Need Advice on what MPB to buy

[nisca11]

I am going to be buying a new MacBook Pro this week, I don't want to wait for the maybe updates of June. I was trying to decide between the base 2.4 and the midlevel 2.5.

My problem is this, I don't know if the cache increase, graphics card, HD and chip upgrades are worth the extra 500 dollars.

I am upgrading from a last Rev Powerbook G4, so anything will be a big speed gain. I was just wondering if the graphics bump to 512mb from 256mb is worth it.

Any help would be very appreciated. I search on here but couldn't find any definitive answers. I do variety of work. Day to day I use it mostly for surfing and email and photo editing, but a few times a month I am responsible for updating my companies website and editing their video blogs and videos on the site. So there is some heavier applications being run, but not daily.

On a side note, what screen do you think would be worth it? The glossy or the matte finish? I have seen people complain of the glare problem with the glossy, is that a universal thing, or just a few people complaining?

Thanks again for anyone who can help. I appreciate the time you can spend helping me. Have a good day.

 

[tersono]

Given the type of use you're talking about, I'd go for the base 2.4 - you're really not going to notice much difference in performance - I run Adobe CS3, VMWare fusion and a whole bunch of other fairly heavyweight stuff on my 17" 2.4SR without problems. It's worth upgrading the RAM, though (just don't do it on the Apple store - Crucial or OWC will charge you a whole lot less).

As far as the screen goes, well, you'll find rabid supporters of both types on here It's very much a personal thing - some folks love the extra contrast from the glossy screen, others hate it. Personally, I bought glossy and am glad I did, but if you have a chance to compare the two for yourself, I'd suggest you do so.

 

[Willis]

As already mentioned. The 2.4 will get you by easy enough.

If you can justify to yourself that the 2.5 is a better deal, get that. But for your needs, the base model will do it and do it well.

 

[nisca11]

Thank you both very much, I will stop by the local Apple store tonight to see the two screens side by side.