Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Macbook pro 17" 2.8 or 3.06?
- Thread starter PSpfano
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I am getting the 3.06Ghz. Based on the xBench and Geekbench ratings the extra speed should help speed up render times. It still won't be an Octo-Core MacPro, but for a laptop it should be great. I would also recommend getting Final Cut Studio, their is a lot you can't do in Express.
Don't waste your money on 3.06, you won't notice the difference. Benchmarks are always benchmarks, they don't show what is it in real life. Spend your money on SSD, that'll speed up your Mac
Agreeing with Hellhammer.
Stick to 2.8GHz and deck it out with 8GB of ram and 2x256GB Corsair SSD's set in Raid-0. Guaranteed to give you much much better performance gains than 2x0.2Ghz can give.
Stick to 2.8GHz and deck it out with 8GB of ram and 2x256GB Corsair SSD's set in Raid-0. Guaranteed to give you much much better performance gains than 2x0.2Ghz can give.
Skip the 3.06 and spend your money on more RAM. Yes, the 3.06 will be faster when rendering, but unless you're working a job where literally every second counts, you will not notice the extra speed.
Likewise, do not waste your money on Final Cut Studio unless you need Motion, Color, etc. Express does most of what Studio does when it comes to cutting and editing.
Likewise, do not waste your money on Final Cut Studio unless you need Motion, Color, etc. Express does most of what Studio does when it comes to cutting and editing.
How about getting a "longer trial" from PirateBay?
Oh, dang! Torrents are forbidden here Express will be fine for you
I think depends. If the guys is an actual editor (like he says), the 3.06GHz is worth it, as well as FCS. If filmmaking is just a hobby then he shouldn't waste the money.
yeah, if you actually make money with the computer...
... then that changes the dynamic.
I'd say the most important upgrades would be (in order):
1. 500GB 7200rpm hard drive
2. 8GB ram
3. 3.06GHz CPU upgrade
SSD is awesome, but the capacity is just not there (yet) for messing around with video.
... then that changes the dynamic.
I'd say the most important upgrades would be (in order):
1. 500GB 7200rpm hard drive
2. 8GB ram
3. 3.06GHz CPU upgrade
SSD is awesome, but the capacity is just not there (yet) for messing around with video.
3.06 is going to be important for any realtime computation, this is an extra 260mhz which is substantial (I can remember the days when a 600mhz machine was hot ****, now my phone is that fast!)..
Def max out the RAM, I think that rule holds true in all cases. I quick look at Crucial.com makes that seem pretty expensive... $899 for the 2x4GB kit or $449 for 1x4GB. Anyone seen better deals on comprabale RAM? This seems really expensive.
As for the SSD, I agree, the capacity is not there yet, then again if you're working with heavy media like video you're likely going to be carrying an external 500GB drive with you everywhere you go. I haven't used an SSD but I can't imagine it makes such a huge difference, especially when you have so much RAM.
Def max out the RAM, I think that rule holds true in all cases. I quick look at Crucial.com makes that seem pretty expensive... $899 for the 2x4GB kit or $449 for 1x4GB. Anyone seen better deals on comprabale RAM? This seems really expensive.
As for the SSD, I agree, the capacity is not there yet, then again if you're working with heavy media like video you're likely going to be carrying an external 500GB drive with you everywhere you go. I haven't used an SSD but I can't imagine it makes such a huge difference, especially when you have so much RAM.
Seems like every other HD thread here has people saying that a 500GB 5400 RPM drive performs just as well as a lower capacity 7200 RPM drive because of platters. Does that hold true for the 5400 RPM 500GB drive in the MBP 17? Would upgrading it to the 7200 option make a difference?
Reason I ask is that the upgrade makes it a BTO which takes another week to be shipped. If the performance isn't significant, I might skip it and get the stock
eV
Reason I ask is that the upgrade makes it a BTO which takes another week to be shipped. If the performance isn't significant, I might skip it and get the stock
eV
I'm getting the 2.8GHz myself, I refuse to pay $460 AUD for 260MHz. But if you have the extra cash to splash - go for it. But like it's already been said - it's unlikely you'll notice any real differences in performance, definitely not a HUGE difference.
The drive will be faster, so their will be a difference but it may not be 'very' noticeable. But most people have had BTO add only an extra day to their delivery time. However that's assuming it's coming from Shanghai instead of an Apple Store. But if Fedex delivers I will have mine in 5 business days.
If you are very short of cash then yeah go for the 2.8, however, if not then i will definitely go for 3.0.6. This will be useful in the long run; 1) if you are the type of person who change the laptop frequently, it will give you a better price, when you sell it. 2) if you are not, then remember you will not able to upgrade the processor EVER (while the RAM and HD, you can), so if you think of it for next 2-4 years i believe it is 100% worth it.
Hey! I'm in the same boat, friend. I was going to go-all-out with a quad-core Mac Pro, but I have recently decided to move to the 17'' MacBook Pro. Why? It's not only cost effective, but the mobility issue for me is huge. I do primarily short films, documentaries and the occasional feature length motion picture. I'd recommend that you bump up the processor speed, get the anti-glare option and upgrade the 500GB to 7200prm. Max out the RAM later from a 3rd party. It's not too paramount getting 8GB RAM from the start, unless you have the money... but it isn't a big deal. 4GB is pretty great and Apple recommends it.
I agree. Get FCS2.
SSD is way fast. You can always plug in a huge drive but the OS runs great on an SSD. I put an Intel 80GB in my MBP and VMWare loads fast! Like they say, when you go SSD you never go back.
Obviously that would be MUCH faster, but price wise it's not even close.
And seeing as though he's a video editor, I'd imagine he needs his SuperDrive.
