New MBP. Do I need 15" specs or will 13"do?

[yirin1986]

Hi all. First post here. Hope to get some good advice

At the moment I have a macbook (white) 2008 13'3".
Specs: 2.1 core2duo, 4 gb ram and 128 gb hd

I use it apart for internet most of the time for Aperture (2).

When more then Aperture stands open i do get a couple of page outs and about 1 gb ram is stil available. But the cpu is constant at 100% when doing things in Aperture.

My question is: Actually the 15" is to expensive.

Now I am doubting between.

13" MBP 2.5 I5 and 8 gb ram or 13 mba with 1.8 I5 (256 sdd model)

But I have got a couple of questions.

1. The pocessor in the MBA is only 1.8ghz, so it is 300 mhz slower the my current. Is it 'faster' compared to my current macbook because it is a newer generation cpu?
2. If I opt for the 2.9 13" MBP or a 2.0 I7 for the air, am I going to notice the difference in speed going for the more expensive models?
3. Or do I really need the quad core 15" because aperture is at the moment my processor hog?

Any opinions for what 13" model to go for, for my needs? I do not care about weight..

 

[Dark Void]

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, it is faster. Clock speed should only be used to compare two processors in the same family so to speak in order to determine which is faster.

2. You will notice a difference in speed, however the SSD in the Air will make it appear to be faster. "Fast" and "slow" are subjective due to specific hardware being the bottleneck or not. If you were to install a SSD into the Pro it will be just as fast in situations where the SSD is doing the work - such as booting up the computer or opening applications.

3. Processing power is required for any application that tasks the processor. Try looking at the hardware requirements for whatever software you are trying to run (in this case Aperture) in order to determine the recommended processing power.

 

[iAppl3Fan]

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, it is faster. Clock speed should only be used to compare two processors in the same family so to speak in order to determine which is faster.

2. You will notice a difference in speed, however the SSD in the Air will make it appear to be faster. "Fast" and "slow" are subjective due to specific hardware being the bottleneck or not. If you were to install a SSD into the Pro it will be just as fast in situations where the SSD is doing the work - such as booting up the computer or opening applications.

3. Processing power is required for any application that tasks the processor. Try looking at the hardware requirements for whatever software you are trying to run (in this case Aperture) in order to determine the recommended processing power.

I agree with all these points.

You cant go wrong with a MBP 13 or MBA 13. If you decide on the MBA 13, then get 8gb ram since it looks like you don't upgrade often and it's not user upgradable. The higher resolution on the MBA is nice to especially if you take high res pictures.

 

[Dangerous Theory]

Being used to a four year old C2D you're going to notice a huge leap in whatever you get. I imagine you'll get on fine with the 13", unless you plan to increase your workload a lot and need a lot more power.

 

[SlyMac]

I would go with the MBP instead of the air if the size isnt an issue. The SSD in the air out of the box will be better, but the MBP will allow you to add the SSD speed down the road while giving you a better processor immediately. I like being able to make minor upgrades to my machines so I'm biased towards the MBP.

You will mosdef feel the speed increase coming from a C2D no matter which one you get.

 

[yirin1986]

Do does this also mean, with a newer CPU and double RAM (8 in the new MBP vs 4 I have now) that aperture 2 doesn't lag anymore. At this moment everything I do with Aperture lags...

 

[releevo]

Do does this also mean, with a newer CPU and double RAM (8 in the new MBP vs 4 I have now) that aperture 2 doesn't lag anymore. At this moment everything I do with Aperture lags...

Same story with me and my InDesign..
Got the i7 13 but haven't worked on it yet, I'm hoping the boost in CPUand double ram will help. However it could be the HDD but I guess I'll find out when I add one

If it was my GeForce 9600GT not strong enough.. I guess I kinda made the wrong purchase..