Another rMBP 13" vs 15" question

[Aditya Nilangekar]

Hello people!
(I posted this question as a guest in the Ask A Question forum but thought I'll register and post it here in the appropriate section)

I have two options; Either to go for the
1) New 13" MBP with the Haswell processor or
2) 15" refurbished MBP from Apple (this is an old model) Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - Apple Store (U.S.)

I do not wish to spend more than $1600 for a new laptop, hence these two very weird options. I am leaning towards the 15" version more as I prefer the larger screen, plus it has the quad-core i7 chip. But the new 13" MBP is also a great machine I hear.
I had the 17" Pro but is was stolen a few months back.

I am not much into gaming or high end graphics or video editing. Just a little photo editing occasionally. My main use of the Pro will be the regular activities (mails, browsing) and viewing a lot of HD content (hence the larger screen I desire). Also portability in not a concern, it'll mostly be sitting on my desk.

Wanted to hear from you guys. Have been pondering over this question for some time now.

Thank you all!

 

[Algus]

If you are not doing anything more complicated than email/web browsing and media consumption, either MBP will be overkill for you. If you don't mind spending the money, by all means get the one you like the most.

 

[Aditya Nilangekar]

If you are not doing anything more complicated than email/web browsing and media consumption, either MBP will be overkill for you. If you don't mind spending the money, by all means get the one you like the most.

Yes currently I'm not doing anything complex at all. Will soon be starting photo & video editing for work but I won't be doing it day in and day out.

 

[cardfan]

The best value would be that refurb and still be overkill for much of what you do. Think of it as buying a late model car. The way tech depreciates, save as much as you can upfront while still getting what works for you.