Trouble deciding on the range of MBP's

[Archernick]

First of all thanks for looking at this post. Im going to college in September (Live in the UK btw) and I'm really interested in the new Macbook Pro's. The two models

I've been looking at is the 2.53GHZ with 250HDD 4GB Ram and the 9400 GPU

Or the 2.66GHZ with 320HDD 4GB Ram and both the 9400 and the dedicated 9600.

I would be using the MBP for general college use (Essays, Presentations, Web Surfing for Research), Heavy use of Garageband, Some gaming (World of Warcraft and a mix of recent games, some run off XP with Bootcamp) and ofc Itunes for all my music needs.

Im not really into image/video editing (But thinking i may dabble in the future for use with my band e.g. Promo Pic's/Vids

What you all think guys do i pay £1299 or £1499 for the extra 0.13GHZ 70GB HDD and the dedicated 9600?

 

[eXan]

While 9600 helps a lot in games, the 9400 is still a rather capable chip for casual (WoW) gaming.

Unless gaming is among your priorities, gen the low-end model.

 

[BENI]

hi I also had this choice.

I ended up with the 2.53 as it really isn't that much less than 2.66 (I am happily running Logic studio with no trouble). your kind of use will not take any effort from a processor that size.

the hard drive space is the major thing but i don't think it's worth the money as 1. 250 is pretty enourmose anyway
2. you can get an external HD of 1Tg (1000Gb) for about £75.

you may have your reasons for the other but the 2.53 has been great for me.

on the other hand I always go by the rule "get the best you can afford" it's just I think I can get better with less and a more customizable system for less with the external HD and what ever else I need external as well.

the main thing is the processor as you don't want to be replacing that (very expensive) but you are not going to chalange the 2.53 by any streach of the imagination.

good luck

they are all wonderful.

 

[Archernick]

Thanks for all the reply's guys!

Im getting a MBP on finance at PC World, since the money i have now has to go towards a Car and Insurance. The deal is i pay a £150 deposit then pay the rest back within 12 months. There is no interest as-long as i pay it back in 12 months which seems easy since i will be earning £120 a week when i start college.

The main thing that is dividing me here is the extra GPU, some people say it makes a noticeable difference do Image and Video app's and also with gaming. If I'm thinking of the future, that extra GPU could extend the life of my MBP.

Does anyone know any site that displays the difference between the two GPU's?

Thanks again keep the comments coming, ill go back to watching One Tree Hill