Going with the current 15" 2.16ghz MBP build over the 2.33ghz - what do you think?

[Rizvi1]

I want to get a new MacBook Pro and take advantage of my school discount. I looked at my options and I think I'm more interested in the 2.16ghz at $1799 because that only comes with 1 stick of 1 GB RAM which leaves one bay totally open to put in a 2GB stick. If you go with the 2.33ghz, it'll come with 2 1GB RAM sticks, and when you replace one of those with a 2 GB RAM stick to max it out, you now have an extra 1GB stick that'll do nothing. Maybe you can sell it on ebay, but I'm not sure what it'll go for.

Besides being .16ghz faster, the only other difference between the 2.16ghz model and the 2.33ghz model is that the 2.16ghz's build has a:

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB SDRAM

while the 2.33ghz build has:

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 256MB SDRAM

Does anyone know how big a deal this is? There's roughly a $500 price difference between the two, but my guess is that its mainly in the RAM.

 

[topgunn]

The VRAM is not a big deal at all. In benchmarks, you will see up to a 5-10% increase but in real world test you likely wouldn't notice a difference at all. The upgraded memory is nice but you could buy another 1GB for the 2.16GHz machine for less than $100. The 2.33GHz will obviously be faster but not $400 faster.

I say go with the 2.16GHz and be happy.

 

[luminosity]

I picked up the 2.33 version for $1999 as a refurb yesterday. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but it seemed like a decent deal.

Of course, the 2.1 version was $1599, so maybe you're right and it was a better deal still.

 

[siurpeeman]

$1799 is a good price for a macbook pro. i don't think the extra 128 mb in the video card warrants the extra $500 in price. i will say this, though. every time a new model comes out, the outgoing models tend to get heavily discounted at the student book store. when core 2 duo macbook pros came out, the low end core duo macbook pro sold for $1249, a great deal if you ask me. but if you want to get one now, get one now.

 

[Rizvi1]

The VRAM is not a big deal at all. In benchmarks, you will see up to a 5-10% increase but in real world test you likely wouldn't notice a difference at all. The upgraded memory is nice but you could buy another 1GB for the 2.16GHz machine for less than $100. The 2.33GHz will obviously be faster but not $400 faster.

I say go with the 2.16GHz and be happy.

Thanks topgunn, that's what I wanted to hear. And again, I plan to max out RAM anyways so I'm looking to buy a 2gb module, not just a 1gb module. If I do this w/ the 2.33ghz, I'm stuck with a 1gb RAM module to sell on ebay for prob not much.

I picked up the 2.33 version for $1999 as a refurb yesterday. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but it seemed like a decent deal.

Of course, the 2.1 version was $1599, so maybe you're right and it was a better deal still.

I think I read about this purchase in another post. That's hot, I wish I could go back in time and save $200, but from what I gather, its really hard to grab those deals so I wont' hate myself too much for paying $1799 to your (potentially) $1599

 

[4nr-]

For higher resolutions, more ram is a great help.. If you're planning on hooking up an acd 30" or even 23", you should consider it.

 

[Rizvi1]

I gotta figure out if I want to do glossy too.... I never looked into it before. I have no idea what the advantages and disadvantages of either are.

 

[Millenwagon182]

2.33 vs 2.16

I'm also 50/50 on 2.16 or 2.33. I'd be using it mostly for Final Cut Studio where the speed and improved graphics card might come into play more. Would I be able to get away with using the 2.16 for high level editing comfortably? Has anyone heard of a rumor that the next generation FCS will only work with the 2.33?

 

[luminosity]

One thing to think about is where you'll stand in two years. It's unlikely that the 128/256 cards will be much different now, but will they be in two years? Same for the processor (though I doubt there will be much difference there).

 

[Rizvi1]

Just ordered guys.. went with the glossy.

I did some last ditch efforts to find any special deals at local school bookstores where I myself could use a discount or get someone else to do it, but had no luck. usually, those kind of deals come around I think when they're trying to dump inventory in anticipation of new laptops coming.

Praying it ships out today and gets to me tomorrow or Friday. Otherwise, it's going to be a loooong weekend.

This the worst part of ordering a mac.

I need to start making up my mind about this stuff on Mondays.

 

[mashinhead]

i too had this problem and went with the 2.33 mostly, actually only because of the graphics card. I just thought it would last longer. I'm happy with it, if that helps.