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About to Buy a new 13" MBP i7

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daman7676

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 6, 2012
20
0
Hey everyone - I'm about to the pull the trigger on the below from B&H. Look like a good deal?

$1,407 - 2011 MBP 13" - 2.8Ghz i7, 4GB RAM, 750GB 5400 RPM HDD
278 - Crucial 256MB M4 SSD
95 - Apple Care
$1780 - Grand Total - USD

I'm going to be replacing an desktop I built 4 years ago - Intel Quad Core Q6600 @ 2.4GHz with 4GB of RAM and a 320GB HDD. I typically use it for emailing, internet, photoshop/lightroom and basic HD home videos of my kid. I've got my iTunes library on a Synology NAS hooked up to a DLINK 655 Router.

Should I do it?! Do I really need the SSD? Should I just get 8GB of RAM? I have to get ride of the desktop as I'm losing my office.

Thanks in advance.
 
http://www.appleinsider.com/mac_price_guide/


I don't think it's worth upgrading to the i7. It's not a quad core, still a dual core.

If you are going to replace the HD, go with the i5 for $1,104.76* (at Macmall) assuming they don't charge you tax.

I'd look into buying the Samsung 830 256GB SSD on sale today for $299 at newegg. Decide if you really want to get rid of your optical drive and move the 500GB drive into that location.

8GB is around $35-50. Upgrade this for sure. 16GB is $100 right now at Newegg.
 
Buy it from a vendor that you can get use a referral cash back website with, like FatWallet. Currently FW gives you 2.5% back on MacMall purchases, for example. When you hit over $1000 that's over $20 back which isn't a ton but it helps -- that's what I always do.
 
I appreciate the feedback.

The reason I'm going with B&H is b/c they don't charge tax, have free shipping, and discounting both the SSD and Apple Care. SSD is at $278 which is about $50 less than other online retailers and Apple Care is only $95. That's $150 off retail.

I realize that I'm going form quad to dual core...that's why I was thinking the i7 would be a little better. I've read that the i7 will help with apps such as photoshop and also for the occasional game here and there.
 
mgkimsal said:
Where on neweggs site is 16GB for a laptop $100?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...07609 600213067&IsNodeId=1&name=16GB (2 x 8G)

$149 is the cheapest I'm seeing...
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=ShellShocker-_-20-231-565-_-03142012_2

----------
daman7676 said:
I appreciate the feedback.

The reason I'm going with B&H is b/c they don't charge tax, have free shipping, and discounting both the SSD and Apple Care. SSD is at $278 which is about $50 less than other online retailers and Apple Care is only $95. That's $150 off retail.

I realize that I'm going form quad to dual core...that's why I was thinking the i7 would be a little better. I've read that the i7 will help with apps such as photoshop and also for the occasional game here and there.
Click to expand...

http://www.macworld.com/article/1163307/new_macbook_pros_late_2011_feature_updates_that_boost_performance_and_value.html

This will give you a better idea of how different the two are in real world experience. Keep in mind, the numbers will be off due to you upgrading to an SSD. Only you can decide if the difference is worth the money.
 
I have the 13 in i7 and I'm not sure it was worth it. I think most of the cost difference between it and the i5 will be lost when I sell the machine used. I don't think the spec bump is worth it although I really wanted the fastest at the time I bought it. I have the crucial m4 128 and it is great, and I wish I had got the 256, so I say go for it. The Samsung from Newegg right now also looks like a good deal. I also have the optibay, and although I don't miss the superdrive often, I do miss it sometimes, and having a second hard drive isn't quite as nice as being able to have everything on the same drive. So, I'd recommend trying to get by with the 256 GB ssd for awhile, and wait for the optibay path until you really need more space.
 
daman7676 said:
Hey everyone - I'm about to the pull the trigger on the below from B&H. Look like a good deal?

$1,407 - 2011 MBP 13" - 2.8Ghz i7, 4GB RAM, 750GB 5400 RPM HDD
278 - Crucial 256MB M4 SSD
95 - Apple Care
$1780 - Grand Total - USD

I'm going to be replacing an desktop I built 4 years ago - Intel Quad Core Q6600 @ 2.4GHz with 4GB of RAM and a 320GB HDD. I typically use it for emailing, internet, photoshop/lightroom and basic HD home videos of my kid. I've got my iTunes library on a Synology NAS hooked up to a DLINK 655 Router.

Should I do it?! Do I really need the SSD? Should I just get 8GB of RAM? I have to get ride of the desktop as I'm losing my office.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
No, you don't need the SSD. especially not for just a macbook pro 13inch. But what you are going to get is a very good computer. I have the macbook pro 13inch i5 with an upgraded 8gb of ram. I would really suggest you upgrade you ram at some point. I'm pretty sure it makes a difference, especially if you multitask like I do. Also, I do almost the same things on my computer as you do and I can tell you that this computer is wonderful! If I didn't get this Mac I would definitely get the HP Envy! But yeah, I really think the Ram is necessary.
 
MacVibe said:
I have the 13 in i7 and I'm not sure it was worth it. I think most of the cost difference between it and the i5 will be lost when I sell the machine used. I don't think the spec bump is worth it although I really wanted the fastest at the time I bought it. I have the crucial m4 128 and it is great, and I wish I had got the 256, so I say go for it. The Samsung from Newegg right now also looks like a good deal. I also have the optibay, and although I don't miss the superdrive often, I do miss it sometimes, and having a second hard drive isn't quite as nice as being able to have everything on the same drive. So, I'd recommend trying to get by with the 256 GB ssd for awhile, and wait for the optibay path until you really need more space.
Click to expand...

Thanks, MacVibe. I do hear that ordering the higher end Macs don't always help out on return on investment when attempting to sell it used down the line. I thought about it further and for now, I'll probably forgo the SSD as I really don't think I'll be using the laptop enough to warrant it. I know I've contradicted what I said about leaning towards the i7 but after your feedback, I'm starting to think it just might be worth it. Also, who am I kidding? I have no time to game.

macuser1232 said:
No, you don't need the SSD. especially not for just a macbook pro 13inch. But what you are going to get is a very good computer. I have the macbook pro 13inch i5 with an upgraded 8gb of ram. I would really suggest you upgrade you ram at some point. I'm pretty sure it makes a difference, especially if you multitask like I do. Also, I do almost the same things on my computer as you do and I can tell you that this computer is wonderful! If I didn't get this Mac I would definitely get the HP Envy! But yeah, I really think the Ram is necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks, macuser1232 for the feedback too. Like I mentioned, I'll probably skip the SSD but upgrade the memory for now. Other than basic online billpay, emails, and the occasional lightroom/aperture session, I really can't justify the .4Ghz speed bump and the SSD.
 
daman7676 said:
Thanks, macuser1232 for the feedback too. Like I mentioned, I'll probably skip the SSD but upgrade the memory for now. Other than basic online billpay, emails, and the occasional lightroom/aperture session, I really can't justify the .4Ghz speed bump and the SSD.
Click to expand...

I would get the SSD over the slight processor jump everytime. If you are only going to be using your computer for day-to-day things, the SSD will trump and processor increase. I'd consider going the 128GB SSD with the existing HD installed in the optical bay. If you want a processor upgrade, jump up to the 15" mbp where you will get a quad core with it.
 
I should probably change the title of the thread b/c I decided to go with the 13" i5. I'm keeping it stock for now except for the memory upgrade. I've actually started kicking around the idea of 16GB - found some from Fry's on the west coast for $110.

http://www.frys.com/product/6932057?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Thanks again everyone for your input. Really helped me make a better decision on what to purchase. For what I'm going to use it for, I really don't need the i7 and the SSD can be upgraded later.
 
daman7676 said:
I should probably change the title of the thread b/c I decided to go with the 13" i5. I'm keeping it stock for now except for the memory upgrade. I've actually started kicking around the idea of 16GB - found some from Fry's on the west coast for $110.

http://www.frys.com/product/6932057?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Thanks again everyone for your input. Really helped me make a better decision on what to purchase. For what I'm going to use it for, I really don't need the i7 and the SSD can be upgraded later.
Click to expand...

Yeah trust me you don't need the i7. I have i5 and its perfect. I don't know if I will ever settle for just 4gb of ram on my computer ever again. I'm always going to have 8gb or above.
 
I just saw the Digitimes report that the new 13 and 15 inch models are ALLEGEDLY shipping to Apple this month. What the heck!?

Should I cancel my order and hold out for the new models?

If I do hold out, should I refuse delivery from B&H or be a "better" customer and call them to request an RMA?

Any thoughts on whether or not the new ones will actually be available in April?

:confused:
 
If you don't need it now then waiting would be a good idea.

FWIW I'd never buy another computer running (only) on HDDs. Once you get use to trains coming every minute or two you don't want to go back to waiting on the platform for an hour...

Perhaps the new MBPs will get SSD as standard? Hope so.
 
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