Which MBP should I buy?

[Doobalicious]

Hello everyone!

A quick background on my experiences with Apple products before I present my dilemma.

I currently own iPods of all kinds from many generations and an iPhone 3G, which will be replaced by an iPhone 4 within the next couple of weeks.

One thing I have never owned was a Mac. I envied those that had a MacBook Pro, which lead to me begin saving one for myself.

I've been looking through the Apple Refurbished Mac store recently (Australian) and I have to decide these two particular MacBooks:

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.0GHz quad-core Intel i7
Originally released February 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Hi-Res antiglare widescreen display, 1680-by-1050 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6490M

$1949.00


Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz quad-core Intel i7
Originally released February 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 7200 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M

$2119.00


With the differences in the display, hardware and price in consideration, which would you recommend based on the following information:

• This is replacing my current Windows desktop.
• I have an external monitor I plan to use at home.
• I want to be able to use it throughout university, so I guess 3+ years.
• Will undertake some gaming at home using the external monitor and running Windows via Boot Camp.
• I use Adobe applications frequently as a general hobby.

If I'm missing any crucial information, feel free to ask for clarification.

I look forward to this community's helpful advice and opinions.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[MrJolly]

Personally I would go for the larger screen resolution over the faster CPU.

 

[204353]

Although the 2.0 GHz model has the high-res display, which is awesome by the way, the 2.2 GHz model has the considerably better Radeon HD 6750M graphics chip, which is a MUST if you want better gaming. Especially since you're gonna use an external monitor for gaming, I'd say go for the 2.2 GHz model.

The 2.2 is a little more expensive, but will get you a lot more mileage in terms of playing high-end games for the next 3 years you'll be using it for.

 

[windowstomac]

Personally I would get the first one, that extra screen resolution is worth a small sacrifice in gaming performance, especially when the other one will be perfectly OK for games.
B

 

[Mac-key]

I just bought your 1st option... my first question is the price?? If you are looking at a refurb the price should be $1649

I bought mine for $1747 tax included from the refurb store. Again, my machine is identical to the one you posted. Also it came with a free 8GB RAM upgrade. Go for the base model, unless you are a hard-core gamer

 

[Doobalicious]

I just bought your 1st option... my first question is the price?? If you are looking at a refurb the price should be $1649

I bought mine for $1747 tax included from the refurb store. Again, my machine is identical to the one you posted. Also it came with a free 8GB RAM upgrade. Go for the base model, unless you are a hard-core gamer

You must remember I reside in Australia and thus, the prices are AUD, which tend to be higher than those in the US Apple Store.

These ARE indeed refurbished models and prices. Brand new will cost $200-$500 more depending on the model.

 

[Mac-key]

You must remember I reside in Australia and thus, the prices are AUD, which tend to be higher than those in the US Apple Store.

These ARE indeed refurbished models and prices. Brand new will cost $200-$500 more depending on the model.

oh, got it.

sorry about that. That's what I get for not reading your post more closely

i still think the base model is a good buy. I especially love my hires anti-glare screen

 

[randomrazr]

unless ur a heavy gamer, the 2.0ghz will be fine