Need some advice on a new MPB

[LSPINS589]

After much debate between sticking with Macs ( i currently have a '07 intel 2 duo 2ghz macbook) or going back to the crappy world of PCs iv decided to stick with MAC

Now My only question is should i get the 15in model with the 2.66 ghz i7 or get the 2.53 i5. If i get the i7 model im getting the standard issue top of the line 15in with no upgrades. If i get the i5 im upgrading the HD to 7200rpm and getting the Hi-res display (probably glossy as my current macbook has glossy and i love it.....though i dont want another debate on that issue)

So which should it be the i7 or i5 with a few upgrades

 

[spinnerlys]

i5 will suffice for your needs. You can always upgrade the RAM and HDD later, if you want, and if it will be adding to satisfying your needs.

Btw, just out of curiosity, what needs do you have, regarding the purchase of that computational device of course, otherwise this thread might go off course.

 

[LSPINS589]

My needs are pretty general. Basic video and music editing. some gaming. alot of streaming media and concurrent downloads. My cor 2 duo clowes down way 2 much during heavy workloads.

I have seen geekbench reports that the i7 are only 10-15% faster but the turbo boost blows away the i5.
plus with the i7 i think you get something like 512mb more for video processing

 

[boontech]

Upgrade

I had the same thoughts when i when to buy, the only difference was the screen upgrade as from what i read and looking at one of the highress screens i was not taken with them.

My thoughts were i can upgrade RAM and hard drive next year or just when the time comes, i would not be able to do the same with the GPU or CPU so i decided to spend a little more now so in a few years from now my mac is still a little power house.

 

[robertbrian23]

get the 2.66 i7 with the standard ones. Then upgrade later to 8gb ram and SSD drive.

 

[Blu101]

My needs are pretty general. Basic video and music editing. some gaming. alot of streaming media and concurrent downloads. My cor 2 duo clowes down way 2 much during heavy workloads.

I have seen geekbench reports that the i7 are only 10-15% faster but the turbo boost blows away the i5.

The 2.66 i7 is about 10-13% faster than the 2.4 i5 in general. Turbo boost makes no additional difference (they both have turbo boost).

plus with the i7 i think you get something like 512mb more for video processing

http://www.barefeats.com/mbpp22.html



If your needs are pretty general, I'd get the 2.4Ghz i5 (the 2.53Ghz i5 is only ~3% faster) with the hi-res screen. Use the money saved for accessories and do your own HDD and RAM upgrades.