'09 or '10 MBP?

Discussion in 'Buying Tips and Advice' started by Rage941, May 31, 2013.

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  1. Rage941, May 31, 2013

    Rage941 macrumors newbie

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    May 31, 2013
    #1
    I'm looking at two 13" MacBook Pros. They are the same price and they are both cosmetically great. 09 has one scuff and I think the 10 is perfect.

    The 2009 has a 2.53ghz processor, 4gb of ram, and 400gb Toshiba HD.
    The 2010 has the 2.4ghz processor, 4gb of ram, and 250gb HD.

    I know the 2010 has the better graphics card and better battery life, but the 2009 has the faster processor (is it enough to even notice?) and the bigger hard drive (is this even an upgrade since it's Toshiba? [I've had 4 Toshibas in my family that failed with in months, one of them being an HD failure]).

    I know I can't go wrong either way, but I still want to get the best deal.
    It's for my girlfriend who just browses the internet, downloads music, and plays games occasionally (are the graphics in the 2010 so much better that I should get it for her games?)

    I'm sure you guys get a bunch of these threads, so hopefully I'll get some input:eek:
    Thanks
     
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  2. Aaron from KY, May 31, 2013

    Aaron from KY macrumors member

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    #2
    Having had several of the 2010s personally, I would go with the 2010. I had one 2009(albeit the 2.26 base model) and it seemed sluggish right from the get go. The 2010's graphics card is much better, but remember too that it's 3 years old, and the card's tech at that time was close to 2 years old, so expectations need to be realistic. If she's looking to play the Sims or another graphically unintensive game, she'll be in the clear, but expecting to play Call of Duty/Crysis or even Diablo 3 at max settings ain't going to happen. The size and power of the 2010 is decent for almost any task besides hardcore gaming.
     
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  3. Rage941, May 31, 2013

    Rage941 thread starter macrumors newbie

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    Did your 09 have the 2.53? Also the 2010 has 340 cylces on the battery and the 2009 has only 49.
     
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  4. jg321, May 31, 2013

    jg321 macrumors 6502

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    #4
    You're good for around 1000 cycles anyway so I wouldn't see this as a dealbreaker.
     
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  5. js81, May 31, 2013

    js81 macrumors 65816

    js81

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    #5
    My Mac mini has that same CPU and GPU combo that the '09 model has. It is still a perfectly acceptable machine, though Mountain Lion definitely does make it show its age more than Snow Leopard.

    I also had a 2010 13" when it was new - ended up selling it when I received a (then) work-provided 15" 2009.

    My biggest suggestion, though is this: SSD. Don't worry about which hard drive which has; chuck that thing, put in the biggest good-name SSD you can afford, and let OS X run like it should. :) Personally, I'm running a 120GB OCZ Agility 3 in my mini and it's been great.

    Oh, and you didn't put a price on either. If they're the same price, get the '10 - CPU's are basically identical, so go for the better GPU.
     
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  6. Aaron from KY, May 31, 2013

    Aaron from KY macrumors member

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    #6
    I had the 2.26, but even with a 7200RPM drive and 4GB of RAM it seemed sluggish(this was 3 years ago on 10.6)
     
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