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Which too pick

Drich290195

Drich290195

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 2, 2011
467
6
I currently have a late 2013 rmbp 2.6ghz i5 version. Now I'm after a desktop too use instead of plugging and unplugging monitors all the time. Now is there much of a difference between the 2.3 and 2.6 i7. I want a machine with better specs than my laptop so would the 2.3 be enough with maxed out ram. I'm also mindful of the refresh but is it due soon. All I really do is run a few virtual machines and use the internet will this be enough for my needs
 
Crosscreek

Crosscreek

macrumors 68030
Nov 19, 2013
2,892
5,793
Margarittaville
Drich290195 said:
I currently have a late 2013 rmbp 2.6ghz i5 version. Now I'm after a desktop too use instead of plugging and unplugging monitors all the time. Now is there much of a difference between the 2.3 and 2.6 i7. I want a machine with better specs than my laptop so would the 2.3 be enough with maxed out ram. I'm also mindful of the refresh but is it due soon. All I really do is run a few virtual machines and use the internet will this be enough for my needs
Click to expand...

2.5 with 8gb ram is all you need. SSD if you want faster boot and app loading.
 
M

mvmanolov

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2013
858
5
yes the 2.5 is the dual core i5, i'd go with the 2.3 quad i7 but that's just me.... the upgrade to the 2.6 i7 isn't really worth it unless you have a $100 you don't really care about :D
 
C

COrocket

macrumors 6502
Dec 9, 2012
485
12
Drich290195 said:
Is that the 2.5 i5
Click to expand...

To answer the OP's question - The 2.6 Quad is about 10% faster than the 2.3 Quad, which is approximately twice as fast as the 2.5 Dual.

Even the dual core is sufficient for VM's and web browsing. VM's need RAM more than CPU power. Although having a Quad core is nice for future-proofing and it is the thing that you can't upgrade later.
 
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