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2010 or 2011 15" MacBook Pro

S

sbbluewater

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 2, 2011
42
0
Hi There,
Sure this has been asked before but could not find an exact answer. Have the opportunity to pick up a 2011 MBP 15" base model for $1799 or a brand new 2010 MBP 15" base model for $1470. Understand the new processor is much faster but some say the 6490 GPU in the 2011 is weaker than the 330m in the 2010 model. Only do basic word processing, web surfing, some photography work in CS5, etc. No heavy gaming. Is the +$350 for the 2011 base model worth it? The HD Face Time camera and Thunderbolt probably not meaningful to me in the short run. Will day to day tasks and boot up times, etc. be noticeably faster on the 2011 model versus the 2010 model? Would I be better off getting the 2010 model and using the extra cash to upgrade RAM and maybe a SSD?Any comments appreciated.
Thanks
 
Well, the new model is a quad core, so it has the potential of being twice as fast. Assuming it doesn't die on you, this alone will get you a longer useable life out of the machine.
 
I got the 2010 model since it was much cheaper than the 2011 model (by more than $600)

I don't need a quad core as I wouldn't notice the difference - also the computer is only as fast as its slowest part in this case the HDD. Between 2010 and 2011, the HDD speed has stayed at 5400rpm.

So depending on what you are using it for, if you will not notice the difference of having a quad core then it might be better to get the 2010 model and get a SSD
 
That price sounds high for the 2010. I picked up my 15" 2010 on the Apple site (refurbished) for $1269. You might want to consider it.
 
Catholic13 said:
They're selling the 2010 15" for $1400+ as well as the 2009 15" It's odd.
Click to expand...

It's because they're out of stock. Just keep checking back, the 1259 was back in a couple days ago after being oos since thursday's new release. So if you can wait, just refresh it a couple times a day, and hopefully new ones pop up. They just go kinda fast. Especially the high res 2.4Ghz one...
 
MacBook Pro 15" 2010 Base versus 2011

Let me ask the question a different way. Is it worth paying the +$350 for the new 2011 15" base MBP model compared to the 2010 base model? Would I really benefit from what the 2011 model offers compared to what the 2010 model offers taking into account the types of things I would use it for?
 
For the work you listed and the fact that you say thunderbolt and facetime HD cam aren't really worth much to you, you're better off saving $350 and putting that toward an SSD + 8GB ram upgrade.

But, let me ask you, do you plan to keep this computer for long? Two years or four years? If the latter - 4 years, then I say get the base 15" 2011. The quad core is really something else and a big step up. Even if your uses won't call for it say today or in the immediate future, $350 is not too much over another 2-3 years. The new Sandy bridge processors here and truly pretty damn good.

I just hate to tell someone to spend more money than they need to, b/c honestly it sounds like you don't "need" the new ones so which is why I recommend the first option. But figure I'd toss in that second thought for you to think about.
 
As above, if you plan to keep the machine for a while then the quad core will definitely be a benefit, but also if you are going to be only keeping it for a short while and then selling, the latest model will also hold it's money really well compared to the dual core 2010 model.
 
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