Explanation guide for specs

[thewizzy]

Everything adds up so quickly in terms of price, and now I'm contemplating all these features. With the new update, the guide to buying a mbp haven't been quite updated yet so I need some advice/explanation on a few things..

Usage:
- typical student stuff (writing, note-taking, studying, research, etc..)
- not going to be doing any designing or editing (some casual photoshop is all)
- I do have a main desktop PC but would love to have a computer to transport from place to place (I do want a 15 inch though)
- ex-gamer (I don't game as much as I did but still often go on Steam and would love to do so on a mpb)

2.4GHz vs 2.53GHz vs 2.66GHz - Will the 2.4 or 2.53 really set me back and have me kicking myself in the next few years?

Same thing for the 4gb vs 8gb - If I'm already dropping so much, might as well get 8gb but for an extra $400? Do I really need that extra 4gb?

What's the difference between the 3 displays? Is Hi-Res and anti-glare absolutely necessary?

SSD vs HDD - C'mon now, it comes with a 500gb HDD and an upgrade to a 128gb SSD is $200. So I'm losing $200 and 300+gb -- is it THAT worth it for the features SDD brings?

 

[kasakka]

2.4GHz vs 2.53GHz vs 2.66GHz - Will the 2.4 or 2.53 really set me back and have me kicking myself in the next few years?

Same thing for the 4gb vs 8gb - If I'm already dropping so much, might as well get 8gb but for an extra $400? Do I really need that extra 4gb?

In most things you won't notice the CPU speed or the extra RAM at all. The RAM is mostly useful if you run virtual machines via VMWare or Parallels and the CPU will make things like video encoding a tiny bit faster.

What's the difference between the 3 displays? Is Hi-Res and anti-glare absolutely necessary?

Not necessarily, depends on what you want. Higher resolution is nice to have and antiglare will help diffuse any reflections that would be caused by things like bright light from lighting or the sun. On the other hand the glass surface of the gloss display is very easy to clean...

SSD vs HDD - C'mon now, it comes with a 500gb HDD and an upgrade to a 128gb SSD is $200. So I'm losing $200 and 300+gb -- is it THAT worth it for the features SDD brings?

I wouldn't bother buying a SSD from Apple. Especially not when it's not known who manufactures them. I do like the SSD in a laptop though. No risk of damage from moving the machine because there are no mechanical parts, less noise due to afore-mentioned, really fast booting, programs open instantly etc. Since you already have a desktop machine, you may find that you don't actually need all that much space on the laptop. I would be just fine with a 80 GB SSD, got a 160 GB one though.

 

[thewizzy]

Thanks for the response, really apperciate it.

When you say it's vulernable to damage, have there been many incidences in which this has happened? If it's substatially high then it would probably be a good idea for me to get a SSD.

Also, if you have a SSD can you still use an external HDD?