MB vs MBP vs Refurb for Photography? :S

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Hello!

This will be my first mac ever, I am using it for lightroom/photoshop for photo editing work and web design. I will be using illustrator a little bit for my design as well.

I was using the macbook pro 13" the $1199 one and it worked just fine! Wasn't too slow or anything, worked great for me. However, I am wondering if I need to spend that much or if I can save a little money and still get similar performance.

My 3 options:

Brand spankin' new Macbook Pro

Refurbished Macbook Pro 2.4 ghz core 2 duo (april of 2010 model)

Brand new Macbook


They go down in price each option, I want to save money... obviously. But I don't want to be stuck with an old or a slow machine, but if their similar in speed for what im using the macbook for then Id rather keep the money for something else.

Thanks for any feedback on what I should choose!


EDIT: Quick Question! If I hook up my mac to a 24" monitor which I might do fairly often, will this hinder performance? Take this into consideration for my options please! :)


EDIT 2: I just realized I put this in desktops and not laptops, im really sorry! Could a mod please move this? Thank you
 

RavingMac

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Hello!

This will be my first mac ever, I am using it for lightroom/photoshop for photo editing work and web design. I will be using illustrator a little bit for my design as well.

I was using the macbook pro 13" the $1199 one and it worked just fine! Wasn't too slow or anything, worked great for me. However, I am wondering if I need to spend that much or if I can save a little money and still get similar performance.

My 3 options:

Brand spankin' new Macbook Pro

Refurbished Macbook Pro 2.4 ghz core 2 duo (april of 2010 model)

Brand new Macbook


They go down in price each option, I want to save money... obviously. But I don't want to be stuck with an old or a slow machine, but if their similar in speed for what im using the macbook for then Id rather keep the money for something else.

Thanks for any feedback on what I should choose!


EDIT: Quick Question! If I hook up my mac to a 24" monitor which I might do fairly often, will this hinder performance? Take this into consideration for my options please! :)


EDIT 2: I just realized I put this in desktops and not laptops, im really sorry! Could a mod please move this? Thank you

Apple Refurbs (assume the MBP you are looking at is from the Apple Store Online) are virtually indistinguishable from new and come with the same warranty. If a refurb was available that met my specs I would absolutely go that way--far more bang for the buck.
 
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There's a reburb MBP 13 i5 on Apple site for $1019. I have a refurb Macbook Pro 2.4 ghz core 2 duo 2010 model. Received it in pristine condition like brand new. Haven't had any problem going on close to a year now. I also used it on occasion with my 22" LCD display, with absolutely no performance lost. My external display is capable of higher resolution which the MBP 13 adapted with no problem. Just like having a desktop.
 
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Since I am a college student, the new mpb model but refurb it is the same price to get a new macbook pro, if I sell my gift card online... So I think the only refurbished option I have is getting last years model.

Thanks! I just forgot to include that in the OP.
 
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I would say go for a new MBP for photography. I own a small fine-art photography business, and when i am stiching together panoramas or working with large files, the machien does get bogged down with just running those programs. just the other day, I was stitching together 9 images in Autopano Giga which turned out to be a 1.54GB file, and that took a good 30-45 minutes to complete with my machine. Now granted mine is 3 years old now, but that's expected. When it coems to computers, or anything electronic for that matter, I always buy new, because you never really know what was wrong in the past with it. I have dealt with refurbed replacement parts in the past and they never last too long.

Oh and in regards to the monitor, I have a Samsung 22in at home, and a Dell 17in at school for use with extended desktop, and they both yield excellent results. Initially i had hardware problems with my first MBP, but that was Apple's problem and they fixed it, multiple times; but that's another story...
 

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