Difference between the Feb 2011 and the Nov 2011 MBP 15"

[bill-p]

This makes sense. Where did you find the numbers for the power consumption of the GPUs? Notebookcheck only has estimates apparently.

I'm going by Notebookcheck estimates myself. But judging from reviews and complaints, I'd think there has to be some truth in the statements being thrown around. And at least the technical data supports it.

That's a good point. Thank you.

I would also note that if future-proofing for a taste change was necessary, then perhaps waiting for the 2012 refresh with a better CPU (definitely) and better GPU (not sure but possible) is still an idea.

While I agree that tastes change, I don't think it's smart to pay an additional $400 just because your mood may change later. Also because the improvement would not be significant save for the GPU, which doesn't seem like something you would use.

Also to note that it's not entirely correct that the GPU is used in photo editing. The CPU is still more important in that case, and a GPU upgrade doesn't help at all when it reaches a certain threshold.