Noob Processor Advice Please :)

[damoe213]

Hi guys

I am going to buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display this week but can’t decide on the processor. I know that I am going to get the MacBook with 256GB of storage and 16GB of ram though.

I will be using the MacBook for uni work, excel (with VBA), some light design work (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc), and a bit of gaming.

So what I want to know is what real difference there is between 2.7GHz i5, 2.9GHz i5, 3.1GHz i7, and which one you would recommend that I get. I was thinking 2.9GHz but I don’t really know.

Thanks heaps and apologies if there is a similar thread already. I couldn’t find one anywhere

 

[keviig]

Hi guys

I am going to buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display this week but can’t decide on the processor. I know that I am going to get the MacBook with 256GB of storage and 16GB of ram though.

I will be using the MacBook for uni work, excel (with VBA), some light design work (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc), and a bit of gaming.

So what I want to know is what real difference there is between 2.7GHz i5, 2.9GHz i5, 3.1GHz i7, and which one you would recommend that I get. I was thinking 2.9GHz but I don’t really know.

Thanks heaps and apologies if there is a similar thread already. I couldn’t find one anywhere

There isn't a big difference in performance on the CPU side. However, something that Apple doesn't tell you is that the 5257u (2.7 GHz) model has its graphics clocked at max 1050 MHz, while the 5287u (2.9 GHz) and the 5557u (3.1 GHz) models are clocked at 1100 MHz. So a small gain in GPU power as well, which can come in handy for whatever gaming you end up doing on it.

 

[yjchua95]

Hi guys

I am going to buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display this week but can’t decide on the processor. I know that I am going to get the MacBook with 256GB of storage and 16GB of ram though.

I will be using the MacBook for uni work, excel (with VBA), some light design work (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc), and a bit of gaming.

So what I want to know is what real difference there is between 2.7GHz i5, 2.9GHz i5, 3.1GHz i7, and which one you would recommend that I get. I was thinking 2.9GHz but I don’t really know.

Thanks heaps and apologies if there is a similar thread already. I couldn’t find one anywhere

Just get the 2.7GHz variant. You'll be pleased with it.

And do you really need 16GB of RAM?

 

[ZBoater]

Get the fastest one you can afford.

No one ever complained about their processor being too fast.

I got the 3.1. Because I wanted the fastest. YMMV.