Macbook Pro 13" i5 or refurb core 2 duo?

Hello. Bit of a dilemma. Hoping to purchase a Macbook Pro 13". I need something thats powerful, small & has fairly strong build quality. I've had my Dell Studio 1555 for two years now and its build quality has been below par from the outset. In particular, the laptops lid hinges hence why build quality is near the top of my list. I do quite a bit of web design, light CAD using Solidworks (nothing my current laptop can't handle so I know the 13" will be fine).

Anyway, here is my dilemma. I live in Ireland. Here, the baseline Macbook Pro 13" costs €1199. If I buy it, chances are I'll remove the HDD and fit a larger one (750gb or 1tb: upgrading it via Apple is much more expensive and pointless when I can do it myself). Alternatively from the refurb online store I can get the older 2010 Macbook Pro 13" with a Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz for €889. That's over 25% cheaper and cash does sort-of matter to me to an extent.

So I need help. Is it worth over €300 more? That's quite a bit of money.

I'm fairly nervous about this purchase. To me I feel that the Macbook Pro is a bit overpriced for the hardware you get but its built quality is probably the reason I will purchase it (along with the appeal of Snow Leopard). I'd be a bit less nervous purchasing the 2010 refurb model, but my current Dell has a 2.1ghz Core 2 Duo and moving to a Core 2 Duo again makes me feel like I'm paying a lot of money for a machine not much better than my own performance wise which makes me ask myself why I should by a Mac at all and buy something else for the same price with a much better spec.

Looking forward to your insight. Please no die-hard Mac fans who will argue there way into convincing me: an opinion from both sides is valuable to me.

 

It kind of depends upon your use,don't you think?
You don't mention how it will be used or what type of power you will need?

That being said,I just moved from the 2.2ghz C2D to the I5 and the speed difference is well worth it for me.
I use it everyday to run software that I was waiting 30 minutes between changes for the machine to do its job and I have cut that roughly in half.

If you are just checking email and surfing that is one thing and the older refurb would be fine,if you need performance I would buy the new one again in a heartbeat.

Good Luck
Ed

 

Mainly will use it for light CAD (solidworks), Adobe Photoshop, sometimes school work (Office, Powerpoint, etc), watching 720p films through my laptop to my TV and then general internet use.

 

I think you would benefit from the new i5. That being said, the Core 2 Duo can handle everything you need also. The i5 can just do it faster.

You have a Dell Studio right now that has very similar specs to the C2D MBP. Are you happy with the Dell's performance?

 

Relatively, but sometimes I do wish I had something a little faster, plus its falling to pieces and these hinges are on their last legs. I do need something just a little smaller and a little lighter.

How fast is the i5 compared to the c2d? Also, does installing an SSD bring the i5 and Core 2 Duo bring the two any closer performance wise? SSD's operate so fast I can only imagine it would bring the two closer as there isn't many second left to shave off loading times (I may be wrong).

 

YES!

On the other hand I am much happier with the SSD in the new I5 than I was with it in the C2D.

For what you list as your needs,get the I5,I did and have no regrets.
I have the old one sitting next to the new one and the speed difference is not subtle.

 

What about the i5 with an normal HDD vs the Core 2 Duo with an SSD? Which would be faster?

FYI, I've never had an SSD before. Because the Core 2 Duo is only €889, I could afford to buy an SSD aswell, which would still be cheaper than the basic i5.

Also, how are the heat issue with the new 2011 13"? I use my laptop a lot on my lap. I've heard all the various things people do to keep there laptops a bit cooler but I feel like I shouldn't have to make sacrifices when I'm paying at a premium for such a high quality product.

 

That I can not say.
I would buy the newer one and use it until you can afford to swith to SSD or just get a big 7200 rpm drive for it and switch to that.

Or just use it as it is,until you feel the SSD difference you wont know it really.

 

How does the 7200rpm drive cope heat wise?

 

I popped a 750GB 7200 RPM hard drive in my 13" MBP yesterday and didn't notice any heat issues. Temperatures seemed fine compared with Apple's default 500GB 5400 RPM drive. The only thing I noticed more with the 7200 RPM drive is that it is noisier. It isn't much noisier, it just sounds like a really small fan on the inside is constantly running making a quiet "whoosh" sound.

I use my Core i7 13" MBP on my lap quite a bit and it is fine unless I am running a game (Bioshock). Keep in mind that you would not be able to use ANY notebook on your lap if you were actually gaming whether it is an Apple or not. The MBP line is made of aluminum and that is not a good insulator when it comes to heat. In fact, it does a good job of transferring heat from the notebook to your lap. The same would hold true for any metal notebook though.

You shouldn't have issues using it in your lap if you just want to surf the internet, use Word, play around in iTunes, or even playback HD videos. The only real heat issues I have ever come across is when gaming and you can buy a $20 pillow accessory with a hard plastic top that will allow you to still use the MBP on your lap if you really wanted to.

I believe I read somewhere that the Sandy Bridge Core i5 processors perform 40% better than the Core 2 Duo models on a GHz to GHz comparison but I could be mistaken. Either way, the Core i5 in the 13" MBP is going to be a much better performer than any of the Core 2 Duo processors and is even better than the dual-core Core i7 processors featured in last year's high end 15" and 17" MBP models (the ones that were $2200-$2500).

Essentially the 13" MBP with the Core 2 Duo processor would give you similar performance to your Dell Studio. The only real benefit you would get is increased battery life and the ability to run Mac OS X. The one with the Core i5 processor would be more powerful than both while still having great battery life and a small "future proof" to accessories that have not come out yet (but should be out here in a few months).