Fix 2008 15" macbook pro, or buy refurbished 2011 13"?

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First time post, so please excuse any cultural miscues.

I currently have a dilemma. I own an '08 macbook pro, but the screen is broken. After exploring all options, fixing it myself isn't possible. I could pay $310.00 to have a new screen put on by the apple store, and $120 more for a new battery. As I understand it, they would also service it free of charge. This computer has two years of use (July 08 - July 10), and 4GB's of Ram instead of 2.

Or I could buy a refurbished macbook pro 13" for about $1,000.

The obvious trade off is the cost difference ($1,000- $430= $570). Hardware is where I need advice. How much longer can I expect my 08' to last if I fix it? Is a 2.5ghz i5 processor vastly superior to the 2.4ghz core 2 duo? Is the '08's nvidia graphics card better than the '11's shared Intel HD Graphics? Is there anything I'm not thinking about?

What say you?

Thanks for any advice. I fear my own cost-benefit analysis is uninformed.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
MBP 13. 2.26. 4 gig.
I have an 08 15 inch MBP and I love it. I'd be hesitant to put too much money into repairing it, though. The new i5 models are really snappy and will take longer to be obsolete. Will the extra $500 be worth 2 years of updated-ness? Maybe.

Think about the battery life in the new one, too. I have a relatively new battery in mine, and I get about 4 hours. My 13 inch MBP gets closer to 6.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
13" High End MacBook Pro 27" High End iMac iPhone 4 iPad multiple iPods
I would recommend picking up a new one. The amount you are going to spend isn't the best idea as your machine is going to start being quickly outdated. You would be better off spending the extra cash now and getting the technology that is going to take longer to become obsolete.
 

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