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ceshimm

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 10, 2010
74
0
Going to order my first MBP next week, one thread here relate to /2010 MBP i5/i7 freeze/ make me have to stop and think again. People who recently (in July) received their MBP w i5/i7 still suffering that freeze issue? I am new to Mac, i do not want to experience this kind of issue. I understand every laptop is different and may have different issues. but the freeze issue seems universal at least for those early adopters. Again, could i feel confident to order my first MBP in my life now?
 

aeboi

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2009
1,094
0
Bay Area
Going to order my first MBP next week, one thread here relate to /2010 MBP i5/i7 freeze/ make me have to stop and think again. People who recently (in July) received their MBP w i5/i7 still suffering that freeze issue? I am new to Mac, i do not want to experience this kind of issue. I understand every laptop is different and may have different issues. but the freeze issue seems universal at least for those early adopters. Again, could i feel confident to order my first MBP in my life now?

The freezes still exist but aren't common, my brother hasn't had any freezing issues with his July i7.

Don't worry and simply go for it.:)
 

AdeFowler

macrumors 68020
Aug 27, 2004
2,317
361
England
I bought mine when they were released and I've had no problems whatsoever. It's my main work machine at the moment (waiting for Mac Pro update) running CS3 for ten hours a day.

Just go for it ;)
 

ceshimm

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 10, 2010
74
0
Thanks for positive respondings, i can feel my first MBP is coming now. :rolleyes:
 

puma1552

Suspended
Nov 20, 2008
5,559
1,947
Intel is on the record admitting that the silicon in the Core iX chips isn't optimized yet and that they have "a lot of work to do." Truthfully I feel like the freezing issue is from bad silicon, Dell owners with Core iX chips have been having similar issues.

Besides, the next round of them (and presumably way better) should be announced soon. Apple was late to the game to adopt them, but new ones aren't that far away really. Unfortunately Apple probably won't do any updates for six more months though.
 

demonsavatar

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2010
199
0
Considering the amount of traffic this forum gets, very few people have had this issue. I would not be worrying about it.

btw, do not go for i7... price difference is significant, where performance is almost equal.

Agreed. i7 is either for (1) People who have money to burn, (2) can somehow justify up to 10% more performance probably <10% of the time, or (3) really really really need the extra VRAM. Oh I forgot (4) people who are still under the impression that the processor frequency most aptly defines the overall performance of the machine. Sorry about the rant, but most people don't know why they are buying the i7...its usually a psychological reason rather than a real necessity
 

xi mezmerize ix

macrumors 6502a
May 24, 2010
602
0
Maryland, USA
People usually only post about their problems...when everything is working fine there's no real reason to post. This freezing issue is a very uncommon issue that should not deter you from getting the computer that you want. The people on this forum and other forums represent a small portion of Mac owners/users and use these sites to get help with any problems they're are having.
 

HLdan

macrumors 603
Aug 22, 2007
6,383
0
I agree with others about the i7 not being worth it. The only reason to consider the i7 over the i5 is on the iMac. While they are both quad core processors, the i7 has the hyperthreading to 8 virtual cores while the i5 doesn't. In the Arrandale processors, the i5 is the best buy.

On a different note, it's a real shame that negativity on here has so much power over positivity. I've seen many posts about people not having any freezing problems (INCLUDING MYSELF), I have an i5 15" MBP and never had a single glitch, freeze or zing on it. Seems like when someone wants to try out a Mac they only pay attention to negative posts while ignoring the positive ones and that's really sad.
 

xi mezmerize ix

macrumors 6502a
May 24, 2010
602
0
Maryland, USA
I agree with others about the i7 not being worth it. The only reason to consider the i7 over the i5 is on the iMac. While they are both quad core processors, the i7 has the hyperthreading to 8 virtual cores while the i5 doesn't. In the Arrandale processors, the i5 is the best buy.

On a different note, it's a real shame that negativity on here has so much power over positivity. I've seen many posts about people not having any freezing problems (INCLUDING MYSELF), I have an i5 15" MBP and never had a single glitch, freeze or zing on it. Seems like when someone wants to try out a Mac they only pay attention to negative posts while ignoring the positive ones and that's really sad.

That's what I was saying. There is more negativity than positivity on this type of forum because it is meant for people to get help with their problems. I agree about the i5 being the better deal as well.
 

MBHockey

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2003
4,050
297
Connecticut
Agreed. i7 is either for (1) People who have money to burn, (2) can somehow justify up to 10% more performance probably <10% of the time, or (3) really really really need the extra VRAM. Oh I forgot (4) people who are still under the impression that the processor frequency most aptly defines the overall performance of the machine. Sorry about the rant, but most people don't know why they are buying the i7...its usually a psychological reason rather than a real necessity

Anandtech recommends the i7 over i5. They give the actual performance per cost numbers which tell a different story than the ones you made up:

The two Core i5 models Apple offers ship with a 2.40GHz or 2.53GHz processor, both with a 3MB L3 cache. The $2199 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with a 2.66GHz Core i7, with a full 4MB L3 cache. Compared to the entry level model that's an 11% increase in clock speed and a 33% increase in L3 cache.

While I don't believe there's much reason to go for the 2.53GHz over the 2.40GHz model (L3 cache size remains the same, clock speed goes up by a small amount), the Core i7 is actually pretty decent. For a 22% increase in total system cost you end up with 11 - 15% better performance in CPU bound applications. It actually even feels snappier in general use as well.

I'd still suggest opting for an SSD before considering any CPU upgrades, but if you're looking to keep your new MacBook Pro for a while the Core i7 is worth it.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3659/apples-15inch-core-i5-macbook-pro-the-one-to-get/3

It's worth it if you have the money.
 

snouter

macrumors 6502a
May 26, 2009
767
0
Been using a MBP 17 since I could first get my hand on one in the Apple store. Never experience freezing, and this is the first I've heard of the "issue".

I love performance as much as the next guy, and I went i5.
 

demonsavatar

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2010
199
0
Sorry for the thread hijack :(

Thanks for reminding me about that Anandtech article MBHockey, they are usually very thorough. 2.4Ghz still the way to go for me since $300 upgrade amounts to ~18% increase in price for an UP TO 14% increase in speed ONLY in CPU-Bound apps. He says he can "feel" the difference but that is subjective of course.

Note that he also says SSDs are a much better upgrade. So again, if you have money to burn, sure get an i7 AND an SSD, otherwise a 2.4Ghz with an SSD will likely "feel" more responsive for the same price, and not just in CPU-bound apps.
 

MBHockey

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2003
4,050
297
Connecticut
Sorry for the thread hijack :(

Thanks for reminding me about that Anandtech article MBHockey, they are usually very thorough. 2.4Ghz still the way to go for me since $300 upgrade amounts to ~18% increase in price for an UP TO 14% increase in speed ONLY in CPU-Bound apps. He says he can "feel" the difference but that is subjective of course.

Note that he also says SSDs are a much better upgrade. So again, if you have money to burn, sure get an i7 AND an SSD, otherwise a 2.4Ghz with an SSD will likely "feel" more responsive for the same price, and not just in CPU-bound apps.

Absolutely agree
 

olletsocmit

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
296
2
USA
I got my i5 a month ago and i have 0 problems! Working perfectly. I love it. You should just get one. if u have and problems at all... you just take it back and get a new one. not a big deal.
 

HLdan

macrumors 603
Aug 22, 2007
6,383
0
Why do people think the $200 i7 upgrade is prohibitively expensive? It's $200, but 1k!

Because $200 is a lot of money when the benefits don't outweigh the cash spent. The Arrandale i7 is an easy way for Intel and the computing industry to squeeze out extra cash from the customers because as long as it's more expensive with a higher sku number it's got to be better right? The $200 could go towards a good SSD that would make an i5 MBP kick the crap out of an i7 model with a standard HDD. Or buy more ram or case or anything, $200 can go a long way towards something more useful.
 

LightMast

macrumors regular
Apr 16, 2007
126
0
Because $200 is a lot of money when the benefits don't outweigh the cash spent. The Arrandale i7 is an easy way for Intel and the computing industry to squeeze out extra cash from the customers because as long as it's more expensive with a higher sku number it's got to be better right? The $200 could go towards a good SSD that would make an i5 MBP kick the crap out of an i7 model with a standard HDD. Or buy more ram or case or anything, $200 can go a long way towards something more useful.


Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't 500gb SSD's in the $1300 range? To me, that is prohibitively expensive.
 

LightMast

macrumors regular
Apr 16, 2007
126
0
On the 15" its a $400 bump.....in my case the EC34 slot is mandatory, so I had to go 16", where its only a $200 upgrade.

It is relative.
 
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