Need advice on when to buy and hardware size.

[Plaidfox]

I'm currently looking to replace my Macbook Pro that I bought in the spring of 2006 with a new model. I've been looking at the 15" size and I was wondering if the extra .2GHz, 250 GB and updated video memory is worth the extra $400. I tend to use my Pro for video editing, some graphic manipulation, and gaming from time to time, so I'm definitely looking for a high end laptop, but I'm not sure if I need to spend the extra cash.

Also, should I wait for the next model to be released? The buyer's guide on this site said I should, but it hasn't been updated since March.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[raremage]

I'm currently looking to replace my Macbook Pro that I bought in the spring of 2006 with a new model. I've been looking at the 15" size and I was wondering if the extra .2GHz, 250 GB and updated video memory is worth the extra $400. I tend to use my Pro for video editing, some graphic manipulation, and gaming from time to time, so I'm definitely looking for a high end laptop, but I'm not sure if I need to spend the extra cash.

Also, should I wait for the next model to be released? The buyer's guide on this site said I should, but it hasn't been updated since March.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Personally I prefer the higher-end graphics adapter, for two reasons: it tends to 'future proof' the laptop more, and the extra screen real estate is very noticeable to me.

And yes, you should probably wait unless you absolutely must have a new laptop right now, as rumors are there is a MBP update right around the corner.

 

[Kendo]

I'm currently looking to replace my Macbook Pro that I bought in the spring of 2006 with a new model. I've been looking at the 15" size and I was wondering if the extra .2GHz, 250 GB and updated video memory is worth the extra $400. I tend to use my Pro for video editing, some graphic manipulation, and gaming from time to time, so I'm definitely looking for a high end laptop, but I'm not sure if I need to spend the extra cash.

Also, should I wait for the next model to be released? The buyer's guide on this site said I should, but it hasn't been updated since March.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

If these were the Feb 2011 models, I would definitely go for the $400 upgrade due to the anemic 256MB 6490M in the base 15" model. But the new base model has an excellent GPU in the 512MB 6750 so it is the best bang for your buck. I wouldn't spend $400 for a few more fps in gaming and a 5% increase in CPU. The HDD you can just use an external if you need more space.

 

[raremage]

If these were the Feb 2011 models, I would definitely go for the $400 upgrade due to the anemic 256MB 6490M in the base 15" model. But the new base model has an excellent GPU in the 512MB 6750 so it is the best bang for your buck. I wouldn't spend $400 for a few more fps in gaming and a 5% increase in CPU. The HDD you can just use an external if you need more space.

I neglected the hard drive question - when I bought mine, I immediately replaced the stock drive with a 7200 750 drive. I also picked up an external sata-to-USB chassis and poppe the stock 5400 in there, providing me with an external storage option.

 

[Plaidfox]

Thanks for the advice folks. I'll wait a bit till '12 to see what Apple has in store for us then.

 

[wisty]

I neglected the hard drive question - when I bought mine, I immediately replaced the stock drive with a 7200 750 drive. I also picked up an external sata-to-USB chassis and poppe the stock 5400 in there, providing me with an external storage option.

I'm always a little scared of replacing laptop hard drives, as I'm clumsy enough to occasionally fry hardware. I'd go an SSD, then use thunderbolt and an external RAID. This has the advantage of being *lightening* fast for app launching.