Which MacBook Pro should I go for? Which will complete my needs?

[Windows&Apple]

I wanted to buy a MacBook Pro for school in September. I was just curious on which model I should go for.

I need to do the following:

- I need to be able to run accounting software (Simply Accounting).
- I need to be able to Skype with friends/family.
- I need to be able to run Adobe Suite CS5+.
- I would like to create a home studio surrounded around this new computer.
- I would like something portable and durable. I need to be able to carry this laptop everyday and it's going to be used in an environment that is more or less abusive.
- I would also like a CD drive (I still find myself using CDs every once in a while).
- And I would like to get a nice screen, the stock screen is fine on the 13 inch, but I would need the upgrade on the 15 inch.

So, these are the options I have right now. My budget is up to $2500, but the lower, the better.

Option 1: 15 inch MacBook Pro base (no extras)
Option 2: 13 inch MacBook Pro with an Intel 520 240GB SSD + 8GB RAM
Option 3: Wait until June/July for the next generation of MacBook Pro's.

Which would you guy do?

Thanks.

 

[runebinder]

The 15" had the better CPU and GPU which you cannot upgrade, you can always upgrade the RAM & SSD later on down the line.

The 13" is lighter, I manage with no issues with my 15" MBP though and travel a fair bit with it.

If it's likely to be in an environment is abusive, seems a risk for an expensive notebook. You'll need acc dam cover and a lot of companies will reject claims if there are a lot of previous ones that are similar, as it'll be classed as neglect.

If you still need an optical drive then waiting till the next refresh may be a bad idea as it's legacy tech as far as Apple are concerned.

 

[leman]

Any of the MacBook Pros will do what you want. The 13" doesn't have too much of a real screen estate because of the resolution.

I would be careful with Option 3 as the next gen of MacBooks might have no optical drive whatsoever...

 

[bniaulin]

For CD/DVD I saw this add-on called superdrive I think... which connects via USB or thunderbolt I am not an expert hehe.

 

[Windows&Apple]

I thought Apple would remove the CD drive, but if they do, that's even better! When they removed the 17 inch laptops, I went in to see how much they would go for since they were discontinued and they were almost $600 off with a free 4 year warranty! If the 17 inch wasn't so heavy I would've picked one up lol

But I think I'm leaning towards a 15 inch MacBook Pro, just because of the added screen real-estate

 

[jeremypeters92]

If you are getting the 15", you will have to choose between the Retina display and an optical drive...

 

[Windows&Apple]

If you are getting the 15", you will have to choose between the Retina display and an optical drive...

I'm not sure if the Retina is worth the premium you're asked to pay. I'd much rather opt for the optical drive/changeable HDDs and RAM

 

[A Hebrew]

I don't think it will be worth waiting till the Summer, the odds of Apple updating their cMBP is not very good. I would go for a cheapish refurbished 15"...2011 or wait until the refresh does come out and get the 2012 cheaper.