A few questions about the 17" MBP 2010 model

[hajime]

Hello. I am considering the 17" model. I have a few questions:

1. Anybody knows the difference in battery life between the i5
2.53HGz and i7 2.66HGz models?

2. Will I see noticeably different when running computationally intensive
simulation tasks? Looks like the i7 model can run over 3GHz.

3. In the new model, switching the GPUs seems to be automatic.
Unlike the previous MBPs, there is no need to logout for the switching.
Am I right?

4. Does the SSD drive consume less energy than HD?
If so, how many minutes gain in terms of battery life?

5. I heard that in previous MBPs, one could take the SuperDrive out and
replace it with a SSD drive. Can I do that with the new model?
Is it easy to do it?

6. It looks like there is an option for 79 ISO keyboard. What is the
advantage of using this keyboard vs. the original keyboard?

7. It costs $400 to upgrade to 8GB. Crucial charges $499.99 for 8GB.
So, this time it costs less to buy the RAM from Apple. What is the catch?

8. If I upgrade the RAM to 8GB, will the battery life runs out in more than 20 minutes sooner?

Thank you.

 

[jetjaguar]

to answer some of ur questions

1. they both use the same watts 35 i believe so it shouldnt be affected

7. when u do an upgrade to 8gb in ur laptop .. u only need to buy 4gb more .. not buying another 8gb

 

[joina]

to answer some of ur questions

1. they both use the same watts 35 i believe so it shouldnt be affected

7. when u do an upgrade to 8gb in ur laptop .. u only need to buy 4gb more .. not buying another 8gb

7 is not true
i think they put two 2gb form 4gb so if u want 8gb, u have to buy two 4gb

 

[Quetsche]

to answer some of ur questions

1. they both use the same watts 35 i believe so it shouldnt be affected

screen is bigger though, more pixels lit = less battery (and also more processing power needed to display all the pixels)

3. In the new model, switching the GPUs seems to be automatic.
Unlike the previous MBPs, there is no need to logout for the switching.
Am I right?

yes.

 

[jetjaguar]

woops my bad lol

 

[hajime]

screen is bigger though, more pixels lit = less battery (and also more processing power needed to display all the pixels)

yes.

I was talking about the same 17" model but different cpus.
I wonder if the automatic GPU switching also applies to Windows Vista under bootcamp.

 

[iSax1234]

3. As far as I know if the computer notices you are needing more or less graphic power it will switch automatically based on your needs

As far as SSD its much cheaper to buy your own SSD and replace your self. If you have a lot of data: Music, pictures, videos, and especially if you're a phtographer or video grapher you will more than likely have an external to keep you stuff on. So the SSD would be used for Programs.

Also yes Apple fills the slots so 4 gb = 2 2gigs 8gigs= 2 4gigs

5. The form factor has not changed so you should still be able to do this

 

[hajime]

3
Also yes Apple fills the slots so 4 gb = 2 2gigs 8gigs= 2 4gigs

In the past, somebody in the forum suggested that it is better to keep the original Apple RAM in case the computer needs to be repaired. I heard that usually the service providers do not care whether you have 3rd party RAM in the machine or not. However, some might care. So, unless I sell the 2x2GB RAM that come with the computer, it may be better to upgrade the RAM from Apple this time?

 

[chopper dave]

1. Anybody knows the difference in battery life between the i5
2.53HGz and i7 2.66HGz models?

not significant

2. Will I see noticeably different when running computationally intensive
simulation tasks? Looks like the i7 model can run over 3GHz.

Benchmarks I could find on short notice put the i7 as 5-10% faster. Most users can't tell the difference if it is less than 10%.

3. In the new model, switching the GPUs seems to be automatic.
Unlike the previous MBPs, there is no need to logout for the switching.
Am I right?
Thank you.

Yes.

5. I heard that in previous MBPs, one could take the SuperDrive out and
replace it with a SSD drive. Can I do that with the new model?
Is it easy to do it?
Thank you.

Geez it's been 3 hours since they were released- I imagine so and I'm definitely going to try. You won't get a good answer until they start arriving at people's houses at the end of the week.

7. It costs $400 to upgrade to 8GB. Crucial charges $499.99 for 8GB.
So, this time it costs less to buy the RAM from Apple. What is the catch?
Thank you.

Crucial is just overcharging you- NewEgg has 8GB kits for $350-$400. This is the 1st time I've ever seen the Apple RAM upgrade a reasonable price. Apple still saves money since they keep the 4GB kit, but to you it's essentially the same price. Go with Apple's RAM for convenience if you really need the extra. My plan is to get 4GB and upgrade in a couple of years when it's down below $100 for an 8GB kit. I don't run anything that especially needs it.

 

[hajime]

Do the new MBPs come with a newer version of Bootcamp for new hardware?