MBP "Low end" vs. "High end"

[vchalupa]

I'm looking to buy a new MBP and I wanted to know if there was a big difference from the "low end" to the "high end" especially with the new penryn processors. For example, if I had to MBP in front of me, both upgraded to 4GB RAM, is there going to be a significant performance difference.

I intend to do some video and photo editting and I play games rarely. I will be an engineering and pre-med student so I'll need some CPU power to run the engineering programs. And there's a good chance that I'll need to run windows for proprietary engineering programs that are made only for Windows.

So in the end, is it worth the extra $500?

 

[digitalpencil]

If your not playing games and are intending on maxing to 4gb anyway, i'd say you'll be more than happy with the base model.

 

[markrivers]

I'm looking to buy a new MBP and I wanted to know if there was a big difference from the "low end" to the "high end" especially with the new penryn processors. For example, if I had to MBP in front of me, both upgraded to 4GB RAM, is there going to be a significant performance difference.

I intend to do some video and photo editting and I play games rarely. I will be an engineering and pre-med student so I'll need some CPU power to run the engineering programs. And there's a good chance that I'll need to run windows for proprietary engineering programs that are made only for Windows.

So in the end, is it worth the extra $500?

the difference in L2 cache matters to me.

the base has 3 the next has 6

if you're wiling to spend more than 2000 for a laptop, go with the high end MBP

 

[chrisbeebops]

Both laptops will be able to run the same programs. The high end MBP will just have slightly better performance. If you are already going to dish out that much money for a low end MBP you might as well spend the extra $$ for the high end one if you have the $$ on hand.

 

[EvryDayImShufln]

Both laptops will be able to run the same programs. The high end MBP will just have slightly better performance. If you are already going to dish out that much money for a low end MBP you might as well spend the extra $$ for the high end one if you have the $$ on hand.

If you have the money on hand, you should probably put it in your bank or invest it. Don't piss it away on a small performance boost unless you're a professional to whom the performance will actually increase productivity and profit.

Trust me, even games will work just fine on the base model, and I believe the base model might also have slightly longer battery life.

 

[dukebound85]

I'm looking to buy a new MBP and I wanted to know if there was a big difference from the "low end" to the "high end" especially with the new penryn processors. For example, if I had to MBP in front of me, both upgraded to 4GB RAM, is there going to be a significant performance difference.

I intend to do some video and photo editting and I play games rarely. I will be an engineering and pre-med student so I'll need some CPU power to run the engineering programs. And there's a good chance that I'll need to run windows for proprietary engineering programs that are made only for Windows.

So in the end, is it worth the extra $500?

you will NOT be running engineering programs on your computer. sooner you realize that the better

a) you wont have licenses to
b) the lab computers are significanly more powerful than a mbp

 

[thejadedmonkey]

you will NOT be running engineering programs on your computer. sooner you realize that the better

a) you wont have licenses to
b) the lab computers are significanly more powerful than a mbp

a) Not true at all. Some engineering schools have a site license that applies to students' personal computers as well.

b) Once again, this depends on the school's machines. Drexel was using G5 PowerMac's (with an outrageous amount of RAM though) when I got my C2D Macbook Pro.

What you should realize is that the extra power isn't going to do you any good, for your first year or two. And by the time it would do you some good, well, your computer will be old anyway.

 

[burningrave101]

The more expensive 2.5Ghz model only gives you a small boost in performance due to the extra L2 cache. In most applications there will be almost no difference in performance between the T8300 and T9300 due to the 100Mhz speed difference. People always look at benchmarks and think a few points here and there translate to actual real world differences that you will notice. If you can't run your application on a T8300 then you won't be running it on the T9300 either. If it only cost an extra $100 to upgrade to the T9300 from the base model then I would go with it but definitely not for $500. Save the money and put it towards your next MBP. There will always be faster processors coming within just a few months of each other.

 

[dukebound85]

a) Not true at all. Some engineering schools have a site license that applies to students' personal computers as well.

b) Once again, this depends on the school's machines. Drexel was using G5 PowerMac's (with an outrageous amount of RAM though) when I got my C2D Macbook Pro.

What you should realize is that the extra power isn't going to do you any good, for your first year or two. And by the time it would do you some good, well, your computer will be old anyway.

a) fine for SOME but not close to all you use i admit as does mine. however you will find that your mbp wont stand up to lab computers if the school is shall i say funded well

b) how does an engineering school use macs in the first place when all mainstream engineering software is windows....

 

[thejadedmonkey]

a) fine for SOME but not close to all you use i admit as does mine. however you will find that your mbp wont stand up to lab computers if the school is shall i say funded well

b) how does an engineering school use macs in the first place when all mainstream engineering software is windows....

a) true, some programs didn't have a license that would allow you to use them.

b) I have no idea, but the only professors I ever saw who used Windows based computers at Drexel was in the Math department, and I think that was because they required tablets, which Apple obviously doesn't make-- the special software that the math department used was cross platform.