So I have calculated all the expenses, savings, taxes, shipping, etc on what I would spend on both the 13.3" MBP i5 with an upgraded 500GB harddrive and the 13.3" MBP i7. My figures are: $1310 for the MBP i5 500GB, and $1520 for the MBP i7. So my question is how substantial of a difference is the i7 over the i5 and is it worth the extra $210?
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Are the MBP i7's worth the extra money?
- Thread starter militaryman911
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Most people on here have decided that the i7 for the 13" isn't worth the price. If you're wanting more power, it would be more beneficial to get a 15".
The 15" are just a bit out of my price range right now. I see you have the 13" MBP i5, how do you like it, is it fast, etc?
I'm one of the rare 13" i7 owners on the forums I believe. Haha, I have been very satisfied with the performance. The short of it is that I had saved up enough money specifically for a computer that I was able to afford the i7, SSD, and 8 GB of RAM (been saving for 4 years!). I'm going to be running Win7 with Parallels so I just maxed it out because I could. I need it to last for 4 years, and it definitely should do that. I didn't want a 15", I liked the 13" form factor. For most instances though, if you want the 13", the base i5 should be the best deal.
I think you will find that the i5 is more than capable of handling most tasks thrown at it. It really depends on what you are going to be using the computer for though. If i were you, I would save your money, buy the base 13 i5 and use the extra for: more RAM, SSD, other accessories, etc.
I have the base model and I do fine with AutoCAD and Photoshop hooked up to a monitor. Speed wise it's fine. I did add 8gb of memory so that does help. Might want to look at the Seagate Hybrid drive if you want a good combination of storage and speed.