Processor for MacBook Pro?

[liamvdw94]

Hi,
I'm looking to buy a new mac, but I'm confused about what the different processors mean/do. I'm looking to maximize the speed of the laptop, and am getting an SSD and 8GB ram; will getting a 2.0 gHz processor be detrimental to the speed? I sometimes run a lot of programs at one, play games (once in a while). I have an older mac with a 2.4 gHz processor now (with 4gb ram and HDD) that gets a bit slow now and again, so will the 0.4 gHz make it a lot slower when used with the other upgrades?
Thanks in advance,
Liam

 

[GGJstudios]

Most users won't notice any performance difference between 2.0GHz and 2.4GHz, as they rarely push their processors to the limit. Unless you routinely run processor-intensive apps (which most don't on a routine basis), you'll get much more performance boost from the SSD and increased RAM.

 

[Medic278]

I second GGJ as well. I have 8GB of RAM and an SSD and my machine just flies. I think you'll notice the difference more from the RAM and SSD than your would from 0.4GHZ of processor power, its not that big of a difference and most users won't take advantage of the slight difference. Go with the 2.0 it should save you some cash and then you can do your upgrades and get the best performance bang for your buck.

 

[PeopleTheseDays]

Hi,
I'm looking to buy a new mac, but I'm confused about what the different processors mean/do. I'm looking to maximize the speed of the laptop, and am getting an SSD and 8GB ram; will getting a 2.0 gHz processor be detrimental to the speed? I sometimes run a lot of programs at one, play games (once in a while). I have an older mac with a 2.4 gHz processor now (with 4gb ram and HDD) that gets a bit slow now and again, so will the 0.4 gHz make it a lot slower when used with the other upgrades?
Thanks in advance,
Liam

There is a lot more to just the GHz number to consider. your vague description of your 'old mac' with a 2.4 GHz processor, I'm going to assume is a Core 2 Duo from before 2010, or it may even be the lowest tier 15 inch from 2010, which was an arrandale Core i5. Either of those two processors are slower than the new 15 mbp clocked at 2.0 GHz due to the improvements to the architecture brought by Sandy Bridge. Not only that, the 'new mac' you mention [which isn't really new, since it's not being sold anymore], can turbo up to a max of 2.9 GHz for a single core, probably ~2.7 for 2 cores.

Also, for games, the bottleneck is most likely the GPU, not CPU. More RAM and SSD will be the biggest difference in speed.

 

[Queen6]

Just be mindful, as the 2.4 i7 MacBook Pro, is not only a faster CPU, the notebook has a stronger graphics card with twice the video ram, a larger hard disk. I went for the 2.4 for the stronger graphics package, the additional speed of the CPU was not a big concern for me.

I went from an Early 2008 2.4Ghz C2D (Penryn) to the present Late 2011 2.4 i7 and the difference in performance is simply staggering, you will not be disappointed with any Mac with an iCore CPU. If you are going to play 3D games etc or very intensive tasks the 2.4 will be more beneficial.

The high tier MBP does cost more, however if you are not planning to upgrade every year or so the additional cost over 4-5 years of use is marginal.

Buy your own ram and install it, as you will save at least 70%, SSD I would be tempted to go the same way, although via Apple is a more seamless approach.