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What makes the 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 better than 2.4GHz? [I'm a newbie]
- Thread starter SethRogen
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$250 don't automatically mean significant difference...that's just the pricing policy of Apple.
A 2.5GHz processor calculates the tasks a little faster than the 2.4GHz one. So for very CPU intensive applications (photo/video editing, engineering programs, ...) you might notice a slightly faster calculation with 2.5GHz. For everyday normal usage (browsing the web, mail, some light photo editing) you won't notice the difference.
Ergo: If you are a high power user, you will benefit from the added 100MHz but if you are not, you will not notice the difference and I would suggest to you to get the 2.4GHz model and invest the $250 somewhere else.
A 2.5GHz processor calculates the tasks a little faster than the 2.4GHz one. So for very CPU intensive applications (photo/video editing, engineering programs, ...) you might notice a slightly faster calculation with 2.5GHz. For everyday normal usage (browsing the web, mail, some light photo editing) you won't notice the difference.
Ergo: If you are a high power user, you will benefit from the added 100MHz but if you are not, you will not notice the difference and I would suggest to you to get the 2.4GHz model and invest the $250 somewhere else.
0.1 GHZ, and additional 2 MB L3 cache.
High end CPUs are usually quite a bit more expensive than the slightly less powerful models. Whether that's worth $250 for you I don't know.
High end CPUs are usually quite a bit more expensive than the slightly less powerful models. Whether that's worth $250 for you I don't know.
Well given how much they charge for extra RAM, it is probably a bad idea to take it for granted that they are only charging the same difference as Intel do for these chips.
http://ark.intel.com/compare/53476,53474
Intel's recommended customer price for the 2.5GHz and 2.4GHz differ 190 dollars. Add to that the cost of actually soldering the thing in the logic board, and you're soon approaching that 250 dollars Apple charges you. I think this price is quite reasonable, unlike Apple's insane RAM pricing.
Yep, and as you say, they're rightly doing so. I think we can establish, then, that the huge price difference between the two processors is largely due to Intel's policy, not Apple's.
your better off using that $250 to do some upgrades after you buy it like RAM and maybe a bigger harddrive or an external for backups, i have a 2.0 Quad and its more than enough power for browsing, mail, and some light photo editing and video editing/converting
That and the the yields on 2.5GHz parts are lower therefore the cost increases. It'll take a die shrink (ie Ivy Bridge) for the prices to drop significantly ... at which point there will be a new top-end CPU that costs $250 more for a couple of % increase in performance.
There is no difference in cost to solder the thing to the logic board, Apple has to solder all the CPUs to the logic board. This is the usual price difference in the actual component cost + Apple's markup.
...
But yea, that is quite pricey for what you get. I'd say the 2mb of cache is more significant than the 0.1ghz difference. www.macperformanceguide.com has some examples of where the extra cache can come in handy. Not everyone needs it.
Actually, because the 2.5GHz is not a standard configuration, I think they do charge the customer more for soldering it on the logic board. The actual soldering will not be any different, it's just that they need to manufacture (for lack of better word) a different logic board as a custom order. And variety in a product line per definition equals more cost.
The cache probably being more noteworthy than the 0.1 GHz.
As others have said you'd probably be better off doing something else with that money, like buying more RAM or an SSD.