rMBP - i5 2.8ghz or i7 3.0ghz 256gb ssd vs 500gb ssd

[phospholipid1]

I have a choice for two macbook pros 13":

1)i5 2.8ghz turbo boost 3.3ghz, 16gb ram, 500gb ssd
2) i7 3.0ghz turbo boost 3.5ghz, 16gb ram, 256gb ssd

I just want it to be very future proof seeing as I cannot upgrade it later on. I will be dual booting windows and using it for programming in Java and C++ mainly.

The second option is more expensive, but is a 0.2ghz boost worth it? Is the extra storage better? I already have a 1tb 5400rpm storage harddrive, but the 500gb would be "nice"

 

[newellj]

I have a choice for two macbook pros 13":

1)i5 2.8ghz turbo boost 3.3ghz, 16gb ram, 500gb ssd
2) i7 3.0ghz turbo boost 3.5ghz, 16gb ram, 256gb ssd

I just want it to be very future proof seeing as I cannot upgrade it later on. I will be dual booting windows and using it for programming in Java and C++ mainly.

The second option is more expensive, but is a 0.2ghz boost worth it? Is the extra storage better? I already have a 1tb 5400rpm storage harddrive, but the 500gb would be "nice"

If you want dual boot with Windows, you probably want the extra storage pretty badly. Both of the processors are dual core and 0.2gHz isn't likely to make a noticeable difference unless you're compiling code for something like NORAD's ABM systems. The i5 should also give you somewhat better battery runtime.

 

[Meister]

Don't know why you'd think you need any upgrades.
I say toss a coin.

 

[phospholipid1]

Thanks, any more opinions appreciated.

 

[bwoodruff]

I'd go for the bigger SSD. Folks sometimes argue you can always add storage later (via USB drive etc) but I'm guessing you are buying a laptop because you want it to be portable, and I've found even pocket sized hard drives aren't super convenient and thumb drives aren't fast enough to run VMs off of.

I think the additional storage will likely make more of a difference than the difference in processing power.