there's a refurbished 2011 13" MBP on Apple Store for £849, not bad but since I plan to upgrade the HDD to a SDD, that's pushing the budget a bit.

I guess I can hold off on buying the SSD for a bit and the performance jump from C2D to i5 makes up for the slightly lower graphics perfoamce of HD3000, I guess.

If the said MBP is still available on Apple store by Tuesday, I'll go for that, if not, then I'll get the 2010 refurb. Or possibly a 13" MBA if that ever pops up.

If waiting wasn't so bad, I could wait for the ivy bridge redesign but that's a bit too much waiting for my taste. ):

 

[Idartalis]

Sorry for double posting but I've just decided (after reading that the next MBP upgrade is likely to be a small bump in processor speed) and ordered a refurbished 2011 13" MacBook Pro from Apple store, which I'll be receiving tomorrow or Friday. :>