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2.4 vs 2.53 GHz

H

harmlessgoat22

macrumors member
Original poster
Is this really that big of a deal? I am almost for sure getting just the 2.4, but I was just wondering if that processor thing will make it go significantly faster...I'm already getting 4gig of RAM instead of 2 gig, so does the extra .13 GHz make much of a difference?
 
Obviously the normal apps, but then Adobe stuff, like Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, occasionally some video editing stuff, but not much, also some music recording stuff, but again, not much.
 
harmlessgoat22 said:
Obviously the normal apps, but then Adobe stuff, like Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, occasionally some video editing stuff, but not much, also some music recording stuff, but again, not much.
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Loads of ram, and an external HD that's where I'd put any leftover cash.
 
Neither of them will change much.



There. Fixed that for you. It's true, though. It won't change much.
 
I ordered just now, the 2.4 GHz model, but with 4 gig of RAM. Cost me more than I was expecting...I forgot how much tax is (150 or so dollars :|)
 
harmlessgoat22 said:
I ordered just now, the 2.4 GHz model, but with 4 gig of RAM. Cost me more than I was expecting...I forgot how much tax is (150 or so dollars :|)
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😕 Wow, why would you ever pay tax? There are so many authorized Apple resellers who don't charge tax (unless they do business in your state) and when you spend $3,000+ on a total purchase, tax is well over $200. If you get the 10% education discount from Apple though that pretty much makes up for the cash. In either case, shipping is almost always free.
 
I bought the 2.4 and wish I got the 2.53. I didn't realize the 2.53 already came with 4G RAM, which was expensive to upgrade with the 2.4 ($150), and when you figure in the bigger 320 hard drive, I basically would have taken the stock 2.53 and done no upgrades and only spent $200 more, and gotten the faster processor with the larger cache.

This is one case where the mid range is actually a decent deal.
 
akm3 said:
I bought the 2.4 and wish I got the 2.53. I didn't realize the 2.53 already came with 4G RAM, which was expensive to upgrade with the 2.4 ($150), and when you figure in the bigger 320 hard drive, I basically would have taken the stock 2.53 and done no upgrades and only spent $200 more, and gotten the faster processor with the larger cache.

This is one case where the mid range is actually a decent deal.
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Yeah, that's why I went with the 2.53. I didn't plan on ordering 3rd party ram to save $20. I mean, $200 is $200, but after hitting the $2000 mark, it didn't seem like THAT much more.

Remember you also get the 512mb video card with the 2.53.

Now, if only my replacement MBP would arrive...
 
Future proof yourself.

If it didn't count Apple wouldn't market it.

The 2.53GHz also has 6MB shared L2 Cache and 4GB DDR3 RAM and larger HDD (faster read). Furthermore, resale in three years will be pathetic for a 2.4GHz.

Heck wait a few weeks for a refurbished at $2299
 
anth said:
Yeah, that's why I went with the 2.53. I didn't plan on ordering 3rd party ram to save $20. I mean, $200 is $200, but after hitting the $2000 mark, it didn't seem like THAT much more.

Remember you also get the 512mb video card with the 2.53.

Now, if only my replacement MBP would arrive...
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Are you guys pricing the mid-range (2.53GHz/4GB/320GB/512MB/320 7200-rpm) at $2494 or $2394 when you refer to the "$200 difference"? Because it is available for $2394. 😱

My quandary was between the mid- and hi-end. I got the mid and it does have the 6MB cache, 512MB VRAM, and full 4GB RAM. The thing was, with the rebate mine cost $2394.00. To upgrade to 7200-rpm would've been an extra $150 and for the full monty an extra $450! Not sure the extra .27GHz and 7200-rpm is worth $450 but would've been nice to have the best. What do you guys think? 😕
 
SWLinPHX said:
Are you guys pricing the mid-range (2.53GHz/4GB/320GB/512MB/320 7200-rpm) at $2494 or $2394 when you refer to the "$200 difference"? Because it is available for $2394. 😱

My quandary was between the mid- and hi-end. I got the mid and it does have the 6MB cache, 512MB VRAM, and full 4GB RAM. The thing was, with the rebate mine cost $2394.00. To upgrade to 7200-rpm would've been an extra $150 and for the full monty an extra $450! Not sure the extra .27GHz and 7200-rpm is worth $450 but would've been nice to have the best. What do you guys think? 😕
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I'm looking between the mid and high end too, and I think it'd be good to have the best. I could be the only person around with a 2.8 GHz MacBook Pro.

I've found an Authorized Reseller that will help me get it BTO, Education Discount and tax free, so I'm really excited.

I wonder if I'll get a free printer out of the deal too. Maybe some MobileMe or free upgrade to iLife '09? I can dream, can't I?
 
harmlessgoat22 said:
Is this really that big of a deal? I am almost for sure getting just the 2.4, but I was just wondering if that processor thing will make it go significantly faster...I'm already getting 4gig of RAM instead of 2 gig, so does the extra .13 GHz make much of a difference?
Click to expand...
For regular use, most folks will never notice the difference.

For heavy use applications, it is possible that you will see a difference.

Also, HD speed, as others have mentioned, can affect overall speed.

Personally, I would save the funds and go with 2.4 and upgrade the RAM to 4GB.
 
sushi said:
For regular use, most folks will never notice the difference.

For heavy use applications, it is possible that you will see a difference.

Also, HD speed, as others have mentioned, can affect overall speed.

Personally, I would save the funds and go with 2.4 and upgrade the RAM to 4GB.
Click to expand...

I agree... plus, with the MBP unibody you can always change the HDD yourself without jeopardizing the warranty, to a 7200 rpm and keep the original with an enclosure, in case performance needs a small boost.
 
diazj3 said:
plus, with the MBP unibody you can always change the HDD yourself without jeopardizing the warranty, to a 7200 rpm and keep the original with an enclosure, in case performance needs a small boost.
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Good point.

I upgraded my MBP15 to a Samsung 5,400 500GB HD. Works well for my needs.

For my needs, space is king! Speed is secondary. 🙂
 
diazj3 said:
I agree... plus, with the MBP unibody you can always change the HDD yourself without jeopardizing the warranty, to a 7200 rpm and keep the original with an enclosure, in case performance needs a small boost.
Click to expand...

I want to build to order my macbook. I'm looking at the 2.53 GHz, so

Stock 320GB 5400RPM hard drive

For $45 cheaper, you get a faster, but smaller hard drive. A 250GB 7200RPM is good for me.

My internal hard drive has less than 60GB on it and the rest goes on an external. It'll be faster for the time being.

When the price of SSDs come down in a few years, I figure I can swap out my hard drive to get a boost in performance and possibly battery efficiency.
 
ntrigue said:
The 2.53GHz also has 6MB shared L2 Cache and 4GB DDR3 RAM and larger HDD (faster read). Furthermore, resale in three years will be pathetic for a 2.4GHz.
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The 4GB of RAM and the HDD are valid points, but in terms of the processor, it makes little difference, despite the cache size difference. Not sure what you mean by "resale in three years".

http://www.barefeats.com/mbpp05.html
You get about an 8% performance boost in games with the 2.53GHz processor.

As for CPU performance the 2.53GHz gets a geekbench score of 3328, versus the 2.4GHz which gets a score of 3140 -- about a 6% boost with the 2.53GHz.
 
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