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Buying a new mac, 2.0 or 2.4GHz?

S

smurfslayer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 14, 2008
2
0
Hello all, first time poster, and i have a quick question. i am ordering a macbook later today and need help deciding between getting the lower end 2.0GHz version or upgrading to 2.4GHz version. I can always upgrade the RAM and Hard drive later, so it is simply a question of processing speed. The situation is that i am going into college next fall and am an aspiring architecture student (architecture school at Kansas University). I have a tight budget, but if you guys think the upgrade is necessary for me i will go ahead and do it (i would like this computer to last me through college).

THANKS :eek:
 
The difference between 2.0 and 2.4 will be virtually unnoticeable. We're talking fractions of seconds of difference in completing tasks here, not anything worth actually splashing the cash for.
 
neiltc13 said:
The difference between 2.0 and 2.4 will be virtually unnoticeable. We're talking fractions of seconds of difference in completing tasks here, not anything worth actually splashing the cash for.
Click to expand...

What about future-proofing it for college? am i good there too? i know i will need to run some architecture programs for my major
 
smurfslayer said:
What about future-proofing it for college? am i good there too? i know i will need to run some architecture programs for my major
Click to expand...

There is NO WAY to future proof a laptop purchase. It's going to get old faster than you'd like whether you buy the fastest model or not. Buy what you need TODAY. If you need more in the future sell the computer and upgrade to a faster model. Personally I'd save the cash with the 2.0 model, put the rest in a CD specifically to use as upgrade money and then in two years sell the 2.0 and use the upgrade money to buy the latest model.
 
I'm currently facing the same decision...considering getting the 2.0 and bumping up to 4GB memory and and 250GB HDD. Is this a better idea? I don't really do anything CPU-intensive that I can think of. But I also probably won't be buying another computer for 3+ years. However, that backlit keyboard is pretty slick...do you think that if I bought now while they still have the typo, Apple would have to replace it when I said that it said "Backlit Keyboard" when I made the purchase??
 
Hey I MRoogled this thread as I too am wondering the real world difference between 2.0ghz and 2.4 ghz.
What are CPU intensive tasks? Like ripping or converting movies with Visual hub/Handbrake, what kind of difference can I expect?

Also I was wondering, will that lower CPU frequency and lack of backlit keyboard have any kind of positive effect on battery life? Just some food for thought...
 
HI yeah so im in exactly the same persition. Im a student and will be using the macbook for logic studio, and will need it to last me a few years. Will the 2.0 macbook be sufficient ? ? ?
Thanks
 
Awesome-o/ said:
HI yeah so im in exactly the same persition. Im a student and will be using the macbook for logic studio, and will need it to last me a few years. Will the 2.0 macbook be sufficient ? ? ?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I think you'll be okay. Are you able to wait 3 seconds longer for something that might take 30 seconds as opposed to 33 seconds? Or is that wait time worth a few hundred bucks?
 
One thing to consider is if the programs you will be using are compatible with a mac.
This is my first post but I've read a lot of similar questions and the advice I've seen through out the forums that seems to make the most sense is to get the best thing you can afford.
No matter what you get, it will eventually be considered obsolete (though it may well still serve your needs), but you won't regret spending a few extra bucks as long as you can spare it. However if you get the low end model you might always have that "what if" in the back of your mind.
 
twistedbydesign said:
One thing to consider is if the programs you will be using are compatible with a mac.
This is my first post but I've read a lot of similar questions and the advice I've seen through out the forums that seems to make the most sense is to get the best thing you can afford.
No matter what you get, it will eventually be considered obsolete (though it may well still serve your needs), but you won't regret spending a few extra bucks as long as you can spare it. However if you get the low end model you might always have that "what if" in the back of your mind.
Click to expand...

I agree, i tend to rarely get the cheapest or bottom of the line for that reason. The 'what if' in the future keeps me from getting the 2.0.
 
alanlindsay said:
Man, get a MBP refurb, $1350. A fair bit less than high end MB and all the sauce.
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Sorry, but this is getting really old. I plan on buying the 2.4 Macbook within the next month. I want the backlit keys, the glass screen, the improved aluminum enclosure, the larger hard drive, and the 13 inch size. I think the new design is a huge improvement over the design of the old macbooks and macbook pros and I'm sure that I am not alone in this.
 
If you want a future-proofed laptop you should wait at least a few weeks to see what peoples' complaints are about this new update. It could be that you want to wait until a revision/update, especially if you're not going to be in school for another year almost. If you want a show-off machine that you have before everyone else (not saying that's bad, or good), then you should go for the 2.4 simply because it has the backlit keys.
 
If you don't care about backlit keys, the extra speed isn't going to make any difference. And you can upgrade the memory and hard drive yourself for much cheaper later on.
 
Awesome-o/ said:
HI yeah so im in exactly the same persition. Im a student and will be using the macbook for logic studio, and will need it to last me a few years. Will the 2.0 macbook be sufficient ? ? ?
Thanks
Click to expand...

what recording interface will you use with logic? new macbooks don't have firewire.
 
The difference in speed between the 2.4 and 2.0Ghz is 20%. That's pretty big in my opinion. The price difference between the 2.0Ghz model and the 2.4Ghz model is 23%. So, if you pay 23% extra you get

1. 20% more performance
2. 90GB extra HDD space
3. Backlit keyboard

Unless you are on a tight budget, I think the high end MB is the smart buy. Personally, I'm surprised Apple didn't choose the 2.26Ghz P8400 for the low end MB and differentiate itself more performance wise from the plastic 2.1Ghz MB.

Alan
 
neiltc13 said:
The difference between 2.0 and 2.4 will be virtually unnoticeable. We're talking fractions of seconds of difference in completing tasks here, not anything worth actually splashing the cash for.
Click to expand...

I will be purchasing the 2.4ghz MB because it seems to be a notable speed increase about 20%. So on even on a seemingly short video conversion (30 minutes) it would take 6 minutes off. That is actually more than I expected, I just quickly did the math to prove a point.

I can see that 2ghz will be plenty for most, but my point is that for $250 more (which I think is minimal compared to the already high cost of $1250) you get a 20% percent faster processor and a larger harddrive (which would cost somewhere around $85 to upgrade yourself) and a backlit keyboard.

If you wanted to get the 2.0 and upgrade to a 250GB HD for even a low price of 70 dollars. The total difference in cost then would only be about $180.

Those prices are with the student discount.
 
alanlindsay said:
The difference in speed between the 2.4 and 2.0Ghz is 20%. That's pretty big in my opinion. The price difference between the 2.0Ghz model and the 2.4Ghz model is 23%. So, if you pay 23% extra you get

1. 20% more performance
2. 90GB extra HDD space
3. Backlit keyboard

Unless you are on a tight budget, I think the high end MB is the smart buy. Personally, I'm surprised Apple didn't choose the 2.26Ghz P8400 for the low end MB and differentiate itself more performance wise from the plastic 2.1Ghz MB.

Alan
Click to expand...

Nicely put.
 
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