2009-2010 macbook pro: any good?

Hello,

I am currently looking to buy a more portable laptop than what I have right now.
I own a 15.6" Asus laptop, which I bought mostly because it had a good graphic card for video games.

My priorities right now are switching, I'm not really interested in playing video games, I want a working device. I will use my laptop mostly for university and also for art, digital painting and some photo editing. Therefore I need a decent screen resolution, and high portability (13" or under).

I've been looking at various laptops and ultrabooks and I'd like to have some info about macbooks. My budget definitely won't allow me to buy a new macbook pro, but there are plenty of used/refurbished macs out there.
Would buying a 2009-2010 macbook pro be a good option? Are they still good enough, performance wise?
I want to be using this laptop for at least 3 years, so I want to make sure it will last.

Looking forward for your opinion and advice!
Don't hesitate if you have other suggestions.

Thank you!

 

You do not want a used 13" Macbook Pro if you like resolution... they are all 1280x800 screens.

In a 13" Macbook Air you can find some with 1440x900 screens...

 

thanks for the info,
but otherwise would it still be a decent choice?

 

I would not recommend a 2009-2010 macbook pro at 13" or under based on your listed preferences.

 

An HP Elitebook 2540 which is from the same 2009-2010 era would be a better choice than a MacBook Pro of similar size and vintage.

 

well if I bought a PC, I'd rather buy a brand new one.. since I can afford it

 

What kind of price range are you looking at?

 

looking at $600-700, 750 top

 

That won't buy a quality machine with the professional capabilities you're looking for.

 

I'm not looking for a professional machine, but for a student laptop..

 

What kind of digital painting do you plan to do (size, layers, custom brushes)?

The screen resolution of a 13" MBP is going to be a problem. You could always output to a Full HD external monitor which would help with color accuracy, glare, and dealing with Photoshop menus.
The 2009 has similar specs to my old Toshiba and painting on that thing lagged over 400 dpi with certain brushes.

 

Last year I paid $900 for my 2010 15" macbook pro, couldn't be any happier with that purchase

 

Seconded.

Chances are you can hunt down a deal on one of these on eBay.

 

S/he can look for the dell vostro line up, or the thinkpad t430/t420 or the thinkpad x220/x230, all of those retail around 700. And those are models from this year or last year.

In terms of screen a t520/t530 with a 1080p screen would be ideal, but I dont know if the size meets the op portability list, that panel is a great one that covers around 95% of the aRGB gamut.