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i5 or i7?

O

owlbabu

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 2, 2010
37
0
Hey guys,

Just had a question.

I was going to buy a 15'' MBP and have run into a dilemma.

Which version should I get? 2.4 i5, 2.53 i5, or 2.66 i7?

I'll be using the MBP for lots of programming, surfing the web, learning photoshop, dreamweaver, maybe some illustrator, running bootcamp, watching HD movies, not much else.

Which version should I get?

Thanks for the help in advance guys.
 
The base i5 will be more than adequate for those apps. Spend the "saved" money on an SSD and you'll be a very happy camper.

cheers and congrats on whatever you get.
JohnG
 
I'd definitely do the i5 with apple's 128gb ssd upgrade option. The result will feel much, much faster than the i7 macbook pro. 128gb is enough to run an operating system and all of its apps, while you can use an external hard drive for storing extra photoshop files, vids, etc.
 
Is an SSD really necessary? They seem to be really expensive, and I think I'd be ok with a 7200 rpm hard drive.
 
I could vary well ask the same type of question with "is an i7 really necessary?"

Somebody would be wanting to get an i7 for added performance for multitasking and processing in general, but when it comes down to it, an SSD will make the biggest impact on your daily performance for the computer.

If you do go the hard drive route, at least get the 7200rpm one.
 
Yea true, I'll look into it. But you think I'll be fine with the base i5?
 
Yeah most of what you're wanting to do is more ram/hard-drive intensive anyways.
 
I agree. Processor speed is important, but for most tasks, the processor doesn't even need to run at full speed. It's only when you process video clips or a bunch of images that you're going to notice a significant difference, and most people just don't do that very often.

When I exchanged my hard drive for a $499 Intel 160 GB X25-M, all my every day tasks easily got twice as fast overall.
 
Unless you're going to be launching 40 apps at once, just get the 7200rpm drive. SSD's cost way too much right now to be practical. Get 3x the space for a fraction of the price with a spinning disk, and maybe in a couple of years SSD's will catch up in capacity and come down in price.

You can't really do anything with 160G SSD's. I know, I know, someone with one will list all the things he can do with his, but I got a 13" MBP last fall with the 160G drive and immediately swapped it out for one twice as big. And then before long, I had to swap that 320G out for a 500G just to have room to breathe again. Macs just aren't happy with full hard drives.
 
Or you can get the i7, upgrade to 8GB of ram and get a 80GB SSD with a Optibay for a really good set up. Ask me how I know. ;)
 
Ok thanks for the input on the SSD, I'll totally look into it.

But what do people think of my initial problem (in the first post)? Input for that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

By the way, I'll be doing lots of word processing also; I doubt that makes any difference lol.
 
The Core i7 doesn't offer much "real" performance over the Core i5. In benchmarks, it's only slightly better. Spend the extra cash on upgrading other, slower components of your computer like the HD to SSD or 4GB to 8GB memory.
 
Sounds good. I'm glad I can save money. I'm not sure now whether to get the 2.4 i5 or the 2.53 i5? lol. It's basically probably just a monetary upgrade not much else.

anyone?
 
bigjobby said:
2.4... the 2.53 is only about 5% quicker. Use the money saved to speed up the MBP with other hardware upgrades.
Click to expand...

If you are a student then the cost difference is almost nothing when you up the 2.4's harddrive to 500GB so it's not a bad deal going with the 2.53 as most posters here says it's actually a good deal. If you have a developers account then the 2.53 is the cheapest one to get of all the 15" MBP so it depends on what rebates you are entitled to.
 
Guys, i have similar question here. This gona be my first Mac, and i decide to go with 15' hi-res one. haven't decide which model to go. I do not do anything professional, the only concern is i probably will play some games. But not much, the only game i must play is Diablo3, i should have wait till next upgrade which may close to the game release. but i have to grab one this month. From what i learn here, that 2.4G should be all right for me for everything else, but i7 have 512 graphic ram vs i5's 256 graphic ram. i personally believe this gona help with gaming experience. so what do u guys think.

because of the budget, which option is better? 15' 2.4G macbook pro+16GB ipad+iphone 4 or 15' 2.66G macbook pro+iphone 4
 
Ok, I've narrowed it down to either the 2.4 or the 2.53 (because the 2.53 is only $60 more apparently, with the Student Discount)

Now I need to figure out if I want an SSD.
 
It all comes down to whether or not you feel like storing files on an external drive from time to time-- which would usually consist of all the big data hogs such as videos and large photos.

Other than that, upgrading to an SSD will be the most noticeable upgrade you could do to a computer.
 
Vihzel said:
How does the 4GB SSD memory work out? I'm not sure what that 4GB would be for.
Click to expand...

It works by taking your most commonly usd 4GB of apps/ boot and puts it in the flash memory.

So for me boot it SSD quick, Photoshop, Steam, Mail, Chrome, Safari, iChat, and anything I use on a regular basis = SSD speed.

If I open something obscure like time machine (don't use it) then it acts like a normal 7200 RPM drive in opening.
 
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