Should I have saved more to get a 15" i5?

[DaftZombie]

I've always wanted a mac, and after a short but grueling job stint I found myself with enough money to justify the purchase (13" MBP) and not have to live on Ramen for a few months. I couldn't, however, get myself to drop $600 more for a 15". The larger screen and i5 were very tempting of course but I'm now used to the 13" screen so that's not really a concern, but I'm still wondering if the i5 would have been worth it. I don't do any gaming or video editing which I see would benefit from the i5 over the C2D, but I record/edit/produce music.

Would it be wise to switch to a 15" i5 from my 2.4ghz C2D, or would the difference be negligible for my uses?

 

[Kauai]

Honestly I think most people these days are spoiled when it comes to the specs of most modern laptops. A better processor is going to do next to nothing for the day to day usage of most people. There is a lot of hype around the i5/i7 processors but it's just that - hype. For what you described, the 2.4ghz C2D is already overkill and a great chip. If you notice while using Music apps a slow down (which I seriously doubt will happen) then upgrade your RAM. That's the best, cheapest upgrade someone can do if they can afford it. But once again, I don't really think you'll have to do that.

In the end it's up to you of course and I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me but I say sit back and enjoy your C2D Mac.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Did you just buy the 13"? If you'll need to pay a restocking fee or sell it privately that it won't be worth it.

 

[DaftZombie]

Did you just buy the 13"? If you'll need to pay a restocking fee or sell it privately that it won't be worth it.

Yeah I just bought it and I plan on sitting tight with it for a while regardless. I don't mind taking a loss if I decide to go the i5 route, but with Kauai reassuring me I think my MBP will be more than fine. Probably more of me thinking I need the extra power when I really don't. I should stop looking at my CPU usage monitor and just work, because indeed I've had no problems. "Grass is always greener" ect. But it's pretty green where I'm at

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Yeah your machine is nice for sure..
.....
but the iX, particularly the i7 but the i5 as well is nice.

Puts my old 2.5 C2D to absolute shame. And with turbo boost ramping it up to over 3 Ghz....

 

[Mantasis]

Yeah I just bought it and I plan on sitting tight with it for a while regardless. I don't mind taking a loss if I decide to go the i5 route, but with Kauai reassuring me I think my MBP will be more than fine. Probably more of me thinking I need the extra power when I really don't. I should stop looking at my CPU usage monitor and just work, because indeed I've had no problems. "Grass is always greener" ect. But it's pretty green where I'm at

The 13' is also very portable, I hate lugging around the 15, it's pretty heavy. I envy ya.

 

[mulo]

The 13' is also very portable, I hate lugging around the 15, it's pretty heavy. I envy ya.

I find my 17" light weight and easy to carry around :O

 

[Mantasis]

^ wwwwhhhhhaaaattttttttttt
hmmmmm, Just looked it up....
I'm coming from the '07 MBP... But apparently the difference between my old one and the '10 unibody is only .1kg (2.4kg vs 2.5kg)... So i guess I just lost muscle mass... or maybe the harder metal is whats bothering me...

 

[maflynn]

If you can record/edit/produce music now on your C2D MBP, what do you think the core i5 will give you?

Yeah, I wished apple used a core processor in the 13" MBP but they didn't because of that whole nvidia/intel hissy fit.

Too many people (including me) seem to be spec whores. You thought that th 13 MBP would fit a need otherwise you would not have purchased it. Enjoy the machine, and don't worry about the what ifs. The grass is always greener on the other side.

 

[RedburnIV]

I just bought a 13' MBP last week (my first mac ) and I absolutely love it. I was a little concerned about waiting and going for the 15' also, but after using it for a little while, I find it's just what I needed. It has no issues running multiple applications all doing something different. It's a little beast of a machine I'm thinking it'll be just fine for you.

 

[GAmacbook]

The 13' is also very portable, I hate lugging around the 15, it's pretty heavy. I envy ya.

15 inch is heavy for you?

 

[aimbdd]

15" is heavy? I find the 17" to be light weight