Worth it to go with the 2.4 mbp?

[XheartcoreboyX]

well i was planning on buying a mb first..then thought that the 13'' isnt enough as im using a 15.4'' notebook(windows)...so im sure now that i want a mbp..
I will use the laptop for playing multimedia..and some little videos editting..and ofcourse IM programmes and surfing the net...
*i will NOT use it for any compilicated graphics design or even photoshop or similar stuff..but MAYBE 3D games(by bootcamp)!*...

so what shall i get mbp 2.2 ghz or 2.4ghz??

*Note:will be my first mac** =D:rolleyes::o:apple:

[siurpeeman]

or your everyday use, i'm sure the 2.2 ghz will do everything the 2.4 ghz can do just fine. any performance differences will be hardly noticeable. have fun with your macbook pro.

[KJmoon117]

or your everyday use, i'm sure the 2.2 ghz will do everything the 2.4 ghz can do just fine. any performance differences will be hardly noticeable. have fun with your macbook pro.


Assuming that he doesn't customize his MBP 2.2ghz/2.4ghz he'll miss out on 40 GB of hard drive space and 128mb of V-RAM.

Now if you do customize your MBP (2.2ghz) to have 160GB (5.4k or 7.2k) then you'll miss out on .2ghz and 128MB of V-RAM...

I don't think .2ghz is really worth it but I would look into what you need this computer for since 128mb of V-RAM seems pretty important if you're a gamer...

[XheartcoreboyX]

thanks for replays guys,
im not a gamer..and never played a game on a computer..and dont care about the more 40gig or .2ghz...but the V card maybe..does it make a -real- difference in viewing videos and photos between 128 and 256 for the vcard??:rolleyes:

[siurpeeman]

thanks for replays guys,
im not a gamer..and never played a game on a computer..and dont care about the more 40gig or .2ghz...but the V card maybe..does it make a -real- difference in viewing videos and photos between 128 and 256 for the vcard??:rolleyes:

no, it really doesn't. these are things even the macbook will do just fine.

[XheartcoreboyX]

no, it really doesn't. these are things even the macbook will do just fine.

alright so if the 0.2 ghz doesnt make a difference..why do people pay the extra money for the 2.4? for the extra 40gig in HDD??
:confused::confused:

[BigPrince]

alright so if the 0.2 ghz doesnt make a difference..why do people pay the extra money for the 2.4? for the extra 40gig in HDD??
:confused::confused:

noobs or gamers.

[XheartcoreboyX]

noobs or gamers.

yup i agree!! btw in some site they said that the extra 128 in the vcard in macbook pros just makes like 10% in difference..:eek:

[bmat]

Because for awhile a lot of stores didn't have 2.2s. And for some people, who use gpu intensive apps, the difference made sense. I got it because I use aperture, I needed one, and no place readily accessible had 2.2s available.

[KJmoon117]

noobs or gamers.

Pretty much...

But what about if you're going to be using a 30inch display?

If you're a gamer though (which I know you aren't), I think the investment in 128MB of V-RAM might be worth investing in. Plus I think the 40GB is kind of important if you're not going to be using any external hard drives and a replacement for your desktop.

[XheartcoreboyX]

Pretty much...

But what about if you're going to be using a 30inch display?

If you're a gamer though (which I know you aren't), I think the investment in 128MB of V-RAM might be worth investing in. Plus I think the 40GB is kind of important if you're not going to be using any external hard drives and a replacement for your desktop.

wow i wouldnt ever need 30inch!! currently i do have 15inch laptop..and it looks HUGE for me!! its perfect for everything!
and about the 40gig..in this laptop(my only comp) i have 100gig HDD and less than half of it is filled!(music,movies,music videos,tv shows,photos,apps.)
so well i bet the 2.2ghz model is pretty much awesome for me...right??:rolleyes:

[James L]

Hey all,

My thoughts:

The small jump in processor speed is negligible (2.2 to 2.4). Almost not worth discussing over the long run.

The extra hard drive space IS significant, imho. In a MBP the hard drive is NOT a user serviceable item, and you will grow into whatever hard drive you have in your machine if you keep it long enough. Unless you enjoy being tied to an external drive for more than backup purposes, a bigger hard drive now prevents you down the road from either voiding the warranty to change it yourself, or paying a tech to do it for you.

The video card issue... 128 versus 256. This is an area where I feel people don't look deeply enough. People quote performance testing sites, such as barefeats, who state the the extra video ram only gets you "a few more fps", and at best just under a 10% performance improvement... which may or may not be related to the chipset and cpu, rather than the gpu.

Now, look at the games they used for their tests. Most of them came out years ago. Halo came out in 2003. UT 2004. Doom 3 came out in 2004, with a Mac version in 2005. Quake 4 came out in 2005, with a Mac version a year ago. Prey is a fairly recent release on the Mac.

So, my point is that they used games that are not current technology, and don't require 256mb of vram 99% of the time. This can be misleading when discussing whether 256mb or vram is better than 128mb of vram.

The gaming industry moves fast. 128mb of vram is fine for today. What about tomorrow? What about two years from now?

Not to mention that the OS is becoming more GPU dependent, as are many applications. Aperture is one, as mentioned above.

My thought process when purchasing a laptop is to always buy as much machine as you can, knowing you will have the machine for a few years, and that very few parts of it are upgradeable. If all you can afford is the 2.2 model.... it's a great computer! If you can afford the 2.4 model, you not only future proof your machine better, but it will have a higher resale value down the road also.

Good luck, and welcome to the Mac!

[BigPrince]

wow i wouldnt ever need 30inch!! currently i do have 15inch laptop..and it looks HUGE for me!! its perfect for everything!
and about the 40gig..in this laptop(my only comp) i have 100gig HDD and less than half of it is filled!(music,movies,music videos,tv shows,photos,apps.)
so well i bet the 2.2ghz model is pretty much awesome for me...right??:rolleyes:


are you a noob or gamer?


also take a look at this...
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=311205

[KJmoon117]

wow i wouldnt ever need 30inch!! currently i do have 15inch laptop..and it looks HUGE for me!! its perfect for everything!
and about the 40gig..in this laptop(my only comp) i have 100gig HDD and less than half of it is filled!(music,movies,music videos,tv shows,photos,apps.)
so well i bet the 2.2ghz model is pretty much awesome for me...right??:rolleyes:

Yeah go for 2.2ghz...

But do you have any discount what so ever? ADC? EDU?

If you go get the 2.2ghz I'm strongly recommending you to upgrade to 160GB 7200RPM if that's in your budget. The guy above me (well above BigP) is right, if you need portability and don't want to carry around external hard drives just upgrade to a 160GB and live your life happy. Who knows? You might need it some day... Oh and yeah BigPrince is also right, you might as well go w/ the 2.2ghz since all you're getting out of 2.4ghz is 128MB of V-RAM (something that matters to some people), the hard drive is upgradable on the 2.2ghz and is user-upgradable (but voids your warranty).

Better safe than sorry.

[Zadillo]

Hey all,

My thoughts:

The small jump in processor speed is negligible (2.2 to 2.4). Almost not worth discussing over the long run.

The extra hard drive space IS significant, imho. In a MBP the hard drive is NOT a user serviceable item, and you will grow into whatever hard drive you have in your machine if you keep it long enough. Unless you enjoy being tied to an external drive for more than backup purposes, a bigger hard drive now prevents you down the road from either voiding the warranty to change it yourself, or paying a tech to do it for you.

The video card issue... 128 versus 256. This is an area where I feel people don't look deeply enough. People quote performance testing sites, such as barefeats, who state the the extra video ram only gets you "a few more fps", and at best just under a 10% performance improvement... which may or may not be related to the chipset and cpu, rather than the gpu.

Now, look at the games they used for their tests. Most of them came out years ago. Halo came out in 2003. UT 2004. Doom 3 came out in 2004, with a Mac version in 2005. Quake 4 came out in 2005, with a Mac version a year ago. Prey is a fairly recent release on the Mac.

So, my point is that they used games that are not current technology, and don't require 256mb of vram 99% of the time. This can be misleading when discussing whether 256mb or vram is better than 128mb of vram.

The gaming industry moves fast. 128mb of vram is fine for today. What about tomorrow? What about two years from now?

Not to mention that the OS is becoming more GPU dependent, as are many applications. Aperture is one, as mentioned above.

My thought process when purchasing a laptop is to always buy as much machine as you can, knowing you will have the machine for a few years, and that very few parts of it are upgradeable. If all you can afford is the 2.2 model.... it's a great computer! If you can afford the 2.4 model, you not only future proof your machine better, but it will have a higher resale value down the road also.

Good luck, and welcome to the Mac!

Very good points.

If you test using games that don't use more than 128MB of VRAM, you won't notice major differences. But if you do use more current games that use more VRAM, the extra VRAM becomes more noticeable.

[XheartcoreboyX]

Yeah go for 2.2ghz...

But do you have any discount what so ever? ADC? EDU?

If you go get the 2.2ghz I'm strongly recommending you to upgrade to 160GB 7200RPM if that's in your budget. The guy above me (well above BigP) is right, if you need portability and don't want to carry around external hard drives just upgrade to a 160GB and live your life happy. Who knows? You might need it some day... Oh and yeah BigPrince is also right, you might as well go w/ the 2.2ghz since all you're getting out of 2.4ghz is 128MB of V-RAM (something that matters to some people), the hard drive is upgradable on the 2.2ghz and is user-upgradable (but voids your warranty).

Better safe than sorry.

So,you saying that i shall get the 2.2ghz mbp...so IF i need the bigger HDD(in the far future) i can ask the seller to uprage it to 160 or 200 gb and maybe sell the 120gb HDD.....is that safe enough?:rolleyes:

[KJmoon117]

So,you saying that i shall get the 2.2ghz mbp...so IF i need the bigger HDD(in the far future) i can ask the seller to uprage it to 160 or 200 gb and maybe sell the 120gb HDD.....is that safe enough?:rolleyes:

Some Apple stores/resellers doesn't do that... Maybe others will..

You can service it yourself but if you screw up, bye bye warranty...

Just upgrade it on the website before you buy.

[XheartcoreboyX]

Some Apple stores/resellers doesn't do that... Maybe others will..

You can service it yourself but if you screw up, bye bye warranty...

Just upgrade it on the website before you buy.

apple store?website?? no well im buying it from Virgin here in doha qatar(mid east)and they probably do that,why wouldnt they? -_-

[aliquis-]

Noone (with brains) bother about 2.2 to 2.4GHz jump, still Apple thinks it's a good idea to have it's costumers pay 300 dollar extra for it..
People (atleast me) DO care about the amount of vram thought, and still Apple can't put 256MB in the lowendmodell aswell.

Anyway, for your purposes just get the cheapest one, only worth reason to upgrade is the vram and that should just cost 10-20 dollar if you didn't had to pay for all that other **** aswell.

[Zel]

I'm also interested in the differences between the 2.2 and the 2.4 models. Im going to buy one in a few weeks (I had enough money and then had to pay stupid rent).

I'm a computer science student, so I am interested in as much CPU power I can get (for the same price as a MBP I was considering a dual-proc dual-core opteron beast of a desktop workstation), I'm not sure if the videoram interests me... I dont play a lot of games, but I might, you know?

My current laptop has 18gb of harddrive total, so the differences between 120 and 160 dont really concern me either.

I could maybe even go for the WhiteBook, but as a computer science student toying with neural networks and compiling and running emulated servers... the big 2.4MBP CPU looks ideal.

[iW00t]

I could maybe even go for the WhiteBook, but as a computer science student toying with neural networks and compiling and running emulated servers... the big 2.4MBP CPU looks ideal.

Two words: Mac Pro

A recent project has just revealed to me how insufficient even 4 processors can be.

[Denali9]

My thought and a few will disagree is that VRAM won't make a difference even for games. By the time games require 256 vram, the GPU is going to be obsolete point and final and hence it's only worth paying for the additional vram if you do a lot of video editing using apps such as motion.

BTW if you game, you will use Vista at some points and you can share RAM and assign up to a gig of it to the GPU, it's not as fast but it is close enough to make the vram difference a moot point under windows.

MBP SR 2.2

[Zel]

Two words: Mac Pro

A recent project has just revealed to me how insufficient even 4 processors can be.

I realize that.. I had an association frequency analysis project last semester eat up four xeons for a week...

But I am looking for a portable, or else I will be stuck with this thing! Im getting internet through PCMCIA Wifi, which actually overheats because it is next to a high-end pentium three (runs as hot as a C2D), so Ive got to eject my internet...
No. I'm getting a laptop with built in wifi.

[M!K]

Hi! I just wanted to tell you that i ordered my MBP 2 weeks ago (it's not arrived yet:() and i took the 2.4 because i plan to run aperture and final cut on it. My seller, which is also a good friend of mine, said that there is practically no difference between a 2.2 and a 2.4 processor. However, he said that i'll notice the difference between 128mb and 256mb of vram in professional applications or games. So that's why i took it. + i think that 160go of hard drive is perfect. It is also gonna be a perfect machine for leopard!

Also if you are a university student like me, don't forget to have your free iPod nano with your MBP.

(my first Mac too! I can't wait!)

[XheartcoreboyX]

Hi! I just wanted to tell you that i ordered my MBP 2 weeks ago (it's not arrived yet:() and i took the 2.4 because i plan to run aperture and final cut on it. My seller, which is also a good friend of mine, said that there is practically no difference between a 2.2 and a 2.4 processor. However, he said that i'll notice the difference between 128mb and 256mb of vram in professional applications or games. So that's why i took it. + i think that 160go of hard drive is perfect. It is also gonna be a perfect machine for leopard!
Also if you are a university student like me, don't forget to have your free iPod nano with your MBP.

(my first Mac too! I can't wait!)

Hey thats pretty awesome,hope you will enjoy your new mac =D ''i can feel the pain of waiting trust me >_>'',,,but hey do you mean that Leopard will not work with the 2.2ghz/128vcard as well??

[M!K]

but hey do you mean that Leopard will not work with the 2.2ghz/128vcard as well??

Sorry for the confusion! Leopard will work fine with the 2.2 MBP as well.

[James L]

but hey do you mean that Leopard will not work with the 2.2ghz/128vcard as well??

Apple is very good about their OS running on old hardware, but with each revision of OS X the OS makes more and more use of the GPU. Will the OS run on older hardware? Yes, but not as efficiently.

Third party applications are also beginning to make use of the GPU more and more.

The 128 to 256 is a significant increase, but it completely depends on what applications you chose to use. In many, many apps you will not notice the difference. In many, especially over the next couple of years, I think you will. It all depends on your needs, and budget.

Either way, both machines are great!

[XheartcoreboyX]

Apple is very good about their OS running on old hardware, but with each revision of OS X the OS makes more and more use of the GPU. Will the OS run on older hardware? Yes, but not as efficiently.

Third party applications are also beginning to make use of the GPU more and more.

The 128 to 256 is a significant increase, but it completely depends on what applications you chose to use. In many, many apps you will not notice the difference. In many, especially over the next couple of years, I think you will. It all depends on your needs, and budget.

Either way, both machines are great!

Well currently i just use mulitmedia players,''simple'' photos editting,net browsing,''simple'' video editting.microsoft office and chatting....nothing professional....the most professional thing i might ever use is photoshop(**maybe** in future)....so isnt saving the money by getting the 2.2 a good idea?

[Zadillo]

My thought and a few will disagree is that VRAM won't make a difference even for games. By the time games require 256 vram, the GPU is going to be obsolete point and final and hence it's only worth paying for the additional vram if you do a lot of video editing using apps such as motion.

BTW if you game, you will use Vista at some points and you can share RAM and assign up to a gig of it to the GPU, it's not as fast but it is close enough to make the vram difference a moot point under windows.

MBP SR 2.2

"By the time games require 256 vram" implies that that time is somewhere in the future; there are games on the current market that do at least benefit from extra video memory...... and those differences can be seen.

The difference between dedicated and shared VRAM also can be noticeable.

[bmat]

Well currently i just use mulitmedia players,''simple'' photos editting,net browsing,''simple'' video editting.microsoft office and chatting....nothing professional....the most professional thing i might ever use is photoshop(**maybe** in future)....so isnt saving the money by getting the 2.2 a good idea?

There's probably no benefit for your going for the higher end one. Even using CS3 will be a minor difference, since my understanding is that CS3 is not gpu intensive. Like someone said on the last page, you can probably save even more money by getting a MB -- nothing wrong with a MB at all.

[M!K]

you can probably save even more money by getting a MB

That would be wrong! First he mentioned he didn't like the MB's 13'' screen. Too small he said. And I agree! + there's a huge difference between the MB and the MBP. Here are some points i like to consider:
- Very important for me is the illuminated keybord of the MBP. I think having that is fantastic and very useful.
-Then there's the design. I don't like the white MB because we can't see the Apple on the back enough. (i just really care about the logo :D). As for the black one, we can see the logo perfectly but inside it's so... black. It makes the screen looks even smaller.
-With less processor power, less memory, less hard drive capacity and a way too small screen... i would not spend any money on a MB.

The only great thing about the MB is its portability. But there again, the 15'' MBP is very portable. At first i wanted the 17'' MBP but when i saw one at an Apple Store, i figured out it is way too big and heavy to carry to school.

So anyway... saving money by buying a MB instead of a MBP is, i believe, not a great thing.
(Stay tune for my MBP review this week as i get mine):)

[James L]

Well currently i just use mulitmedia players,''simple'' photos editting,net browsing,''simple'' video editting.microsoft office and chatting....nothing professional....the most professional thing i might ever use is photoshop(**maybe** in future)....so isnt saving the money by getting the 2.2 a good idea?

I am not trying to sell you on either machine.. they are both great.

I can tell you my own experiences, however. When I first went to using laptops as my primary machine (I used desktop Macs from 1986 until about 5 years ago), I was definitely not a power user. I did the same basic things we all do, with the addition of being a web designer on the side.

Then, I discovered iLife. This led to me becoming more and more interested in video editing. At the same time, I developed a passion for photography that I never knew I had. All of a sudden, iPhoto morphed into Aperture and Lightroom, and iMovie morphed into Final Cut. All of the RAW pictures and video take up mega hard drive space, that I thought I would never fill.

I have always been a hobbiest guitar player, and then Apple came out with this little application called GarageBand. Not only is this app processor intensive, but the files are quite large.

I guess what I am trying to say is that my needs now are very different than my needs 5 years ago. I am doing things on my Macs that I never thought I would, or thought I had interest in.

This is why I always buy as much machine as I can now, given the very limited upgrade options available during the life of a laptop. If someone is going to purchase a laptop as their primary machine, I always tell them to buy as much machine as they can afford, keeping their budget in mind of course.

Either way, you will love your Mac!

[XheartcoreboyX]

...

Hey for sure i wouldnt ever buy a macbook its such a weak machine... >_>..
as long as the new mbp(2.2,2.4 ghz) needs like couple weeks or something..so i will find away to get more (500$) to be able to buy the 2.4ghz version.....and by the way im very much waiting for your review =D-you lucky thing!! lol-

I am not trying to sell you on either machine.. they are both great.

I can tell you my own experiences, however...

Hey well i think your saying the truth about going for the 2.4ghz,i think i have to time to save more money to get it....but im afraid that if i get the mbp and start having problems witht it or hate its OS and crap i might regret the whole purchase..and in that case i lose more 500usd...=\ you know i never had a mac and i do not know how better the performance will be by the daily use of it(i have a windows xp laptop 2.0 intel centrino/1gig ram/100gig HDD for 2 years)..but i honestly think your completely right!

thanks!

[M!K]

:mad: i don't have my MacBook Pro yet!!! I'm tired of waiting. It has been ordered on June 19th (more than a month ago...)
So i was wondering what was going on and then i saw this rumor that says Apple is having problem with the 15'' MBP screens.
Oh my god! Will i ever get mine?!

[XheartcoreboyX]

:mad: i don't have my MacBook Pro yet!!! I'm tired of waiting. It has been ordered on June 19th (more than a month ago...)
So i was wondering what was going on and then i saw this rumor that says Apple is having problem with the 15'' MBP screens.
Oh my god! Will i ever get mine?!

Well,anyway im in the same stupid situation...it will be my first mac..a 2.2 mbp...im STILL waiting for it to be available in my country...every week i give them a call..and they say ''hey sorry sir,next week'' >_> GRRR..now im waiting and waiting and waiting..i hope they will have it this weekend...about the problems with the new mbp...its common..but doesnt mean that all of them have the problem..maybe people got a perfect healthy mbp..so dont be worried.

[L3X]

OP,
You will be fine with the 2.2. I got the 160 7200 HDD just to give it an extra little speed increase because i do a lot of audio production that reads directly from the HDD.

Anyhow, you won't notice the VRAM difference. However, it's always better to future proof yourself and get the best thing available, so if you have the money, get the 2.4. It will be better for longer.