Which 15" MBP to buy?

[jobob]

I plan on purchasing a 15" MBP, but cannot decide which model to get.
I can get the base 15" 2.4 i5 for 1700 with educational discount. By the time I replace the hdd to a 7200rpm 500 gb, its up to 1790.
Because the mid level one offers a greater discount, so ordering it with the upgraded hdd already installed would be 1894.

I understand that as long as I don't break anything swapping the HD, my warranty should not be voided. So the deciding factor there is the processor... Is the small bump in processor at all worth the $100.

Thanks

 

[MattMJB0188]

I plan on purchasing a 15" MBP, but cannot decide which model to get.
I can get the base 15" 2.4 i5 for 1700 with educational discount. By the time I replace the hdd to a 7200rpm 500 gb, its up to 1790.
Because the mid level one offers a greater discount, so ordering it with the upgraded hdd already installed would be 1894.

I understand that as long as I don't break anything swapping the HD, my warranty should not be voided. So the deciding factor there is the processor... Is the small bump in processor at all worth the $100.

Thanks

I say the 2.4ghz 15". You'll notice NO difference in performance from the 540M. Even if you can save $50 more with the 2.53ghz model I still don't think its worth it. If you plan on swapping out the HD sometime in the near future for an SSD then go with the base HDD. I would go with the 7200 RPM hard drive if you don't plan on upgrading to an SSD for a while. I definitely recommend the High Resolution screen. You'll have to decide whether you like Matte Or Glossy by visiting your local Apple store.

Good Luck with your purchase and remember AppleCare can always be added later on.

 

[jobob]

I Would love to updgrade to SSD in the near future, but cannot afford the capacity that I desire. I plan on doing some amateur video editing, albeit with HD video, and have ~40gb of music. So it looks like I am stuck with a spinning drive for the time being. Thanks for the input

 

[Hadron]

Seconded - 5% in processor speed is negligible.

If you like plots and numbers, there's a review of this chip family at http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i3-i5-i7-Processors-Arrandale.25085.0.html. To my eye it backs up the conclusion above.

 

[jmdMac]

I would say the base 15" and aftermarket hdd would be your best option(I was trying to make the same decision earlier) if you're on a limited budget for now. I decided on the base 15" and put a Hitachi hdd(http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-Trave...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1273023159&sr=8-1) and it is working out very nicely!
Hope this helps your decision.
Regards,
John

 

[Akira1980]

I picked up the 2.4Ghz i5 MBP for $1699 with student discount. I can upgrade the HD and RAM my self later down the road. And I couldn't really notice any difference between low-end model and high-end. I am sure the i7 is faster, but I just feel like I am getting the most for my money with i5.

 

[Jaro65]

Just get the 2.4 GHz model and start saving up for an SSD. That will help speed up your MBP far more than an insignificant increase in its CPU clock speed.

 

[highADP]

I say the 2.4ghz 15". You'll notice NO difference in performance from the 540M. Even if you can save $50 more with the 2.53ghz model I still don't think its worth it. If you plan on swapping out the HD sometime in the near future for an SSD then go with the base HDD. I would go with the 7200 RPM hard drive if you don't plan on upgrading to an SSD for a while. I definitely recommend the High Resolution screen. You'll have to decide whether you like Matte Or Glossy by visiting your local Apple store.

Good Luck with your purchase and remember AppleCare can always be added later on.

I totally agree. I'm going to upgrade my blackbook (2 ghz core due, 2 gb ram and 80 gb hdd) to one of these latest 15" mbps. It was such a dilemma for me too. But my situation was a little different because I was considering between i5-520M and i7-620M. I know that an i5 should be more than enough for what I need to do. But I'm so speed addict and I'll keep my new laptop for quite a few years. I did so much research as well as consulted some computer geeks. Finally, I decided to go with the base i5 (with hi-res AG). I'm now just waiting for the BTS promotion so that I can get a free iTouch for my boyfriend

I can't wait to get my hands on my new gadget. It'll be a tremendous change for me since I'm going from a 13" core duo

 

[Dozerrox]

I totally agree. I'm going to upgrade my blackbook (2 ghz core due, 2 gb ram and 80 gb hdd) to one of these latest 15" mbps. It was such a dilemma for me too. But my situation was a little different because I was considering between i5-520M and i7-620M. I know that an i5 should be more than enough for what I need to do. But I'm so speed addict and I'll keep my new laptop for quite a few years. I did so much research as well as consulted some computer geeks. Finally, I decided to go with the base i5 (with hi-res AG). I'm now just waiting for the BTS promotion so that I can get a free iTouch for my boyfriend

I can't wait to get my hands on my new gadget. It'll be a tremendous change for me since I'm going from a 13" core duo

I was in the same boat (although not waiting for back to school promo).

Was going to go for a base 15 inch, but decided to go for the i7 in end. Spread over the life of the laptop, for what I'm paying for it I thought might as well pay the extra. Hopefully it'll improve resale value as well.

 

[TinyPitch]

well if it had the bump on graphic like 512mb i believe? i think it would be worth it although it would cost more than now...... but as i was in the same boat but gave up on i5 2.53ghz because the extra money im spending is not really worth it..... so my decision was i5 base or i7 but i came to my decision and bought the i5 base 2.4ghz yesterday! when it just came out in korea 2 days ago! now i have this nice nmbp with korean letters on it =)