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MBP Refurb 2.4ghz i5 vs. 2.8ghz c2d

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brushedred

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 14, 2009
14
0
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core i5
15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1440 x 900 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
320GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 memory
$1529

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
17-inch high-resolution LED-backlit antiglare widescreen display
4GB memory
500GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ExpressCard/34 slot
Built-in 8-hour battery
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 512MB
Illuminated keyboard
$1799

Which would be the better choice? Is the price difference justifiable?

I am a photographer so I do a lot of tethered shooting through capture one and a lot of photo editing in Photoshop. I have an eizo 24" external display I can hook up to but I feel the 17" with its high resolution and anti glare would be useful for location shoots so my question: Is the higher price and old technology worth it for the bigger antiglare screen and bigger harddrive for what I am using it for?
 
I'd say 15-inch

If you do tethered shooting, the more portable, the better, and 15-inch isn't too bad for that. You'll definitely need the 330M graphics if you're using heavy Photoshop, especially for stuff like HDR. Antiglare is nice, but not really necessary, especially since that can be solved with an antiglare screen protector, and the hi-resolution screen on the 15-inch will be great for photo viewing. Plus, you get a cheaper computer too!

Forgot: 320GB should really be enough - assuming about 60 gigs for system and Photoshop and other miscellaneous stuff, you'd still have space for some 50k photos at 5mb each. Plus, as a photographer, you'd probably need SD more than ExpressCard anyways.
 
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Thanks for the response! 15-inch hi-res is not an option in the model i posted :[. I feel like the 17-inch is better for the client or art director anyways to see images on location, no? Will the 330M as well as the the new technology really make that much of a difference in photoshop? I am working with some large raw files from my Canon 1ds mark III as well as my Mamiya RZ67 with phase one back.
 
Maybe...

too bad the 15-inch isn't hi-res, huh?
I guess the 17-inch isn't too bad, and the larger screen is definitely nice, but 330M is definitely better, especially for those 10-megapixel RAW files. The older graphics cards aren't really that much worse, but it might get sluggish if you ever upgrade your camera - for example, to a 5D mark II, and plus, you'll probably be able to keep the 15-inch for longer, maybe 3-4 years at least.

Jason
 
mark 1ds mark iii is 21 megapixels not 10 and phase one is 30 ;)

Anyways i guess its all about screen space vs. performance... hm...
 
If it were 15 inch highres vs 17 inch prev gen, then the 15 inch would win.

But here, 15 inch low res. Yuck! don't even bother. Go 17.

And the 2.8 C2D might just be a little faster than the 2.4 i5. Not sure on this though.
 
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brushedred said:
mark 1ds mark iii is 21 megapixels not 10 and phase one is 30 ;)

Anyways i guess its all about screen space vs. performance... hm...
Click to expand...

Just hold out for a refurb 15" or 17" with AG and an i-series chip, they come up on a regular basis, but sell quickly.

As a photographer you will want the AG, especially if you are using it to preview photos, since it has superior post-production color reproduction, and if you are outside the glossy screens can be a huge nightmare. Mostly, it is the color reproduction, though, that makes the AG screens the route to go for your usage.

As for speed, the older core2duo rig you link to would be fine. With Photoshop, it is all about RAM and CPU, GPU has very little end user impact (if bad enough it will, but plenty of people with the last gen MBP are using them to do photoshop no problem with no complaints). If you were doing video I would say it would be a bigger deal to get the i-series. But getting an i-series will be best if you want to maximize the number of "usable" years.
 
I am quite content with my 15" MBP for my photo work. I only wish that the antiglare was an option when I purchased it. The 17" is a beast and could not imagine traveling with it on location. Let the AD, Designer and Client lug their own around and I will be happy with previewing the images on my machine. I suggest buying the latest version at the best price that you can find. Besides, I'll bet the AD will eventually ask about an iPad wirelessly connected to a network along with an espresso and croissant...what will you do then?
 
pjcforpres2020 said:
Just hold out for a refurb 15" or 17" with AG and an i-series chip, they come up on a regular basis, but sell quickly.

As a photographer you will want the AG, especially if you are using it to preview photos, since it has superior post-production color reproduction, and if you are outside the glossy screens can be a huge nightmare. Mostly, it is the color reproduction, though, that makes the AG screens the route to go for your usage.

As for speed, the older core2duo rig you link to would be fine. With Photoshop, it is all about RAM and CPU, GPU has very little end user impact (if bad enough it will, but plenty of people with the last gen MBP are using them to do photoshop no problem with no complaints). If you were doing video I would say it would be a bigger deal to get the i-series. But getting an i-series will be best if you want to maximize the number of "usable" years.
Click to expand...

Very helpful info! Thank you!
 
So I believe I got a good deal on a lightly used 17" antiglare 2.8ghz c2d macbook pro w/ applecare and 8gb of ram for a bit over $1700. Very happy with purchase. I think the screen real estate and antiglare will be beneficial when on location as well as for some smaller shoots in studio where I dont have to lug around my eizo monitor to tether. And i think the extra 8gb will be sufficient for photoshop work and processing large images! No regrets!
 
brushedred said:
So I believe I got a good deal on a lightly used 17" antiglare 2.8ghz c2d macbook pro w/ applecare and 8gb of ram for a bit over $1700. Very happy with purchase. I think the screen real estate and antiglare will be beneficial when on location as well as for some smaller shoots in studio where I dont have to lug around my eizo monitor to tether. And i think the extra 8gb will be sufficient for photoshop work and processing large images! No regrets!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. You'll appreciate the extra res of the 17", there's a huge difference between 1440x900 and 1920x1200 and you'll appreciate it as a photographer.
Hope you enjoy your new Mac!
 
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