Choosing between a MBP 13" 2.26 & 2.53

[bobsimmons]

Okay, I've read every post on this topic for the past two hours, so please don't tell me to MRoogle.

I am returning to college for my Sophomore year this September and I want to buy a new MBP that will last me the next three years or more. I used my MBP 15" 2.33 last year but the battery life is not good enough to get me through a day of classes. I have the money for a new MBP now, but I want to get the most bang for my buck. Here are my options:

13" MBP 2.53 with 4GB RAM and 250 GB HDD, which I will upgrade from OWC to a 500GB 7200RPM - $1,399+$150=$1,549

13" MBP 2.26 with 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD, also upgraded from OWC to 4GB RAM and 500GB 7200RPM HDD - $1,099+$220=$1,319

Is the difference in processor speed worth the $$$?
I will be using basic programs such as MS Office, Safari, iTunes, etc. but I will also use some Adobe programs like Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, and possibly After Effects.

Thanks in advance for your helpfulness!

P.S. These prices are with my educational discount and I will be getting $100 off a new printer and a free 8GB iPod Touch

 

[iphonesrq]

I always say get the 2.26 & upgrade yourself, but it looks like you use some programs that would use the bump in processor w/ the 2.53

 

[andrew8404]

I just got the new MBP 2.26 and it's perfect for everything you mentioned. The extra 300mhz is not gonna make a hug % change in your computer. Save the money and use it to by a sweet laptop bag, applecare, or sleeve. I recommend getting the ColcaSac from Apple Sac. The brown one is amazing!

 

[devinci99]

well, know this, most laptops no matter how fast won't be faster than a mediocre desktop. Even the fastest macbook pro.

So if you're doing heavy duty work like photoshop, final cut, etc... you probably want a desktop along with a laptop. laptops are for what it is...portability. You might be able to do some limited professional work while on the go with rendering, but you'll be taking the data back to a desktop for the rest of the work.

So, now that's out of the way... if you absolutely need the extra performance on the go, and willing to pay the extra premium, go with the faster cpu... you'll get an okay bump...

Otherwise, if you know you're just going to be doing casual work including photoshop... go for the 2.26ghz... and then invest the $$$ on ssd ...

but if i had the money... id go for the faster one myself.

 

[eXan]

2.26, no doubt about it.

The extra CPU speed will never be noticeable unless you sit at your computer with a stopwatch.

Don't forget to get an external 2.5" HDD enclosure so you can use the stock 160 GB as portable storage.

 

[Not Available]

Go for the 2.26Ghz model. Sell as much as you can (iPod Touch, HDD and RAM), and replace the HDD and RAM with 3rd parties (for the HDD, look over WD's Scorpio Blue). You will make a lot of savings from hardware replacement alone.

Then you can use the extra buck for the applications you need.