Wondering the pros and cons between the two.

these are the model's i'd be considering
Apple® - MacBook® Pro - 15.4" Display - 8GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive




Apple® - MacBook® Pro with Retina Display - 15.4" Display - 8GB Memory - 256GB Flash Storage






Prices are similar ($2199) but the new one has retina display, a flash HDD more ports and is lighter.

in terms of performance which would be quicker?

I think the regular macbook would be a work horse with the 750GB hd and an optical drive... thing is how often do i actually use that drive? not too much to be honest, but I like knowing its there....

what are the pros and cons that you can think of?

and I already have a Thinkpad so no need to talk me into a windows 7 PC b/c its cheaper and im being a brand whore