13" MacBook Pro with i3 or i7?

[Sanz315]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if its worth getting the i7 model instead of the i5. Ill be getting the 128GB SSD either way but is it worth paying more for the i7 processor?

 

[DrHiggsBoson]

I was recently asking myself the same question. I ultimately stuck with the i5. I am a college programmer on a budget and didn't see the $300 upgrade as worth it. I think it's really going to depend on what you are doing. If you plan on working with CPU intensive programs, then it is probably going to be a good investment. But if you're just wanting to upgrade because it's a higher number, I would wait it off.

One other thing I would consider is, how long you are planning on keeping this notebook before you upgrade. If you are going to keep it for a few years and you have the money available, go for it for the sake of future proofing.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I don't think future proofing is gonna work for this model. If you don't need the power of an i7 now, by the time you do need that much power, the bottleneck won't be the CPU, but the Intel 3000 GPU.

 

[boylerman]

It all boils down to what you can afford. I do a lot of work with Photoshop and Illustrator. I went with the i7 and upgraded the RAM myself to 8GB and I couldn't be happier.

Both machines are extraordinarily capable, I don't think you'd have regrets either way.

Unlike prior 13" models, Apple made the choice between the high and low end much more difficult this year!

 

[entatlrg]

Maybe less heat and noise with an i5?

 

[Naimfan]

I've said this before:

SEARCH is your friend. There are numerous threads on this exact subject.