New vs old pros?

Question

So I posted this in the unibody discussions but Im guessing I'll get a bunch of people who are "pro unibody" replying telling me to go that route. Figured I'd post here as well to see what people in this discussion recommend...
Im going to finally upgrade from my 1.67 powerbook 15" and going to get a newer macbook pro. Price is a big factor. Im researching used machines and for my price range (around $1000) IM finding some new 13" pros, or a 2.5 ghz 4gb ram, 250 HD, 15" aluminum (Id assume its the last one before the unibody).
My question is. Which machine would you people recommend and why?
Here are my main concerns/wants/uses........
Want a nice display/screen (id assume both will look better than my pb)
Basic usage, internet, email, some iwork stuff
I watch some movies from iTunes
Hook it up to my tv on occasion
Portability is a plus, Im a contractor and need to bring laptop to work sometimes
Is the screen on the new unibodies THAT much better than the LED matte screen in the 2.5ghz pro?
Thank you

Answer 1

Hi T,
A few points:
(Id assume its the last one before the unibody).
-Yes.
-The "pre-unibodies" are referred to as the Original MBP.
the LED matte screen in the 2.5ghz pro?
-Although MacTracker shows this model as an LED display, I've always understood my 2.5 (same machine you're asking about) to be an LCD, and when I look in Apple System Profiler, that's what it says, "LCD."
-I have not had any problems, but there has been a higher than "normal" failure rate on the GPU in these machines (as Yong has already stated). That said, this GPU has dedicated graphics memory, whereas the new models have shared graphics memory until you get to the higher end (higher priced) models. Based on your usage description, I'm not sure that's a big factor for you.
Want a nice display/screen (id assume both will look better than my pb)
-Yep.
-When I hear "contractor" I also hear "construction site." lochtefeld suggested the "poly-MB" might be a good choice for you. I agree, for ruggedness if nothing else (plus better portability with smaller display size). To me, the biggest thing to consider would be the display size. I'm not going any smaller than 15", but if you think you can live with that, I'd strongly suggest going somewhere that has a display model and working on it for awhile.
-I've been satisfied with my 2.5 in the 15 months or so that I've owned it, and had no problems.
Message was edited by: tjk