MBP. 2.2 vs 2.4 15"

[chris4au]

Ok so I have read all over this forum about the differences and whether or not it's worth the difference, i think 300 bucks for me (student discount), and I still can not make a decision.

This is my first mac purchase and I want it to worth my while and last me a couple years. I want to occasionally play some games, maybe WoW, HL2 if it EVER gets ported over to mac (how does it run on bootcamp or parallels?) . I will be using it for school (word, excel, maybe some engineering software). I will also be using it to hook to my HDTV via dvi so I want it to run HD content pretty smoothly. I will be doing some photoshop every once in a while.

So what do you guys think? Is the extra 128 in graphics memory, 40 gigs in memory ( What external HD do you guys recommend, I will be buying one), and 200 mhz in speed worth the extra 300 bucks in my situation.

 

[Veritas&Equitas]

No, it's not worth it. Games see a minimal bump, and it's barely noticeable in any other tasks.

 

[chris4au]

should I upgrade the hard drive though

120GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [Add $75]
200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 4200 rpm [Add $175]
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm [Add $225]

 

[tersono]

Performance difference is minimal - I doubt that you'd be able to tell most of the time even with a straight comparison...

 

[chris4au]

No, it's not worth it. Games see a minimal bump, and it's barely noticeable in any other tasks.

Does Boot Camp or Parallels run games on windows well? hl2 maybe?

 

[Veritas&Equitas]

Does Boot Camp or Parallels run games on windows well? hl2 maybe?

Boot Camp runs games fine, including HL2.

 

[chris4au]

Boot Camp runs games fine, including HL2.

Ok Great!!! I am so excited!! I am making the hour drive to the apple store wednesday to get it. Havent had a comptuer upgrade since 2001. ( 1.5 Ghz P4 Gateway w/ 512 meg Ram with an all in wonder 9600) haha. Ok so one more question. Glossy or matte, or should I wait till I get to the apple store to make a comparison myself

 

[aaronw1986]

Ok Great!!! I am so excited!! I am making the hour drive to the apple store wednesday to get it. Havent had a comptuer upgrade since 2001. ( 1.5 Ghz P4 Gateway w/ 512 meg Ram with an all in wonder 9600) haha. Ok so one more question. Glossy or matte, or should I wait till I get to the apple store to make a comparison myself

If you're not a professional who needs to most accurate colors...then glossy vs matte is purely a personal preference...

 

[dollystereo]

Get the 160 GB HD and Applecare...

 

[Glenn Wolsey]

should I upgrade the hard drive though

120GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [Add $75]
200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 4200 rpm [Add $175]
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm [Add $225]

How much active data storage will you need? How much is HDD speed of importance to you? I'd probably add $75 for the 160GB drive - no loss in speed, but a gain in GB.

 

[MDiddy]

Get the 160 GB HD and Applecare...

Eh, you may be better getting AppleCare from eBay. Even if you get an old edition you can download the latest TechTool Deluxe disc image from Apple and burn it.

 

[ctsport]

I'd go for the 2.2, if your going to spend anymore I'd rather up the ante to 17'' (which I did)

 

[mastersoft]

i will take....2.4 ...more power

 

[dooker777]

Another idea is to go with the 2.2 and have a larger, faster HD installed. Then use the stock hd in an enclosure. That way you have a bigger, faster HD, which will be something that affects your day-to-day performance. And you get an external HD for backups or scratch. Less money than a 2.4 and more real-world value.

 

[chrmjenkins]

Difference is 500

An important thing to consider is that although you qualify for the student discount, the price differential is the same (it goes from 2000 and 2500 to 1800 and 2300). So, is it still worth the 500 difference? In almost all cases, not really.