Can't decide which Mac is better value...

Hi there, I'm not sure where to post this but I'm having trouble deciding whether to get the macbook pro 13" retina with i5, 2.5GHz, 8GB RAM 128GB SSD or the non retina 13" pro with i7, 2.9 GHz, 8GB RAM and a 750GB hard drive. I'm not sure what aspect I should be placing more weight on, because i7 > i5 yet SSD is said to be much faster than normal hard drives. I also hear that the retina displays have been causing a few issues such as dead pixels and the like. Any help would be appreciated, and sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm just lost!

I would go check them out side by side in the Apple Store for me the retina is worth it.
As for SSD I also think it is worth it but nothing smaller than 256GB and they are faster ,cooler running and less draw on the battery besides not being susceptible to shock.

I have to disagree. The retina is not worth spending the extra money in my opinion and is also non upgradeable. You can always put a SSD in the 13" non retina MacBook Pro which is fully upgradeable. As pointed out, go into your local Apple store and compare them side by side.

I am not particularly compelled by the alleged value proposition of the regular MBP. It uses outdated tech but still commands a hefty price. It remains a quality computer but to buy new, you would be getting a better deal from the rMPB or an MBA.

If cost is an issue, consider a certified refurbished model to drive the price down.

The regular MBP remains popular because the parts aren't soldered on so you can do after market upgrades on your own but my general feeling is you'd be better saving the money and buying what you need out of the gate rather than settling for older processor, etc. which you will be stuck with.

128 GB SSD will perform significantly faster than the old 5400 RPM plate drive in the other computer. If you've never loaded from an SSD before the results are pretty amazing. Whether you are able to give up all that space or not is another question. 128 GB is not sufficient enough for me for the apps that I would install on my system, let alone data storage (music, video, photos, etc.) which I could tolerate on external media and storage.

128GB SSD is small by todays standards. 256 will get you by she on the go, but you will more then likely end up with a NAS solution for bigger storage when at home or a external solution for travel.

That said, 13" MBA isn't a bad option. But they are only dual core.