Pro 13" advice

[nickclinch]

I am looking to get my first macbook pro and have a couple of questions, would be great if I could have some help!

How much noticeable difference is there between 2.3 & 2.7ghz on the two 13" pros? If so when do you notice it?

Does 8gb instead of 4gb ram make real a difference? Is there any point getting it?

I would class myself as an average user, will mainly be in the browser but I also do basic editing in photoshop. I enjoy some gaming, I'm not looking to put all video settings on high but would like to be able to run games like Portal or Civilization.

Thanks!

Nick

 

[alust2013]

I'd recommend the stock model for your uses. The only time the difference between the 2.3 and 2.7 is noticeable is with video encoding/transcoding, etc. You should also be fine with the 4GB RAM, which is enough for most people. If you need more later, you can put in the 8GB yourself. It should be able to run your games at least decently as well.

 

[sbbluewater]

I agree with above post, the basic model should be fine for you. Unless you do work at the extreme end you will not notice much of a difference in the two CPUs. The 13" has the integrated GPU and I do not play games so cannot answer that part.

 

[ZombieZakk]

there have been a few benchmark threads if you play the games in OSX the 13" will perform ok it handles SC2 on medium, L4D2 TF2 both on medium and some higher end games on low.

go with the base if you dont use any processor intensive apps and save the extra cash to buy aftermarket ram and even a bigger hard drive or just a faster one.