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need help choosing mcbk pro 15 2.66 or 2.8
- Thread starter frenchamp
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. i have to keep it for 4 to 5 years. i would mainly use it to do graphic manipulations. i use my pc very often so speed is inportant. please help. i was thinking of a macbook pro 15 inch 2.66 ghz or 2.8
scienide09
macrumors 65816
It would help if we knew why you can't decide between those two. Also, what programs are you planning to run, what processor-intensive tasks you will be doing, if you play graphics-heavy games, etc.
Without knowing you nor your current and future needs, how can we help?
Without knowing you nor your current and future needs, how can we help?
2.66 has 3MB L2 Cache..... 2.8 has 6MB.
That can make a LOT more difference than just the MHz bump. So I'd say if you really plan to kkep it 4-5 years, go for 2.8.
However, an alternative is just to buy the cheaper one, so you can upgrade in 3 years 😀
That can make a LOT more difference than just the MHz bump. So I'd say if you really plan to kkep it 4-5 years, go for 2.8.
However, an alternative is just to buy the cheaper one, so you can upgrade in 3 years 😀
The faster proc will help with Photo editing, but won't be noticable with email. If you are planning on keeping a machine for 5 years though, get the best you can afford, imo. The faster proc will help resale value as well. (personally though, I recommend grabbing a high-end refurbished machine, applecare, and then selling it 2.5 years. That way you can sell it w/ 6 months of applecare left and put the money towards a new machine, rinse & repeat).
Not sure if I can agree with that. If the OP keeps the MBP for 4 years as he plans, would somebody at that point really pay an extra $200-300 for a extra 0.14Mhz of processing power? Probably not.... imho.
Let's look back to a Powerbook from 2005. Would anyone really pay anything more than an extra $50 or so for a Powerbook with a 1.67 G4 over a 1.5 G4.... and that is a 11% increase in Mhz versus a mere 5% bump for the 2.8 intel over 2.66 intel.
So if the OP wants to keep this MBP for 3-5 years, this difference in resale between these models will hardly matter..... performance, while he owns it, should be a bigger consideration.
I don't want to discount your opinion, but just lay out an argument for the OP. 😉
I do agree with the rest of your analysis.
Peace out!!
If that is your choice, the 2.66 for 3-4 years would probably be better..... I'd go that route if I was given the choice. My personal opnion is that 3 years are pretty long for a portable computer.... Macs tend to fare better.... but at 5 years, even the most cutting edge equipment OLD.... 😉
So I'd say, get the 2.66 and upgrade in 3 years or at most 4. If you must keep for 5 years (or if you can afford, even for 3), go 2.8 as it has double the cache, and that makes a lot of difference for Core 2 Duo.
You could always start a separate thread and ask a more specific question about the 3MB cache in 2.66 vs. 6 MB in 2.8.... Other people can give you a lot of good information on performance differences between the two.