What Macbook pro do i go for?

Hi just wanted a little advice really about to buy my first Mac decided on a Macbook pro im going to upgrade the ram to 4gb as soon as ive bought it but ive found it alot cheaper to buy that from somewhere else not sure whether to go for the 2.4ghz or 2.6ghz i know the obvious thing to do is go for the faster but ive read the difference is tiny? what i really wanted to know is what screen is better to go for i see the 15" is LED backlit and the 17" comes optional hi res aside from the obvious size difference what actually looks better? does the LED backlit make it clearer or is the 17 high res the one to go for? I know i should go look at one but nearest place is miles away and xmas is getting very close! Sorry About the essay! Thanks

Welcome to Mac-Forums!

There is only a slight speed difference between the two processors. The 2.4 is plenty fast. However, it never hurts to buy the faster version if you can afford it.

Buying the RAM from a third party is a very good idea. You'll save a bunch of money.

Both screens are very good. I think the bigger question is whether or not you want a 17" monitor. The extra screen real estate is nice, but it borders on impractical if you want to carry it around as a portable computer. It's pretty big!

I had a 17 in a PC as my last laptop. Big PIA, heavy, hard to lift with one hand. Harder to carry around if you can even find a bag that fits it. Takes up a lot of desk space.

The 17" Macbook pro is surprisingly light to carry around unlike most desktop replacement laptops around. Still, the 15" one is much lighter and is the ideal size for a laptop. I'd say 15" 2.4Ghz with maxed out third party RAM just does the trick...

go to an apple store if possible and check it out firsthand.
second DONT BUY APPLES RAM they charge through the nose.... that is if you think you could change ram cards on your notebook( easy) but you can void warranty if you mess up. look it up on youtube and see if you can handle it.
and as for processor buy the fastest one possible because a few years from now youll be kicking yourself for not doing so.

imo the 17 in the high res glossy display is fantastic.

keep in mind everyone here has biases and preferences different to yours what may work great for you may be overkill or too heavy for another. my best advice is

A) wait till the mac expo on the 15th of next month and see what will be new next year because
1) there can be a new release making the computer you purchase cheaper.
2)they may release the computer that you find all you want in.

B) go to applestore tell a sales rep what youd be using the computer for and so on. thats what they get payed for to fit the right computer to the right person.
1) youll see first-hand how the computer looks performs and functions (weighs as well).
2) you will have someone right there to answer your immediate questions.

just my .02 take it or leave it