Macbook Pro vs Macbook Unibody! A dilema

[chico123]

Hey i have been reading Macrumors for a while and this is my first post. I want to resolve the dilema I am having.

OK first I am a mac user. until recently i have been using the 13.3 inch macbook unibody 2.4 2GB ram 250GB Hd which was bought on launch day.

I sold it in order to pay for the Macbook Pros that were just updated.

This is where the dilema comes in. I want to buy the Macbook Pros but I realized that the specs of the entry level were a downgrade from my original Macbook. It has 2.26ghz and only 160Gb Hd.

then I realized that they still sell the 2.4GHz model refurbished for the same price [given that I can sell the itouch to off set the price]

SO/ the dilema is which one should I get?
THe macbook 2.4 or the 2.26 or will it be worth the extra 300 for the 2.53Ghz

I am a gamer so speed does matter to me but will it be worth the extra 300 for the 2.53hz? will the macbook 2.4ghz refurbished have the improved screen? [because i realize that some of them come with the improved screen. if they do i would just like to buy that one.]
Will the speed downgrade be noticeable?

What do you guys think i sould do?

According the Macworld the speed test results:
Macbook 2.26 2gb ram: 213
macbook 2.26 4gb ram: 215
macbook 2.56 4gb ram: 239

 

[HLdan]

then I realized that they still sell the 2.4GHz model refurbished for the same price [given that I can sell the itouch to off set the price]

I don't think you can get the free iPod Touch with a refurb purchase. That only applies to when buying a new Mac.

 

[PowerGamerX]

Depending on wether the processors were updated or not it could be the base model is actually faster than your high end UMB. Clock speed isn't all that matters. Bus speed and cache have a ton to do with it too.

 

[Bill Gates]

I don't think you can get the free iPod Touch with a refurb purchase. That only applies to when buying a new Mac.

Correct.

If you want a 13", get the 2.26GHz model and upgrade the RAM and HDD yourself, if needed. Frankly, I don't think you should have sold your MB in the first place, unless the screen really bothered you and you need FireWire.

Depending on wether the processors were updated or not it could be the base model is actually faster than your high end UMB. Clock speed isn't all that matters. Bus speed and cache have a ton to do with it too.

True, but in this case, the bus speed and cache are identical. The processors are identical other than the clock speed. A 2.4GHz MacBook is a faster computer than a 2.23GHz MacBook Pro.

 

[chico123]

Hey thanks for the replys

the 2.4Ghz is $999 on apple website

and the 2.26 with the student discount is 1100.
after I sell the itouch it wil be around $900-999.
that is why i said that they were in the same price.

wait come to think of it the 2.26 might be more cheaper after selling the iTouch.

I now am gearing more towards the Macbook Pro.

any more thoughts will be appriciated thanks!

 

[nitromullet]

I just recently went through this same debate, and I decided on the Macbook Pro. Depending on where you live, you might have to pay taxes on the MBP and iTouch, which can be considerable on a a $1100-1400 purchase.

I opted going for the MBP 13" 2.26/160GB/2GB (MB990LL/A) from microcenter.com. http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0314210 I don't have a Micro Center in my state, so there were no taxes for me. After shipping and the $150 rebate (scroll down to the bottom of the page I linked), the total cost is $1070. A RAM upgrade to 4GB iRAM from newegg and a 500GB HD will be around $170ish.

 

[mikes70mustang]

Hey thanks for the replys

the 2.4Ghz is $999 on apple website

and the 2.26 with the student discount is 1100.
after I sell the itouch it wil be around $900-999.
that is why i said that they were in the same price.

wait come to think of it the 2.26 might be more cheaper after selling the iTouch.

I now am gearing more towards the Macbook Pro.

any more thoughts will be appriciated thanks!

You do know that the 13" pro wont be very good for gaming right? The processor speed wont matter as much as the gpu you will be getting.

 

[Trexznl]

You do know that the 13" pro wont be very good for gaming right? The processor speed wont matter as much as the gpu you will be getting.

If you actually read his post, he said that he had the 13" 2.4GHz unibody MacBook, which has the same GPU as the new 13" pro.