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Do I get rid of i7 and keep i5? Or?

E

EmbraceTheOne

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 26, 2011
688
16
Hey guys; I have a simple question for you experts.

In a month I am going to a College where they give you ("give" is used loosely. Included in tuition) a brand new Macbook Pro. The only downside to this, is that it is the cheapest version, the i5.

I currently am using an early 2011 2.7ghz i7. I'm a little concerned about this..Going from a super fast i7 to an i5. Now, do I sell the i7 and use the i5 as my daily? Or do I keep both and just use one or the other? I wish I could sell the i5 and keep my i7. Oh well.

What would you do? Should i be concerned?
I am Majoring in Digital Media Communications focusing in Video Production. So I will have video editing to do in either FCPX or Adobe Premier. I will have access to the latest iMacs, though. So I guess I shouldn't be worried about that too much.

Thoughts?
 
Dweez said:
Why not simply keep your current laptop and store the freebie for backup?
Click to expand...

I think I'd just hate to have one computer go to waste. Since i am technically paying for the freebie. I'd hate to have such a wonderful product sit there not being used, when I could sell my 2011 for a good decent amount? I'm really just concerned about performance. Is it a dramatic difference between the i5 and i7 Macs?
 
I'm assuming the freebie is the mid-2012 MacBook Pro (non-Retina)?

The Geekbench scores are very close on these two models - the Early 2011 i7 is 6732, and the mid-2012 i5 is 6644.

I'm assuming the other specs on the freebie are base? As in, 4 GB RAM, non-SSD hard drive, Intel 4000 Graphics? How does this compare to your Early 2011 model?

All else equal I would say sell the old one and use the freebie, you shouldn't see a huge difference. If you have added RAM or an SSD to your current one that makes it a tougher decision.
 
Lefty21 said:
I'm assuming the freebie is the mid-2012 MacBook Pro (non-Retina)?

The Geekbench scores are very close on these two models - the Early 2011 i7 is 6732, and the mid-2012 i5 is 6644.

I'm assuming the other specs on the freebie are base? As in, 4 GB RAM, non-SSD hard drive, Intel 4000 Graphics? How does this compare to your Early 2011 model?

All else equal I would say sell the old one and use the freebie, you shouldn't see a huge difference. If you have added RAM or an SSD to your current one that makes it a tougher decision.
Click to expand...

Doward said:
Depends. Can you give more complete specs for both systems?
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My early 2011 is a 2.7Ghz i7, with 8gb of RAM. (Came with 4. Upgraded myself..So before I'd sell it I would swap the Ram in to the i5.) Intel HD 3000 Graphics.

Im assuming the Laptop I'd be getting for school is the 2013 2.5ghz i5, 4gb of ram. (Again, i'd transfer my 8gb over to it.) Intel HD 4000.
 
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EmbraceTheOne said:
My early 2011 is a 2.7Ghz i7, with 8gb of RAM. (Came with 4. Upgraded myself..So before I'd sell it I would swap the Ram in to the i5. Intel HD 3000 Graphics.

Im assuming the Laptop I'd be getting for school is the 2013 2.5ghz i5, 4gb of ram. (Again, i'd transfer my 8gb over to it.) Intel HD 4000.
Click to expand...
The last update to the regular MacBook Pros were mid 2012. I assume you're getting this computer: http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...re-i5-2.5-13-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html

The two models use different RAM specifications (PC3-10600 vs. PC3-12800), so you may have trouble using the RAM from the old machine in the new one. However, even if you have to buy more RAM for the new machine, I still think you'd be fine selling the old one.
 
I would say keep the newer one, unless you want to do something like sell them both and get a 15" retina.

The 2012 one has faster graphics and USB 3. CPU power is probably about a wash because it is clocked lower but it's also a newer generation.
 
Lefty21 said:
The last update to the regular MacBook Pros were mid 2012. I assume you're getting this computer: http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...re-i5-2.5-13-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html

The two models use different RAM specifications (PC3-10600 vs. PC3-12800), so you may have trouble using the RAM from the old machine in the new one. However, even if you have to buy more RAM for the new machine, I still think you'd be fine selling the old one.
Click to expand...



Stetrain said:
I would say keep the newer one, unless you want to do something like sell them both and get a 15" retina.

The 2012 one has faster graphics and USB 3. CPU power is probably about a wash because it is clocked lower but it's also a newer generation.
Click to expand...


Cool! Thanks for the information guys. Makes me more confident about selling my older machine.

Unfortunately I can't sell the Mac the school is 'giving' me and buy a Retina instead. (Even though I'd kill to do that.....) After 2 years I give it back, and get a 15" my second term. :)

Any recommendations on how much I should sell my i7 for?
Again, its a 2.7ghz i7, with a 500gb HDD, and 8gb of ram.
 
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