So I've been skimming through some threads (planning on buying my first mac so I've been doing some research), and I've seen some people say that if buying the 13" they should go with the baseline model. Is this true, and if so how come? Is the price justifiable for the extra RAM for the 2,66? Which would you suggest?
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13" MBP- Highend or Baseline?
- Thread starter dk-fatale
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Apple:
Rips you off with upgrades
Is already selling an "out of date" computer
What I would choose: Base model
As the specs DO NOT depend on YOUR usage, the base model will do fine or won't. But the difference between 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz is negligible.
RAM can be bought from third party vendors, as Apple takes more than those other vendors. www.macsales.com for example.
RAM can be bought from third party vendors, as Apple takes more than those other vendors. www.macsales.com for example.
You won't notice a difference in processor speed. Use that money to upgrade the RAM yourself. And if you are getting the new models, its 4GB of RAM either way. The only difference is the processor speed and baseline has a 250GB HDD and the high-end has a 320GB. You can upgrade the HDD to 320GB for $50.
Overall, I recommend getting the baseline and if you need a larger hard drive replace it yourself and save yourself some big bucks.
P.S. - Your hard drive speed should be 5400 RPMs or under. Anything above will cause vibrations in 13" models.
P.S.S. - The guy above me suggested the site www.macsales.com I recommend this site also. They sell multiple different brands of HDDs, RAM, SSDs, etc. for cheap. I recommend anything made by them (OWC, Other World Computing) also.
Do not upgrade the SSD till around Jan. - Feb. next year. They are releasing much faster, cheaper, better SSD's. Look for new Intel and OWC SSD's.
I think that most of the advice you have received here so far has been sound. There will be no discernable real world difference to the user in any app between the base 2.4Ghz CPU and the only marginally faster 2.66Ghz. My only caveat would be to ignore those who would try to tell you that the 13 inch MBP's C2D processor is "out of date." It is not. It is only marginally slower than either the i5 or i7 processor used in the 15 and 17 inch MBPs. Like the difference between the 2.4 and 2.66 Ghz C2D processors, the difference between the C2D and the i5 or i7 will not be noticeable to most users.
By sticking with the C2D processor in the 13 inch MBP, Apple was able to use the excellent integrated NVIDIA GPU. Otherwise, Apple would have been stuck with the woefully inadequate graphics integrated with the i series chips. Why? Because Intel has set up its licensing so that purchasers of its i series chips are prohibited from using integrated GPUs from NVIVIA or any manufacturer other than Intel. It stinks but there it is.
I chose the upper end but I generally agree with those who have commented ahead of me. in my case I also play a fair amount of video games, so I felt that the extra bump in processor would help that little bit extra with framerates. I wasn't mistaken - I'm finding that I do a bit better than the slower macs, and at a lower temperature, generally. But for everyday applications? No discernible difference.
Also, the CPU is one area that can't be upgraded, so that was also a factor, as I hope to keep this computer for a few years. Hard drive and ram, well as others said, it's easy to do yourself and it doesn't make sense to pay Apple to do it. That and I do know that I'll be watching as the SSD prices continue to fall and SSD capacities continue to rise.
Also, the CPU is one area that can't be upgraded, so that was also a factor, as I hope to keep this computer for a few years. Hard drive and ram, well as others said, it's easy to do yourself and it doesn't make sense to pay Apple to do it. That and I do know that I'll be watching as the SSD prices continue to fall and SSD capacities continue to rise.
Definitely go baseline and upgrade the ram yourself, Apple likes to rip you off, I suggest buying from crucial.
This is not completely correct. It depends on the brand you buy. Look into 7200rpm WD Scorpio's.
^ Never tried them, so I wouldn't know. My friend got a 7200RPM Seagate and it made his shake.
