How many think the $200 is worth upgrading the 17 to i7? I am not sure why they did not offer a standard config 17 in i7. I think the apple store carries the i5 17 and 17 anti glare 17. you can special order glossy i7. $200 is a cheap upgrade is it worth the hassle of ordering it. I have read the post and articles comparing i5 to i7 does not seem to be a huge difference. so what do you think?
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17 inch upgrade to i7
- Thread starter tim100
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That 512MB of VRAM makes zero difference unless you plan on playing at a huge resolution like 2560x1600, but yeah. I'd say save the money and stick with the i5. The only difference is 1MB of more cache and a slightly higher clock speed on the i7.
The best MacBook Pro's dollar for performance trade-off will be the entry level 13-inch, the entry-level 15-inch and the entry-level 17-inch.
I have a 17" i5. I went for it due to long delivery times apparrently being caused by i7 shortage and the fact that I could not really see how a 0.13Ghz increase in clock speed and some extra cache will make any difference for my day to day tasks. I have a 7.2K HD.
One of my friends has since bought 17" i7 from an apple store, and it has confirmed my opinion. I do office files, raw picture editing, watching HD films, and all of the typical connectivity/internet stuff on my MBP, but for me it is not a work tool. If I was doing proffessional video editing, 3D rendering and similar things I would have bought the i7 with maximum RAM and SSD. And a Mac Pro.
One of my friends has since bought 17" i7 from an apple store, and it has confirmed my opinion. I do office files, raw picture editing, watching HD films, and all of the typical connectivity/internet stuff on my MBP, but for me it is not a work tool. If I was doing proffessional video editing, 3D rendering and similar things I would have bought the i7 with maximum RAM and SSD. And a Mac Pro.
Hi all,
I am struggling with the same decision.. I want to get the best machine I can, but is the only difference between the i5 and the i7 just a slightly higher clock speed and the extra 1mb of L3 cache? Both chips have hyper threading and turbo boost.. If the i5 were increased to 2.66 GHz and had the extra 1mb of Cache would it be an identical chip to the i7 in terms of performance?
It does seem that from feedback on the forums that the i7 generates more heat, so there must be more going on than the slightly higher clock speed?
I am struggling with the same decision.. I want to get the best machine I can, but is the only difference between the i5 and the i7 just a slightly higher clock speed and the extra 1mb of L3 cache? Both chips have hyper threading and turbo boost.. If the i5 were increased to 2.66 GHz and had the extra 1mb of Cache would it be an identical chip to the i7 in terms of performance?
It does seem that from feedback on the forums that the i7 generates more heat, so there must be more going on than the slightly higher clock speed?
Save yourself the 200 bucks and buy RAM with it. You'll be getting a 200% RAM increase over a 5-10%(if even) processor bump.
I just got the 17" i7, and this sucker is fast. I don't think you can go wrong with either one, but I certainly don't regret forking out an extra $200 for an i7 processor. I haven't had any problems with it overheating, i think my core 2 duo is hotter than my i7. And I use it mostly for handbrake, photoshop, final cut, and ableton
Always get the fastest computer you can afford.... it will seem newer that much longer. A year from now that i7 will feel more 'enough' then an i5. I think the extra cache really does make a big difference, and at a $200 upgrade plus getting the extra video ram as a 'bonus'... it really doesn't seem all too unreasonable of an extra expense. It will make resell of the computer much greater, and when you're buying a laptop that costs well over $2000K, really... what is a measly $200 at that point?!
But doesn't the 17" come with 512 video ram already? The only upgrade between i5 and i7 is only processor and not graphics card right? And from the sounds of it, everyone is recommending to go for i5 instead of the extra $200 i7
They money will be better spent on an Intel X25M 80gb SSD. But if you can afford both, or even more, then why not.
Sorry... I have to say that~ Waste of money!!!!
Save those money and get SSDm if you really care about performance
Save those money and get SSDm if you really care about performance
Again.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0-l37pgqa0&feature=channel
By all means, decide if it is worth it to you, or is it diminishing returns.
SSDs and RAM can be added later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0-l37pgqa0&feature=channel
By all means, decide if it is worth it to you, or is it diminishing returns.
SSDs and RAM can be added later.