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I'm surprised I can't find a satisfying comparison between 13" i5 and i7

I decided to buy the i7 to compare with my 13" i5 base model. I use the computer for the following- MS Office 2011, Safari, Mail, iPhoto, iTunes, iLife 11, and VM Fushion running ultimate windows 64-bit.

In my unscientific tests I have yet to notice any significant difference between the machines. Sometimes the i7 appears faster and sometimes the
i5 appears faster. Once the programs are opened the first time they open at almost exactly the same speed.

Is the i7 faster? I am sure it is! Is it noticeable to the naked eye using typical day to day tasks? Not mine. Im keeping the i5 base model because for my needs I really cant tell the difference after a couple days of usage.

Also, sometimes the fans come on for 1 machine and not the other. Both were loaded exactly the same as I migrated from my base i5. The fans almost always kick on when I use iPhoto and install any program for both machines.
 
KPOM said:
From a resale perspective, generally the cheaper machines hold their value better. Remember, the price difference to Apple between the Core i5 and Core i7 on the 13" model is about $67 based on Intel's published OEM prices (and Apple probably pays less than that), but Apple charges $100 more for it.
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Buying the lower in models always seem to return more value. If your one that likes to upgrade every refresh, then go i5. Cheaper and not a big speed lost if you have to have the speed, than i7 for you. Speed wise is probably more along the lines of 10% increase.
 
KPOM said:
From a resale perspective, generally the cheaper machines hold their value better. Remember, the price difference to Apple between the Core i5 and Core i7 on the 13" model is about $67 based on Intel's published OEM prices (and Apple probably pays less than that), but Apple charges $100 more for it.
Click to expand...

drew0020 said:
I decided to buy the i7 to compare with my 13" i5 base model. I use the computer for the following- MS Office 2011, Safari, Mail, iPhoto, iTunes, iLife 11, and VM Fushion running ultimate windows 64-bit.

In my unscientific tests I have yet to notice any significant difference between the machines. Sometimes the i7 appears faster and sometimes the
i5 appears faster. Once the programs are opened the first time they open at almost exactly the same speed.

Is the i7 faster? I am sure it is! Is it noticeable to the naked eye using typical day to day tasks? Not mine. Im keeping the i5 base model because for my needs I really cant tell the difference after a couple days of usage.

Also, sometimes the fans come on for 1 machine and not the other. Both were loaded exactly the same as I migrated from my base i5. The fans almost always kick on when I use iPhoto and install any program for both machines.
Click to expand...

I doubt you will see a big difference, with i7. If you can get an i5 from amazon with no tax it makes the i5 look like a better deal since your out of pocket cost will be lower than buying i7 from apple with sales tax.
 
Apple Expert said:
I doubt you will see a big difference, with i7. If you can get an i5 from amazon with no tax it makes the i5 look like a better deal since your out of pocket cost will be lower than buying i7 from apple with sales tax.
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Cost is not an issue. I just wanted speed!! I think for my needs both processors combined with the SSD are faster than nececssary. I would think for most people this would be the same. And if you need more power I would suggest a 15" Pro with SSD.
 
korkor said:
is this reliable???

http://maccrazy.com/macbook-air-2011-i5-vs-i7-is-the-upgrade-worth-it
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It's technically correct, but somewhat simplistic since he didn't run a detailed series of tests. If AnandTech gets his hands on a Core i7 model perhaps he can include it in his review.

That said, there IS a bigger difference between the 1.6 GHz Core i5 and 1.7GHz Core i5 vs. the 1.8GHz Core i7 than the 100MHz would indicate, since the 1.7GHz model has the higher turbo boost. It depends, however, what circumstances trigger the boost and how much benefit it gives. The maximum boost figures given in the article are for a single core. The chips can also boost in dual core mode, but not as fast (I think the Core i7 boosts to 2.9GHz in single core mode, and 2.6GHz in dual core mode).
 
korkor said:
is this reliable???

http://maccrazy.com/macbook-air-2011-i5-vs-i7-is-the-upgrade-worth-it
Click to expand...

There information seems to be on par with what I've experienced from the two machines. If you need the speed or a speed freak go i7. But for most people i5 is fine.

Did an interesting test last night. Installed cs5 on both machines. No doubt the i7 won, but only by a few seconds. But after both machines cached, the apps pretty much loaded identical within each other. Now unistalling I thought i7 would win. No it was a tie. Between these to CPU, the i7 is faster but at $100 upgrade - you need to determine that. I honestly only saw about 10'ish % increase with i7. Most times almost no increase with simple task like safari or mail.
 
drew0020 said:
Cost is not an issue. I just wanted speed!! I think for my needs both processors combined with the SSD are faster than nececssary. I would think for most people this would be the same. And if you need more power I would suggest a 15" Pro with SSD.
Click to expand...

You went i7?
 
As what I recently read also it says that upgrading 11" i5 to i7 you pay $150 for 25% + speed boost and for 13" i5 to i7 you pay $100 for 10% + speed boost... well all are numbers at this time still have to wait for the more real life (let me say that) tests... Thanks for the input...

KPOM said:
It's technically correct, but somewhat simplistic since he didn't run a detailed series of tests. If AnandTech gets his hands on a Core i7 model perhaps he can include it in his review.

That said, there IS a bigger difference between the 1.6 GHz Core i5 and 1.7GHz Core i5 vs. the 1.8GHz Core i7 than the 100MHz would indicate, since the 1.7GHz model has the higher turbo boost. It depends, however, what circumstances trigger the boost and how much benefit it gives. The maximum boost figures given in the article are for a single core. The chips can also boost in dual core mode, but not as fast (I think the Core i7 boosts to 2.9GHz in single core mode, and 2.6GHz in dual core mode).
Click to expand...
 
drew0020 said:
I went with the i5.
Click to expand...

My wife has that one. I have i7 and today I'm going to use the i5 all day to see if I notice a big difference. The cost isn't an issue here, just don't want to be throwing money away if I dont notice a difference or for bragging rights. Right now I'm in a unique situation. I can buy the i5 from amazon for 1325 after a gift card I received or keep the i7 I paid 1765. That's a big difference out of pocket to pay. I'm leaning towards amazon, but having the i7 is nice. But more than likely I'll probably be upgrading next year like I always do. :D. Decisions Decisions.
 
Apple Expert said:
My wife has that one. I have i7 and today I'm going to use the i5 all day to see if I notice a big difference. The cost isn't an issue here, just don't want to be throwing money away if I dont notice a difference or for bragging rights. Right now I'm in a unique situation. I can buy the i5 from amazon for 1325 after a gift card I received or keep the i7 I paid 1765. That's a big difference out of pocket to pay. I'm leaning towards amazon, but having the i7 is nice. But more than likely I'll probably be upgrading next year like I always do. :D. Decisions Decisions.
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I always seem to upgrade yearly anyway. $440 is a huge difference especially if you dont need the bigger SSD. It almost buys you a 16GB iPad 2.
 
Apple Expert said:
My wife has that one. I have i7 and today I'm going to use the i5 all day to see if I notice a big difference. The cost isn't an issue here, just don't want to be throwing money away if I dont notice a difference or for bragging rights. Right now I'm in a unique situation. I can buy the i5 from amazon for 1325 after a gift card I received or keep the i7 I paid 1765. That's a big difference out of pocket to pay. I'm leaning towards amazon, but having the i7 is nice. But more than likely I'll probably be upgrading next year like I always do. :D. Decisions Decisions.
Click to expand...


For $440 difference I'd go with the i5, and set aside the money for something else.
 
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Long story short: The speed differences between chips is not nearly as important as the architecture between two chips.

If you want to "future proof" your machine you buy newer chipset not the faster speed.
 
Oppressed said:
Long story short: The speed differences between chips is not nearly as important as the architecture between two chips.

If you want to "future proof" your machine you buy newer chipset not the faster speed.
Click to expand...

Do people still even consider "future proof" in their purchases since technology changes so fast?
 
Oppressed said:
Long story short: The speed differences between chips is not nearly as important as the architecture between two chips.

If you want to "future proof" your machine you buy newer chipset not the faster speed.
Click to expand...

The architecture between the i5 and i7 is the same. All that's different is hat he i7 has a slightly larger L3 and a speed boost of 100/200mhz in relation to their standard/turbo speeds. Going with any of the processors for the Airs will work for "future proofing".
 
Apple Expert said:
Do people still even consider "future proof" in their purchases since technology changes so fast?
Click to expand...

The Sandy Bridge Core i3/i5/i7 is a brand new architecture (it's the third variant of the Core i3/i5/i7 family). It's in a similar position now as the Core 2 Duo was in 2007. Ivy Bridge is mostly an incremental upgrade (putting it on a smaller die to improve power, and upgrading the graphics). It won't be until 2013 that the new architecture (Haswell) is available and 2014 when it becomes mainstream, so the current MacBook Air should be able to keep up with software developments for at least several years.

http://www.intel.com/technology/tick-tock/index.htm

Sandy Bridge is the latest "tock" in Intel's strategy. Nehalem (the original Core i3/i5/i7) was the previous one (with Westmere as the "tick" in between). The old Core 2 Duo was an additional "tock" back (technically a "tick" back since it was Penryn, but based on the old "tock" Merom). Confusing, but the short answer it that the Core 2 Duo vs Sandy Bridge was like a 386 compared to a Pentium for old timers on the PC side.
 
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Apple Expert said:
My wife has that one. I have i7 and today I'm going to use the i5 all day to see if I notice a big difference. The cost isn't an issue here, just don't want to be throwing money away if I dont notice a difference or for bragging rights. Right now I'm in a unique situation. I can buy the i5 from amazon for 1325 after a gift card I received or keep the i7 I paid 1765. That's a big difference out of pocket to pay. I'm leaning towards amazon, but having the i7 is nice. But more than likely I'll probably be upgrading next year like I always do. :D. Decisions Decisions.
Click to expand...

Did you notice any difference between the two?! I'm gonna go buy my 13" today and pretty much make a decision based on your answer haha
 
knicksns28 said:
Did you notice any difference between the two?! I'm gonna go buy my 13" today and pretty much make a decision based on your answer haha
Click to expand...

I did use the i5 most of the day. It did fine, but when started to import lots of photos that's where the i7 separated itself from i5. Temps were pretty much identical. It seems like the i7 does run a few degrees warmer than i5 in general. You just need to determine if the money is with the upgrade. Might I ask where are you looking to purchase? Will there be any discounts on the MBA itself?
 
Apple Expert said:
I did use the i5 most of the day. It did fine, but when started to import lots of photos that's where the i7 separated itself from i5. Temps were pretty much identical. It seems like the i7 does run a few degrees warmer than i5 in general. You just need to determine if the money is with the upgrade. Might I ask where are you looking to purchase? Will there be any discounts on the MBA itself?
Click to expand...

I was just gonna go to the Apple store with my student ID so I can get the student discount. It's not as much about the $90 as it is about the trade off in speed (which can be increased in certain tasks) and battery life. Do you notice any difference in the battery life or are they pretty much the same (I feel it can't be more than a 15 minute difference)?

At the end of the day I know I'm getting an awesome computer so I really need to go get it rather than play around on here all the time and live vicariously through everyone who has one already
 
knicksns28 said:
Did you notice any difference between the two?! I'm gonna go buy my 13" today and pretty much make a decision based on your answer haha
Click to expand...

knicksns28 said:
I was just gonna go to the Apple store with my student ID so I can get the student discount. It's not as much about the $90 as it is about the trade off in speed (which can be increased in certain tasks) and battery life. Do you notice any difference in the battery life or are they pretty much the same (I feel it can't be more than a 15 minute difference)?

At the end of the day I know I'm getting an awesome computer so I really need to go get it rather than play around on here all the time and live vicariously through everyone who has one already
Click to expand...

They are pretty much the same. I didnt seem to much of a difference. I think I would of noticed a big difference. If the money isn't an issue, stik with i7. You will be happy you did in certain tasks. Also knowing you got the bestest and baddest MBA made! :D
 
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