Which MacBook Pro is right for me?

Hi,



I'm looking to buy a new mac laptop- I'm fairly sure it's going to be a 15" MacBook Pro. However, as the price on this class of laptop ranges from roughly 1,600-4,200 I'm not sure which to purchase.



I want to get the cheapest one that suits my needs.



As a student, I will use my laptop both in school and at home, so it will see a lot of movement. It will be lugged around from class to class in a backpack along with binders and textbooks and used routinely throughout the day. It will also be used often at home and elsewhere. Durability is key. Tremendous battery life is a plus, but is not TOTALLY VITAL because I will usually be able to plug in and charge during classes and at home.



On my laptop I will store a few thousand songs, a few hundred photos, 5-10 full length movies (avg. 90 mins each), roughly 50-100 television episodes (avg. 45 mins each), many documents, and programs/applications.



I will use only basic applications such as those included in iLife '09 and iWork '09 as well as Safari, Mail, iTunes, QuickTime, Microsoft Office, and others. I will need to add some academic/recreational programs to the laptop as well. While I will only use relatively basic applications, I will be using them fairly heavily. I will not install games on the laptop. I will often be using multiple applications at once, so the ability to handle multiple applications running simultaneously is crucial.



I don't need BLAZING fast processing speeds, but something that can browse the web and operate applications at a reasonably fast speed is what I'm looking for.



Finally: lifespan. I would like my laptop, obviously, to last as long as possible, at least 4-5 years, without needing to be replaced.



Overall, I'm looking for the cheapest specs for a 15" MacBook Pro that can easily suit the needs of the average student, running smoothly and without difficulty.



OPTIONS: (view mac store for pricing)



Processor:



2.53 GHz,



2.66 GHz,



2.8 GHz, or



3.06 GHz



Memory:



4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB, or



8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB



Hard Drive:



250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm,



320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm,



500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm,



320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm,



500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm,



128GB solid-state drive, or



256GB solid-state drive





Please feel free to ask additional questions. I'm looking for a final answer that defines which three specs (Processor, Memory, and Hard Drive) I should customize my 15" MacBook Pro with given my outlined needs and expectations. Again, feel free to voice questions or inquiries. (Please, don't try to persuade me from buying this particular laptop- I hate windows, not a huge Linux fan, and 15" is the size of laptop I want)



THANKS!Which MacBook Pro is right for me?
I'm buying a new MacBook Pro as well and will be using it for pretty much the same things you will. Here's what I suggest and what I'm getting:



2.66 GHz processor - if you NEED more speed go 2.8 but only if you want to spend the extra money, I doubt you with need it



500 gb HDD 5400rpm -again 7200rpm if you need but... also the SDD wouldn't be big enough for all that tv



4gb RAM - its huge for a laptop and would easily suit your needs if you are watching 3 HD movies at once as well as editing two videos then you might want 8gb but trust me 4gb is plenty



Also don't forget to get the free $100 printer and the free itouch if you are a college student.Which MacBook Pro is right for me?
If I were you I'd think about how much I could afford. Then buy the laptop closest (but under, obviously) the budget. Although the cheapest MacBook Pro would probably do the trick.Which MacBook Pro is right for me?
So, you're pretty much doing the basics. Any macbook pro will suit you. I'd get the base model of the 15 inch. It'll do you just find for what you need it for. Also, all of the macbook pros are built identically except for the sizes so it's not like you really have an options about durability or battery there. But, that's not an issue since the mpb's are pretty durable and are built very well and they all come with the new and improved 7 hour battery no matter which model you get. Now THATS a nice long lasting battery.



I use an mbp for pretty much the same things but even do some light gaming here and there. I have one of the mpbs that were out before this most recent update so it's just the 2.4ghz model with 2gb of ram and it runs very fast and smooth. So, the macbook you'll be getting will have an even faster processor and double the ram so I think really think the lowest end 15inch mbp will be more than enough for your needs.