Newbie to macs, i5 or i7??

[ustahir1]

Hi,

im looking into buying my 1st macbook pro and I wanted some advice on which one to buy,

having looked into the size ive settled on 15" for mobility also being a students a 17" is a big thing to carry, also ive decided to upgrade to the hi-res non glossy screen based on what i read on the forums

the only problem I have is the i5 or i7? im not really sure if its worth upgrading to i7 as i only really use it for browsing, doing work or listening to music or watching films

please help

thnx

 

[C64]

Hi,

im looking into buying my 1st macbook pro and I wanted some advice on which one to buy,

having looked into the size ive settled on 15" for mobility also being a students a 17" is a big thing to carry, also ive decided to upgrade to the hi-res non glossy screen based on what i read on the forums

the only problem I have is the i5 or i7? im not really sure if its worth upgrading to i7 as i only really use it for browsing, doing work or listening to music or watching films

please help

thnx

For those things the C2D is even too fast. The i5 is really fast; with stuff like that you will -never- notice the difference between the i5 and the i7, or even the i5 2.4 vs i5 2.53GHz. Check benchmarks in other threads to see how small the difference is. And the difference we're talking about here is e.g. a minute on a 30 minute render.

 

[Benjones-KY]

The i5 should be plenty for you. Main reason I got the i7 was the slight upgrade on the video card. Both are probably overkill for anything you'd be using right now.

 

[ustahir1]

thanks,

reading around the forum it looks like people are getting the i7 for video edditing etc, but for basics i think ill stick to the i5 thanks guys

 

[ustahir1]

also just to confirm is it worth getting the hi-res antiglare screen, i tend to watch alot of movies on the go etc n want good screen

o and any1 recommend a good sleve or skin for the MBP please

 

[Betelgeuse]

also just to confirm is it worth getting the hi-res antiglare screen, i tend to watch alot of movies on the go etc n want good screen

The shiny screen (i.e. NOT the anti-glare) is really nice for watching movies inside. However, if you anticipate being in a place where there's glare (e.g. a bright office, outside), you'll be happy you have the antiglare. If you don't anticipate using the laptop in high-light conditions, the shiny screen will give you a better picture.

My feeling is that I'd rather deal with the slightly poorer image/move quality and be able to use the laptop in high-light conditions (hence the reason I have an anti-glare screen from the previous generation).

The high-res screen won't make any difference for watching movies, but it will be nice for fitting more stuff on the screen while you're working.

 

[ustahir1]

The shiny screen (i.e. NOT the anti-glare) is really nice for watching movies inside. However, if you anticipate being in a place where there's glare (e.g. a bright office, outside), you'll be happy you have the antiglare. If you don't anticipate using the laptop in high-light conditions, the shiny screen will give you a better picture.

My feeling is that I'd rather deal with the slightly poorer image/move quality and be able to use the laptop in high-light conditions (hence the reason I have an anti-glare screen from the previous generation).

The high-res screen won't make any difference for watching movies, but it will be nice for fitting more stuff on the screen while you're working.

nice thanks,

could you recommend a case/sleeve for the MBP (15")?? also ive seen keyboard protectors on some site think its worth it??

 

[Dan73]

nice thanks,

could you recommend a case/sleeve for the MBP (15")?? also ive seen keyboard protectors on some site think its worth it??

Like others have said even a C2D would easily suit your needs. So go with the i5.

I use a incase neoprene sleeve and its awesome.

 

[tim100]

check out intels website. i5 is mainstream and i7 is high end. buy the most u can afford so your not like most of us here upgrading with each revision

 

[ustahir1]

sweet thanks

ordered it yesterday, got the standard 15" MBP with the i5 + got the hi-res antiglare screen with the apple care for £1400

Gotta love student discount

thanks everyone for help

 

[Betelgeuse]

sweet thanks

ordered it yesterday, got the standard 15" MBP with the i5 + got the hi-res antiglare screen with the apple care for £1400

Gotta love student discount

thanks everyone for help

Very nice. I think that's a real "sweet spot" right now as far as price and quality.

I also use the Incase Neoprene sleeve and like it a lot. It gives you basic protection, seems well-built, and is compact.

 

[Wolfpup]

I agree with everyone else, sounds like you're better off saving your money for the next system down the line :-D

The i5 and i7 being used in the Macbooks are the same thing. Slowest one they sell is 2.4GHz, while the i7 just bumps that up to 2.66GHz, and bumps the L3 cache from 3 to 4MB.

I agree that the main reason to get the higher end model is for the extra video RAM-256MB is really skimpy (in fact 512MB is pretty skimpy).