MBP 15" - Oct. 2011 or Jun. 2012

[t0m3k]

I plan on purchasing my FIRST MacBook Pro 15" Antiglare.

My local MicroCenter has one from October 2011 with these specs;

i7 - 2.5GHz
4GB RAM
HDD - 750GB - 7200RPM
AMD Radeon 6770M - 1GB
OS X - Lion - free upgrade to Mountain Lion

$1770 (tax included)

On eBay, I can get the June 2012 version with these specs;

i7 - 2.6GHz
8GB RAM
HDD - 750GB - 5400RPM
GeForce GT 650 - 1GB

Is the 2011 model worth the price, or should I get the new release at $2349?

Is the price difference worth the new CPU and GPU, or is the older good enough?

 

[nitromac]

I would definitely go for the 2012 model, but the base one. Are you sure you need the 1GB of vRAM and the 2.6 processor? You could get the base model (2.6GHz and 512MB of vRAM) with antiglare, buy 8 or 16GB of RAM for it ($140 tops, could find for less). The Ivy Bridge processors are quicker than the previous generation, and run cooler. Plus, you get USB 3.0 with the 2012 model. The extra 300MHz you get with the 2.6 upgrade won't be very noticeable and the 1GB of vRAM is only useful if you are using graphics-intensive apps (Photoshop, gaming, After Effects, etc). Otherwise, 512MB is good enough as it is. Plus, you could use the money you saved and buy yourself a 256 or 512GB SSD. That's an upgrade that will truly speed things up, a lot.

 

[Irock619]

For some reason I feel that's a little steep for a 2011 model. Have you checked the refurbed section on the Apple site?

 

[Orlandoech]

For some reason I feel that's a little steep for a 2011 model. Have you checked the refurbed section on the Apple site?

I agree. I would get a refurb 2011 from apple or a base 2012 with user upgraded ram and SSD.

 

[t0m3k]

For some reason I feel that's a little steep for a 2011 model. Have you checked the refurbed section on the Apple site?

The price is $1,599 +tax.

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I would definitely go for the 2012 model, but the base one. Are you sure you need the 1GB of vRAM and the 2.6 processor? You could get the base model (2.6GHz and 512MB of vRAM) with antiglare, buy 8 or 16GB of RAM for it ($140 tops, could find for less). The Ivy Bridge processors are quicker than the previous generation, and run cooler. Plus, you get USB 3.0 with the 2012 model. The extra 300MHz you get with the 2.6 upgrade won't be very noticeable and the 1GB of vRAM is only useful if you are using graphics-intensive apps (Photoshop, gaming, After Effects, etc). Otherwise, 512MB is good enough as it is. Plus, you could use the money you saved and buy yourself a 256 or 512GB SSD. That's an upgrade that will truly speed things up, a lot.

Yes, I need more power for Photoshop work. There is no 2.6GHz with 512 vRAM configuration on Apple's website.

 

[nitromac]

The price is $1,599 +tax.

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Yes, I need more power for Photoshop work. There is no 2.6GHz with 512 vRAM configuration on Apple's website.

Sorry, meant 2.3*.

Anyways, like I said, the difference is minimal with the 2.6 upgrade. Having more RAM (very useful for photoshop) and an SSD will cause a much more significant increase in performance. And you'd save a lot of cash.

 

[rockyroad55]

For some reason I feel that's a little steep for a 2011 model. Have you checked the refurbed section on the Apple site?

That 2011 model is the one with AG HR display too.

 

[t0m3k]

That 2011 model is the one with AG HR display too.

Yes, both of them have the Antiglare display, I HATE the GLOSSY DISPLAY.

 

[Orlandoech]

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M18LL/A

http://store.apple.com/us-hed/configure/MD103LL/A?

 

[FastEddiebags]

Wouldn't the GT650 and the HD4000 be very helpful for photoshop? I'd recommend you take a closer look at the base 2012 specs. I think either way you will be very happy with your decision. I'm a huge fan of getting an SSD though.

 

[sofianito]

I plan on purchasing my FIRST MacBook Pro 15" Antiglare.

My local MicroCenter has one from October 2011 with these specs;

i7 - 2.5GHz
4GB RAM
HDD - 750GB - 7200RPM
AMD Radeon 6770M - 1GB
OS X - Lion - free upgrade to Mountain Lion

$1770 (tax included)

On eBay, I can get the June 2012 version with these specs;

i7 - 2.6GHz
8GB RAM
HDD - 750GB - 5400RPM
GeForce GT 650 - 1GB

Is the 2011 model worth the price, or should I get the new release at $2349?

Is the price difference worth the new CPU and GPU, or is the older good enough?

I am planning a similar purchase, but in my case it would be cMBP Hires AG - 15" Mid 2012 vs 17" Late 2011...