i7 or 8 gigs of ram?

[064629009]

Should I get...

a mid-range 15" with an i5 processor and upgrade the ram to 8 gb (this will end up costing ~$200 more though)

or

a high-end 15" (i7 processor) without the ram upgrade?

btw I'll use this laptop for photoshop, video editing and such, and maybe some light gaming...I guess i'm looking for what will give me more speed and better overall performance.

 

[RossMacca]

I'd say go for the i7. You can always upgrade the ram later yourself (cheaper too) if you find you need it.

 

[064629009]

and also...do I really need AppleCare? I mean, what are the chances that something (non accidental) will go wrong after the first year? It's an extra $400 (Cdn) which is why i'm not too sure if I should get it...

 

[064629009]

I'd say go for the i7. You can always upgrade the ram later yourself (cheaper too) if you find you need it.

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing too. But doesn't replacing the ram myself void the warranty? (someone was telling me that Apple can tell if you've opened the laptop yourself to replace ram, and that it voids the warranty)

 

[zesta]

No. RAM and hard drive are user-upgradeable. You can open the case. The instructions are right in the user manual.

I suggest you check out www.expercom.com. Give them a call. I just ordered an i7 15" plus an 8GB memory upgrade. The total price was much less than I could have ordered elsewhere. You can choose 3rd party RAM (with a lifetime warranty) and save even more. They will also include the original RAM just in case you have a warranty issue.

If it comes down to it, I would say the RAM is more important than the CPU for most people, but like was said, the RAM can always be upgraded later too.

-Randy

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing too. But doesn't replacing the ram myself void the warranty? (someone was telling me that Apple can tell if you've opened the laptop yourself to replace ram, and that it voids the warranty)

 

[zesta]

You can always wait until just before the year is over, and then get AppleCare. It will still only add an additional 2 years, but if you lose the laptop, or decide to upgrade before the year is up, or anything like that, you are not out the extra $$$

and also...do I really need AppleCare? I mean, what are the chances that something (non accidental) will go wrong after the first year? It's an extra $400 (Cdn) which is why i'm not too sure if I should get it...

 

[MBPi7]

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing too. But doesn't replacing the ram myself void the warranty? (someone was telling me that Apple can tell if you've opened the laptop yourself to replace ram, and that it voids the warranty)

RAM and HD are user serviceable parts, no warranty problem.

I agree with other posters, i7 plus RAM later.

You can get Applecare up to a year after purchase so decide then.

 

[Badger^2]

RAM and HD are user serviceable parts, no warranty problem.

I agree with other posters, i7 plus RAM later.

You can get Applecare up to a year after purchase so decide then.

^^ I agree as well, just to make it unanimous.

RAM is so easy to install I think my 5 year old could do it, and shes a girl.

Do you really *need* 8 gigs of ram? I run the entire Adobe Creative Suite + Quark 8 on a 2.4 AL iMac w/4 gigs ram and it handles it all without even breaking a sweat. And I'm talking several multi hundred meg Photoshop files and 100+ page Quark files with gigs of links. Not some crappy little 72 dpi web graphics and a few 3 panel brochures.

An i7 with 4 gigs to start should be fine.

 

[slpdLoad]

You should always get AppleCare on a portable, but there's no reason to pay for it upfront. Save up for a year and then get it, if you don't want to drop the cash right away.

Since you actually use programs that can make use of it, the i7 is definitely the right choice. RAM later, and always from a third party vendor.

Be sure to get the high-res display.

Photoshop, video editing, and gaming mean different things to different people. If you're really a professional-grade user, 8gigs will be worth it down the road. If you just design a few band posters in Photoshop, use iMovie, and play WoW, then you probably won't feel the need to go beyond the stock 4gb.

Enjoy your machine

 

[dukebound85]

i would do option 1 as you would also have greater batt life, which to me is more important than a negligible increase in cpu power

 

[emptyCup]

i would do option 1 as you would also have greater batt life, which to me is more important than a negligible increase in cpu power

Aside from the fact that you can always replace the RAM later, Bare Feats tested the i5 against the i7 and concluded:

Based on the four CPU intensive apps featured in the graphs, we believe it's well worth paying 10% more for the Core i7 iMac to get 13% to 30% more CPU crunching power.

They were testing iMacs but if the MBPs are otherwise equal the results should hold.

 

[talmy]

Aside from the fact that you can always replace the RAM later, Bare Feats tested the i5 against the i7 and concluded:



They were testing iMacs but if the MBPs are otherwise equal the results should hold.

Not otherwise equal. The iMac processors are desktop models. MacWorld's tests show that the MBP i7 is 7% faster at 10% additional cost. You probably won't notice 7%, but you might notice the missing $200.

 

[PsyD4Me]

I think for resale value go with i7, that's what the general public goes goo goo over

 

[kRaZyEyEz]

Should I get...

a mid-range 15" with an i5 processor and upgrade the ram to 8 gb (this will end up costing ~$200 more though)

or

a high-end 15" (i7 processor) without the ram upgrade?

btw I'll use this laptop for photoshop, video editing and such, and maybe some light gaming...I guess i'm looking for what will give me more speed and better overall performance.

You definitely want to get the i7 because where ram is user upgradable, if your video editing CPU is more important for rendering then ram.