<human>: So I just switched over to a Mac. A couple of months ago I got a deal on a slightly older MacBook Pro 17" at MicroCenter (in "About this Mac" it says "MacBookPro5,2"). At the time I had been planning to go with 15", but they had a slightly older model for almost nothing more that had a 17" screen, more HD, etc. 

Nobody seems to carry any accessories for this thing in-house, or they are incredibly overpriced. The bottom is getting scratched up, and I am looking for something that looks good, has some color, and can protect the exterior of this thing. I see [some of these types of cases] but also have read they are prone to scratch the macbook if anything gets inside. Is this true? I would like to be able to protect my laptop (and add some color, if possible) but I have a feeling this could end up being a frustrating process if I get the wrong thing.

Any advice? Can I even find a case like this that will fit my MacBook if it's not quite the latest version?

Can you summarize the given text in a few sentences?
<bot>: What's a decent, cool looking option for protecting my 17" MBP(5,2), preferably something hard shell?