Just want to know the difference between these two chips. I got the i5 because I didnt want to shell out the money for an i7.
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i5 vs. i7: What is the difference and how are they similar?
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I don't think he/she was trying to be a smart ass. It was an analogy.
In essence the i7 is a faster CPU with more onboard cache.
if you're talking about the specific i5 and i7 used in the MBP then the difference is that the i7 has a faster clock speed and a larger L3 Cache
if you're talking about the difference in i5 and i7 processors overall, then there is no specific answer. they are just names given to a group of processors, and there are differing levels of performance throughout all of those groups. its not like it used to be with core 2 duo and core 2 quad.
if you're talking about the difference in i5 and i7 processors overall, then there is no specific answer. they are just names given to a group of processors, and there are differing levels of performance throughout all of those groups. its not like it used to be with core 2 duo and core 2 quad.
That's more like 6 cores vs 8 cores...
i7 has 1MB more cache and one extra multiplier of frequency i.e. 130MHz more
Heat production and speed
Does the i5 run less hot than the i7?
Is it correct to say that the i7 is only marginally faster (about 5%) than the i5?
Does the i5 run less hot than the i7?
Is it correct to say that the i7 is only marginally faster (about 5%) than the i5?
I want to know this as well.
Does the i5 15" run cooler than the i7?
What kind of speed increases would you see with photo/video editing?
Of course the i5 runs cooler as it has lower frequency. I don't think there is huge difference though
~5% sounds right (compared to 2.53GHz i5). In photo and video editing, the only differences you would notice is when you encode or render something, and the difference is still ~5%. Unless you use it for work i.e. every second is money, it's not worth it
First of all, sorry for replying on an old topic, but I still got some questions on that..
What about gaming difference? You get 512mb on the i7 MBP, while 256mb on the i5.
Please consider MBP with 8gb RAM and Momentus XT 500gb HDD.
Does it makes a huge difference? Is it worth 200USD?
What about gaming difference? You get 512mb on the i7 MBP, while 256mb on the i5.
Please consider MBP with 8gb RAM and Momentus XT 500gb HDD.
Does it makes a huge difference? Is it worth 200USD?
You probably wont notice to much of a difference. The difference between the mobile i5 and i7 chips is minimal at best. I chose the i5 because it ran cooler. Sure having an i7 sounds nice and all, and in a desktop I would have opted for an i7 hands down. But in a mobile setting, especially with the specific chips that apple uses, the difference is pretty much non existent.
tnx for your fast reply on that James.
i understand your point about the CPU, but what about the GPU difference? Isn't the 200USD difference worth both upgrades - i5 to i7 - and - 256mb to 512gb GPU?
In all honesty, I believe the extra video ram is only of significant need if your planning on running an additional monitor. Although with that being said, I run a 23" Monitor at 1080p, playing the occasional game : Cod, Age of Empires. And it runs it fine at medium settings for cod and high settings for AOE. Im not all that convinced that the extra RAM is of utter importance.
i'll be using the MBP 70% of the time connected to my HDTV running at 1080p, and i'll be playing on that screen. Should be paying COD and Starcraft 2, and maybe Crysis..
My previous plan was to get the fastest 15" MBP possible (i7, 512mb GPU, 8gb RAM, 500gb 7200rpm HDD), it would cost arround 2300USD. But if i consider getting the 2.4 i5, with same ups, it would cost arround 1950USD.
Can't tell its a small price difference.. maybe it isn't worth the money.
ps: for a i5 2.53 + ups (like urs) =~ 2120USD
If your connecting it to an HDTV, I assume that the screen is a pretty good size than. The extra VRAM may be beneficial to you in that case. Unless someone else can comment that the base i5 works just as well?
alt, thanks for the link.
Considering the author's conclusion:
So, maybe an i5 is more than enought in terms of processing. But what about the GPU difference from 256mb to 512mb. It should also be considered in the price difference, and maybe it could make a huge difference when running on a HDTV (40").
What do you guys think?
Unless the video ram speed is higher on the 512mb system, there won't be a noticeable difference in most, if not all situations. Not even running multiple monitors would matter. IIRC you only need about 15MB of ram to store a 2560x1440 image. For triplebuffering you would need 45MB of ram.
Now when storing textures, more video ram helps cause it is far faster (bandwidth) than going back to main memory.
Now when storing textures, more video ram helps cause it is far faster (bandwidth) than going back to main memory.
Tnx for explanation diamond.g
it is good to know how stuff works..
Good to know this,
I'm going to go for the i5 then(cheaper than i7 and better than my current c2d)
I think i'll go to with the i5 too. the price difference between the basic i5 and the i7 is almost 400USD.. don't think it is worth..
tnx everyone!
I got my i7 MBP brand new for 2/3 of the retail price, which is why I went for it, otherwise I would have gone for the i5. It will only be worth the difference in price if you do really heavy editing or something that requires the additional processing power...
Regarding HDD space, you can upgrade to a 500GB 7200RPM unit for much less than the Apple options, and as has been mentioned, the additional 256MB RAM on the GPU won't make a different at resolutions 1920x1080 and less.
Regarding HDD space, you can upgrade to a 500GB 7200RPM unit for much less than the Apple options, and as has been mentioned, the additional 256MB RAM on the GPU won't make a different at resolutions 1920x1080 and less.
sure. i plan to get my Momentus XT thru Amazon/Bestbuy for arround 110USD, also with the 8GB RAM.
Tnx everyone for helping. After reading and reading the forum i've changed my mind more than once. Now i think i'm getting somewhere. I'll go for the i5 - probably the 2.4 ghz - with a Momentus XT 500gb HDD. Just need to decide on which RAM brand i'll go: Crucial, Kingston or OCZ
My 2.4 i5 works running a 42" external just fine, never noticed any issues at all.