New 2.4GHz 15'' MBPr Processor

I ordered a 2.3 rMBP on Feb 6 and today Apple upgraded me to the 2.4 and now my delivery date is Feb 20. That .1 better be worth it
On the plus side I saved about $200

shahin90 said:

I just got mine 3 days ago, how much will they refund me if I want the refund? is it 200?!

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I don't know. I just know the difference in my two orders was about $200.

shahin90 said:

Can someone explain the point of replacing the 2.3 GHz processor with the new 2.4GHz version? If I'm right on the model the new one does not even perform .1 GHz better.

Image

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3630QM+@+2.40GHz

i7 3610 QE (Old Processor)
i7 3630QM (New Processor)

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You're slightly off.

The old one is Core i7 3615QM:
http://ark.intel.com/products/64900/Intel-Core-i7-3615QM-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_30-GHz

And the new one is Core i7 3635QM:
http://ark.intel.com/products/71460/Intel-Core-i7-3635QM-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_40-GHz

Main differences between the 3610QM and 3615QM are VT-d support (in the 3615QM) and higher GPU clock speeds.

That's the same difference on the 3630QM and 3635QM you quoted.

The 3610QE is a different processor from that line altogether. It's running the integrated GPU slower than the other two chips, while it supports features that the 3610QM doesn't.

And then there's also a 3615QE that is about the same in every way... just to make things even more confusing.

But those aren't the ones in the current rMBP. They are for embedded platforms (hence the "QE" designation). So let's disregard them.

But if you're wondering, embedded platforms are more simplified than mainstream platforms, so they sometimes benchmark higher.

If I had known, I would of waited 2 weeks and purchased the new one.

watchthisspace said:

If I had known, I would of waited 2 weeks and purchased the new one.

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Nothing to get excited about. If you're in the market for the 13" then this is good news. For us looking at the 15" this is a nothing release. No price change, no nothing except ramping it up .1. They did max out the high ends ram, and since I'm going to max out a base models ram anyway it makes sense to spend the extra $400 and get the 2.7 and double the SSD to 512. But it's still the same machine with its 1st generation quirks. They are basically trying to push these machines out the door to make room for the 2nd generation 2013 models with Haswell. This spec bump is good news as it signals, at least in my mind, that the new ones are coming. Just hold out guys, we've waited this long, a few months won't kill you. Plus the next one will come with OS 10.9

^ Exactly.

The new top end 2.7GHz standard is basically due to most people completely ignoring the 0.1GHz difference and buying 2.6 instead. Now they have to get rid of it. If they're smart, I'm betting they only have a handful of 2.8GHz chips on standby for custom.

Still, 2.7GHz and 16GB RAM standard the same price is not a bad deal. Think of it as free upgrade, or $450 discount.

Ryan1524 said:

^ Exactly.

The new top end 2.7GHz standard is basically due to most people completely ignoring the 0.1GHz difference and buying 2.6 instead. Now they have to get rid of it. If they're smart, I'm betting they only have a handful of 2.8GHz chips on standby for custom.

Still, 2.7GHz and 16GB RAM standard the same price is not a bad deal. Think of it as free upgrade, or $450 discount.

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Not exactly- the new 2.7 is the i7-3740QM (with 6M L3 cache) and the old was the i7-3820QM (with 8M L3).

Really it's just a 100MHz bump across the board, not substantial enough to be noticeable at all for most people. The bump to 16GB (or the $200 reduction from the cost to upgrade from 256GB SSD to 512GB- either way a $200 difference) is the most substantial improvement for the 15".

I see that now.

Why would they reduce the L3 Cache?

Ryan1524 said:

I see that now.

Why would they reduce the L3 Cache?

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To keep costs down. And probably provide slightly more incentive for customers to shell out for the 2.8GHz upgrade.

Why else?

shahin90 said:

Can someone explain the point of replacing the 2.3 GHz processor with the new 2.4GHz version? If I'm right on the model the new one does not even perform .1 GHz better.

Image

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3630QM+@+2.40GHz

i7 3610 QE (Old Processor)
i7 3630QM (New Processor)

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Clearing inventory before the Haswell update in June. Intel had some old chips lying around they needed to get rid of, and people who buy these things love specs and having the latest and greatest. So they're an easy target to unload old gear on.

Asuriyan said:

Not exactly- the new 2.7 is the i7-3740QM (with 6M L3 cache) and the old was the i7-3820QM (with 8M L3)

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Thank you for posting this tid-bit!!!

I knew the earlier 2.7 Ghz i7s (3820QM- the one in my rMBP) had 8MB L3 cache, and looking at Apple's website today got me wondering why it's 6MB L3 for the 2.7s now !!!

M5RahuL said:

Thank you for posting this tid-bit!!!

I knew the earlier 2.7 Ghz i7s (3820QM- the one in my rMBP) had 8MB L3 cache, and looking at Apple's website today got me wondering why it's 6MB L3 for the 2.7s now !!!

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Go to ark.intel.com and check their prices for different mobile i7 quads

Ryan1524 said:

I see that now.

Why would they reduce the L3 Cache?

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Price. They kept the CPUs from the same price range that got released after retina was introduced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors

Ryan1524 said:

I see that now.

Why would they reduce the L3 Cache?

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They didn't reduce the L3 cache. The new 2.7GHz processor is an upgrade of the older 2.6GHz processor, not a downgrade of the old 2.7GHz processor.

The replacement of the 2.7GHz processor is now the 2.8GHz upgrade.

Intel does this every year. Halfway through a cycle they bump each of the processors slightly usually having ironed out the bugs in the hardware, second to give they industry partners an option to "update" their computers with a refresh. It's just a multiplier increase, nothing more.