MBP 2.66 vs 2.8

[tongrd]

I'm thinking of buying a Macbook Pro 15", though I can't decide between the 2.66Ghz and 2.8Ghz model. There seems to be little difference, I'm not concerned with the difference in HD size, mainly the speed etc. Basically I'm going to be using this for lots of Video editing in Final Cut Pro, Flash, Motion and After Effects as well as some Photoshop. I'd like to also run ProTools, which usually is quite demanding, but I'm not sure how much the difference is between models.

Basically the 2.8 Ghz model has improved upon:
0.14 Ghz
256 VRAM
3MB L2 Cache

It seems that for gaming the 2.8 Ghz model will be better, but I'm not going to be using this for gaming, so which one should I buy? Which one influences the speed and efficiency the most, Cache, VRAM, or Ghz, and is it actually noticable? I've read a lot of threads saying that there is about a 5% difference, though others show that at the higher end the 2.66 is not comparable to the 2.8 Ghz.

 

[miles01110]

Is price an issue? If you can afford it you might as well get the 2.8.

 

[Ace134blue]

I'm thinking of buying a Macbook Pro 15", though I can't decide between the 2.66Ghz and 2.8Ghz model. There seems to be little difference, I'm not concerned with the difference in HD size, mainly the speed etc. Basically I'm going to be using this for lots of Video editing in Final Cut Pro, Flash, Motion and After Effects as well as some Photoshop. I'd like to also run ProTools, which usually is quite demanding, but I'm not sure how much the difference is between models.

Basically the 2.8 Ghz model has improved upon:
0.14 Ghz
256 VRAM
3MB L2 Cache

It seems that for gaming the 2.8 Ghz model will be better, but I'm not going to be using this for gaming, so which one should I buy? Which one influences the speed and efficiency the most, Cache, VRAM, or Ghz, and is it actually noticable? I've read a lot of threads saying that there is about a 5% difference, though others show that at the higher end the 2.66 is not comparable to the 2.8 Ghz.

I would go ahead and get the 2.8

 

[fehhkk]

The 2.8 has 6MB of internal cache, compared to 3MB on the 2.66, so the 2.8 will feel slightly faster under load.

 

[tongrd]

Price isn't that much of an issue, just wondering how much of a difference it will make because if its not that much better I might just spend on some other upgrades. So basically its a question of spending a few hundred on 256VRAM and 3MB l2 Cache extra or maybe a few gigs of RAM? Which would impact more?

 

[MacKiddyWiddy]

basically if you ran them side by side, the 2.8 would look amazing compared to the other, but if you got the lower one, you wouldn't notice things too much, but as others have said, if money isn't too much of an issue, the 2.8 might be a bit more futureproof for you

 

[mattstar]

I'm also considering the 2.66 vs 2.8. For me, the issue is not so much cost (well, a little) but how hot the 2.8 gets. Has anyone found the 2.8 runs too hot or uses the fan excessively? Or, is this a non-issue? I plan on using it as an actual _lap_top.

 

[rhyx]

I'm also considering the 2.66 vs 2.8. For me, the issue is not so much cost (well, a little) but how hot the 2.8 gets. Has anyone found the 2.8 runs too hot or uses the fan excessively? Or, is this a non-issue? I plan on using it as an actual _lap_top.

2.8 will get a bit hotter since it uses a 35w TDP instead of 25w TDP processor. Shouldn't be too noticeable.

 

[eddieddu]

Watch out! I own the 2.8 GhZ model and it's going a lot hotter than the 25W models. If temperature and the noise of the fan is relevant for you, take the 2,66 model.

 

[nutritious]

you won't notice a difference between the two models. Save your money for other upgrades.

 

[velocityg4]

I would put the money towards other upgrades. 8GB of RAM will make a bigger difference with Video and rendering.

If you will be doing a lot of video on the go you may want to consider a 750GB Hard Drive for your laptop. Possibly taking the route some have taken of replacing the hard drive with an SSD for boot and apps (128GB). Then replace the superdrive with a large capacity hard drive for file storage. You could get a Macbook Air superdrive for those rare occasions you need a DVD drive.

Either setup would surpass the stock dual 2.8Ghz model. The dual 2.8Ghz is not really any more future proof. Does a 1.5Ghz PB G4 seem much less compelling than a 1.67Ghz model nowadays? When you need to replace the 2.6Ghz the slight enhancements in the 2.8Ghz model would still seem grossly insufficient compared to the models that would be available at that time. By that time the Macbooks would likely hold 16GB to 32GB RAM, have a quad or octo core CPU, the Light Peak connectors, USB 3.0, blu-ray, 1GB+ VRAM, 750GB+ SSD's, and who knows what else (multi-touch OLED).

 

[opera57]

If you aren't going to be doing gaming or anything majorly intense, then the 2.66 would probably feel no different to you than the 2.8. However if money isn't an issue and you want the machine to be a little bit more future proof, and probably worth more if you want to sell it in a few years.. then maybe the 2.8 model would be best for you. See if you can try both out and decide which one you prefer.

 

[mattstar]

Is it easy enough to control the heat? (e.g. by throttling the CPU) I've read in some other posts the suggestion to use smcFancontrol. How much control does this give? Can I set heat limits? (Sorry if this is obvious stuff, but I'm new to Macs.)