Retina MacBook - 2.3ghz vs 2.6ghz option?

The difference is hardly noticeable.
Can your unstated computational needs profit from 300 more MHz?

What do you normally do on your computer? I've seen some people on these forums suggest that the speed difference is around 10-15%, but only in cases where the CPU is really being utilized.

PS: Check your thread title

iLikeTurtles! said:

so i ordered the base retina model with 16gb of ram.

didnt realized there was a processor options to, and it was only 100 dollars extra for the 2.6ghz over the 2.3

is there any major differences? should i cancell and upgrade to it?
thanks

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Most users won't notice a difference of .3GHz in day-to-day usage.

iLikeTurtles! said:

well with that kind ofmoney, my as well blow the extra 100 for the difference. though i didnt notice that option for some reason. i was focused on upgrading the ram to 16gb lol.

its already been prepared for shipment so im reluctant to cancell and change lol

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You aren't able to cancel or change once it's preparing for shipment anyways.

My MacBook Pro is a 2.7 Ghz core i7 with 16GB RAM.
I'm not planning to get a new computer for 4-5 years, so I went for as fast as I could get today.

If you are asking the question you are not going to notice the difference.
The memory makes the biggest difference and you saved yourself $100.

If it still bugs you there is a 14 day return window and you can always order another.

BergerFan said:

My MacBook Pro is a 2.7 Ghz core i7 with 16GB RAM.
I'm not planning to get a new computer for 4-5 years, so I went for as fast as I could get today.

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It depends on how you plan to use your rMBP. I got the base Model with 2.3 and 8GB RAM which more than enough for my usage LR4, PS and web browsing. I primary use LR and do not have external monitors. User's with multiple monitors or video editors should get 2.7 16GB but for me $2000 (gov discount) was most I wanted to pay for my laptop I plan to keep for 4 years.

My 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo holds up fine. I run processor-intensive statistical simulations for research and I figure that waiting half an hour less for a sample to run isn't worth $2000 for a new computer, nor is waiting three minutes less worth $100 for a processor upgrade. I'm sure you'll be fine.

The only benchmarks I have seen between the 2.3ghz and the 2.6ghz model was done by Engadget.com but from what I can remember they were only synthetic. The difference there was small at best. At times the 13% difference in clock speed between the 2.3ghz and 2.6ghz model was only 4% better.

It be more telling if some one actually did a real world test with applications like photoshop or final cut pro.

Day to day activities like email, surfing the net won't show any noticeable difference at all.

Some of the reviews I've read indicated the biggest difference is ~2 hours of battery life.

iLikeTurtles! said:

u mean the 2.3 uses 2hours less battery life then the 2.6? that doesnt sound right lol

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2.3 got ~9 hours where as the 2.6 got ~7 hours.

When I order mine this weekend I'm going to stick with the 2.3.

Minor performance boost for $100 and 2 hours of battery...not worth it IMO.

beamer8912 said:

2.3 got ~9 hours where as the 2.6 got ~7 hours.

When I order mine this weekend I'm going to stick with the 2.3.

Minor performance boost for $100 and 2 hours of battery...not worth it IMO.

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That was only in engadget's test. I don't think it is right. But there might be slight benefit in battery life in favour of 2.3. Not 2 hours definitely.

iLikeTurtles! said:

where did u hear that?

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Simoquasimo said:

That was only in engadget's test. I don't think it is right. But there might be slight benefit in battery life in favour of 2.3. Not 2 hours definitely.

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I think it was engadgets test. I'll try to find it.

edit: Here's their review

Cnet had 7 hours from the 2.3, no claim on the 2.6

beamer8912 said:

I think it was engadgets test. I'll try to find it.

edit: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/13/apple-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/Here's their review

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LOL look at the battery life ^^

If you happen to be gaming, the 2.6 allows for better overclocking of the GPU.

shorty66 said:

LOL look at the battery life ^^

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I don't get it.

beamer8912 said:

I don't get it.

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The result of the 0.3 GHz more CPU Power is 90 minutes less battery life.

Centsy said:

If you happen to be gaming, the 2.6 allows for better overclocking of the GPU.

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I think it really comes down to whether you actually will benefit from the increase or not. Gamers, media editors and other computationally heavy users will probably benefit enough to justify the upgrade. Not to mention they'll most likely be near an outlet.

If you're unsure if you need the upgrade, you probably don't. And you'll benefit more from the battery life increase.