What's the real world difference between 2.4 and 2.6?

[luminosity]

I'm looking to find out if there's any appreciable difference between getting a 2.4 and a 2.6 C2D MBP.

Can anyone fill me in on that?

Edit: I welcome redirections to existing discussions as well .

 

[irishgrizzly]

.2GHz

 

[timtam]

http://www.primatelabs.ca/blog/2007/11/macbook-pro-performance-november-2007/

 

[thechidz]

performance wise... Not much. But if resale value is important to you spend the extra for it, it will pay off

 

[luminosity]

Thank you to both of you . That's just what I was looking for. I appreciate it.

 

[MDiddy]

I'm looking to find out if there's any appreciable difference between getting a 2.4 and a 2.6 C2D MBP.

Can anyone fill me in on that?

Edit: I welcome redirections to existing discussions as well .

Same as the difference between 2.2 & 2.6. None. Your money's best spent on maxing out the RAM, and picking up AppleCare unless you plan on some pretty sophisticated 3D work/heavy Gaming

 

[luminosity]

Would Final Cut Studio fall into that category?

 

[thechidz]

Would Final Cut Studio fall into that category?

It will help rendering of disc speed a little. Not a ton but a little. Since the processor can't be upgraded later I recommend spending the few hundred extra for it and getting your RAM from a 3rd party vendor. DO NOT buy RAM upgrades from Apple as they are waaay overpriced!!!

 

[heatmiser]

Doesn't help on anything--not even resale value. How much more would you pay for a 2ghz core duo over a 1.83ghz core duo? Exactly. Just buy what you need, and save your money. If you aren't constantly using 99% of both cores, you'll never notice the difference.

 

[thechidz]

Doesn't help on anything--not even resale value. How much more would you pay for a 2ghz core duo over a 1.83ghz core duo? Exactly. Just buy what you need, and save your money. If you aren't constantly using 99% of both cores, you'll never notice the difference.

I disagree. When the new model macbook pros come out the 2.2 ghz will be discontinued. That will make the resale value less for those models and may affect the value of the 2.4 as well.

 

[snickelfritz]

I'm looking to find out if there's any appreciable difference between getting a 2.4 and a 2.6 C2D MBP.

Can anyone fill me in on that?

Edit: I welcome redirections to existing discussions as well .

It is quite literally and without undue sarcasm, .2ghz or about 8%.
This probably worth considering (and paying for) if you have an important application that is functionally borderline at 2.4ghz.

You would be hard-pressed to discern any tactile difference between these processors.
ie: in a double blind comparison using standard desktop applications, I seriously doubt anyone could consistently choose the faster processor every time except by pure luck.

 

[heatmiser]

I disagree. When the new model macbook pros come out the 2.2 ghz will be discontinued. That will make the resale value less for those models and may affect the value of the 2.4 as well.

But once the 2.6ghz is superseded, it'll be just another old processor (along with the 2.4, the 2.2, etc). Yes, you might get slightly more for a 2.6 than you will for a 2.4, but I don't think the difference in potential cash back is worth paying however much extra for a 2.6 today. As I said in the previous example with the core duos, once it's old, it's old. People will care far more about accessories like memory and drive capacity (or the cosmetic condition of the computer) than they will about 200mhz differences in obsolete hardware.

 

[luminosity]

Doesn't help on anything--not even resale value. How much more would you pay for a 2ghz core duo over a 1.83ghz core duo? Exactly. Just buy what you need, and save your money. If you aren't constantly using 99% of both cores, you'll never notice the difference.

Well, the 2.0 has a 4MB L2 cache, while the 1.83 has only a 2 MB, so far as I know. That could be worth paying more for.

As I said in the previous example with the core duos, once it's old, it's old

I agree about the 2.6 seeming like just another processor once the Penryns come along (well, that wasn't what you said, but it could have been ).

My brother is looking to get a 2.6 MBP, rather than a 2.4. He's a film student, and someone told him that every little bit helps. I believe that, but I also have a hard time seeing it be worth $250, especially when that could almost pay for AppleCare by itself.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Here's a potential real world (in Visual Effects terms) example.
Imagine you've got a shot to edit/composite/2D/3D render of 250 frames in length. Say the 2.4Ghz proc takes about 240 seconds to complete each frame. That's 60000 seconds or 16.667 hours to complete the sequence.
Now imagine the 2.6Ghz proc to be on average about 5% faster (a modest guesstimate). Instead of 240 seconds per frame, you'd be looking at 228 seconds per frame. Or a total completion time of 15.833 hrs. Just under an hour quicker. Now rarely does one render a shot once and be done with it. Often it requires several (if not many) takes to get to the desired end result. The savings can definately add up in the long run.

What you have got to decide is whether, a) you render enough to make a noticable difference in the long run, b) every bit of time saved waiting for renders is important enough to you, and c) it is worth the extra money.
Only you can figure that out for you.
That said, when configuring a computer for heavy FCP use you have to find a fine balance between the various configurable components of a computer and the money you want to spent. For instance, you shouldn't skimp on a drive to be able to afford the fastest available proc.

Well, the 2.0 has a 4MB L2 cache, while the 1.83 has only a 2 MB, so far as I know. That could be worth paying more for.

As I said in the previous example with the core duos, once it's old, it's old

I agree about the 2.6 seeming like just another processor once the Penryns come along (well, that wasn't what you said, but it could have been ).

My brother is looking to get a 2.6 MBP, rather than a 2.4. He's a film student, and someone told him that every little bit helps. I believe that, but I also have a hard time seeing it be worth $250, especially when that could almost pay for AppleCare by itself.