If the i5 and i7 models were equally priced would anyone still recommend the i5?

bouncingsoul said:

I'm asking about the 15" MBP models. The i7 model is "better" in specs, but I was wondering if there were real-world issues the i7 has that are't present in the i5.

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bouncingsoul said:

- Does the i7 have shorter battery life and a higher running temp

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doubtably

bouncingsoul said:

- Have there been significantly more i7 problems reported than i5?

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no

bouncingsoul said:

- Can the the 330M card actually make use of the extra VRAM in the i7 model, or is just a higher number to look good in charts?

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yes it can use it. - helps a lot when running multiple displays

bouncingsoul said:

- Is the i7 MBP heavier than the i5???

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no

This is intel's stupid advertisement BS. the i7 (620m) on the MBPs are exactly the same as the i5, just with a different name. They just run a tiny bit faster.

In the windows world there are i7 (real quad core ones) that stomp the i5's performance, but also takes almost double the power and generates a crap ton of heat.

i7-620m just isn't a worthwhile upgrade. It really shouldn't exist at all They should have just called it i5-560 or something. Stupid intel trying to mislead people *grumble*grumble*

Meever said:

This is intel's stupid advertisement BS. the i7 (620m) on the MBPs are exactly the same as the i5, just with a different name. They just run a tiny bit faster.

In the windows world there are i7 (real quad core ones) that stomp the i5's performance, but also takes almost double the power and generates a crap ton of heat.

i7-620m just isn't a worthwhile upgrade. It really shouldn't exist at all They should have just called it i5-560 or something. Stupid intel trying to mislead people *grumble*grumble*

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So what you're saying is that they're not exactly the same and that the i7 is slightly faster than the i5.

And by "tiny bit", you mean about 10%.

Meever said:

i7-620m just isn't a worthwhile upgrade. It really shouldn't exist at all They should have just called it i5-560 or something. Stupid intel trying to mislead people *grumble*grumble*

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it benchmarks 20% faster doesnt it? seems pretty significant to me.

Baral ^^ they are the same chip, the i7 is clocked faster thats what i know anyway... though i thought they have different threads?

i5 = 2c/2T
i7 = 2c/4T?

Baral said:

So what you're saying is that they're not exactly the same and that the i7 is slightly faster than the i5.

And by "tiny bit", you mean about 10%.

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The base model of the 15" MBP comes with a i5-430 and the one up comes with i5-520. Are you saying that just because One is clocked a bit higher it's a completely different chipset? I think the performance difference between the two is about 10% give or take as well.

Don't be an ass when you don't need to be.

DoFoT9 said:

it benchmarks 20% faster doesnt it? seems pretty significant to me.

Baral ^^ they are the same chip, the i7 is clocked faster thats what i know anyway... though i thought they have different threads?

i5 = 2c/2T
i7 = 2c/4T?

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The i5 also has turbo boost/hyper-threading technology.

Yes, I know the difference between the i5 and the i7 on the new Macbook Pros is not going to make a difference to the average user, I was just busting that guy's balls.

But in all honesty, the i7 IS faster. The two are definitely NOT exactly the same. The i7 is shown to be about 10% faster than the i5 under heavy CPU usage. This type of usage will never be reached by most users and so it makes no difference.

Meever said:

The base model of the 15" MBP comes with a i5-430 and the one up comes with i5-520. Are you saying that just because One is clocked a bit higher it's a completely different chipset? I think the performance difference between the two is about 10% give or take as well.

Don't be an ass when you don't need to be.

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I never said the two were completely different chipsets now did I? All I said was they are NOT exactly the same. Do you know what's exactly the same as an i5-430? An i5-430.

The i7 is most definitely faster. This is unarguable. Is it worth the upgrade price? No, most likely not.

umm dont MBPs use i5-520 (2.4ghz) and i5-540 (2.54ghz) ?? 520 hmmm..

Baral said:

The i5 also has turbo boost/hyper-threading technology.

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yea they both have them, just slightly different scales.

Yes, I know the difference between the i5 and the i7 on the new Macbook Pros is not going to make a difference to the average user, I was just busting that guy's balls.

But in all honesty, the i7 IS faster. The two are definitely NOT exactly the same. The i7 is shown to be about 10% faster than the i5 under heavy CPU usage. This type of usage will never be reached by most users and so it makes no difference.

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yup so both the same chip - different clocks. thats what i thought

i had the same dilemmah when i went for my Core Duo (back in the day) MBP. 2ghz or 2.16ghz! big decision. i now still own the machine and its my daily laptop still. i went for the 2.16ghz, and let me tell you, ive used the 2ghz variants and the speed difference IS noticable from my end.

i say go for the higher end machine, as it will last that TINY bit longer

The i7 has 3MB of primary cache, the i5 has 2MB. This can contribute in some substantial ways to certain tasks as well, helping the benchmark scores.

DoFoT9 said:

it benchmarks 20% faster doesnt it? seems pretty significant to me.

Baral ^^ they are the same chip, the i7 is clocked faster thats what i know anyway... though i thought they have different threads?

i5 = 2c/2T
i7 = 2c/4T?

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Both have 2c /4T

Meever said:

The base model of the 15" MBP comes with a i5-430 and the one up comes with i5-520. Are you saying that just because One is clocked a bit higher it's a completely different chipset? I think the performance difference between the two is about 10% give or take as well.

Don't be an ass when you don't need to be.

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Apple don't use the 430, only 520 and 540

diablo2112 said:

The i7 has 3MB of primary cache, the i5 has 2MB. This can contribute in some substantial ways to certain tasks as well, helping the benchmark scores.

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Not the i5 has 3MB and i7 has 4MB.



From barefeats test (Photoshop, After Effects, Compressor and Motion)

ANALYSIS
Assuming our tests are representative,
1. The fastest 2010 MacBook Pro is 10% to 27% faster than the fastest 2009 MacBook Pro.
2. The MBP Core i7 beats the MBP Core i5 by 7% to 9%. Is the Core i7 worth the extra $200 (comparably equipped) or 9% more? Statistically it is a wash. I say scrounge up the extra $200 and go for the gusto.
3. The iMac Core i7 is 27% to 54% faster than the MacBook Pro Core i7 which reinforces what was shown on our basic benchmark page:

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I think all the i5/i7 MBPs are good value, while the i5 does deliver a bit more battery life, the i7 is slightly faster- Go figure yourself, I myself didn't feel i7 was worth it.

Basically to answer the question in the title, no, I don't think anyone would recommend the i5 over i7 if it were a free upgrade. However it is not, so you have to determine if the price is worth it. Unless you are a power user, you really wouldn't notice the difference, as it is pretty small especially considering the price difference.

bouncingsoul said:

I'm asking about the 15" MBP models. The i7 model is "better" in specs, but I was wondering if there were real-world issues the i7 has that aren't present in the i5.

- Does the i7 have shorter battery life and a higher running temp?

- Have there been significantly more i7 problems reported than i5?

- Can the the 330M card actually make use of the extra VRAM in the i7 model, or is just a higher number to look good in charts?

- Is the i7 MBP heavier than the i5???

Click to expand...

The i7 has 30 minutes shorter battery life, but it runs cooler which is a quiet a suprise according to people here who have owned both the i5 and i7.

If they are priced similiar, get the i7 without a doubt. That 30 minutes loss in battery life isn't really a big deal.

The 512 MB Ram on the GPU is only needed on an external 30 inch monitor. Else the 256 and 512 MB version perform the same.

cluthz said:

Both have 2c /4T

Apple don't use the 430, only 520 and 540

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hehe the first result of google told me that! thanks for clarifying