Which Mac should I get - do i need better than the Nvidia 9400M Graphics, or i3 550?

[rumorhasitthat]

Hi all, and many thanks to those that respond
A response would be an awesome welcoming gift to these forums

Firstly, my usage
- productivity apps (eg OmniFocus)
- no games
- heavy web browsing

Are there any things on osx that would benefit from getting one with a card better than the Nvidia 9400M ?
Would the recommendation change if I did heavy photoshop or video editing (which I don't)?

Why do some Macbook Pro models have dual graphics cards, eg with the 9400 and 9600 gt in some Macbooks?

In your responses, please focus solely on the graphics cards/components, rather than the product models.


Preedit: and on a side note - would osx perform any differently with (random example) an i5 750 compared to a i3 550, for my uses.

 

[Hellhammer]

What other productivity apps do you use? Are they heavy? GPU doesn't seem to be that important for your usage because most software cannot take advantage of its power but the new i3 CPU could boost things up. MBPs have dual GPUs because of battery life. When there is no need for faster graphics, the integrated (9400M or Intel IGP, depends on model) is used to achieve greater battery life.

A little more about your needs would not hurt. More apps you use? Are they all for OS X or is Windows needed (Boot Camp or VM)? Budget? 21.5" or 27"?

 

[rumorhasitthat]

What other productivity apps do you use? Are they heavy? GPU doesn't seem to be that important for your usage because most software cannot take advantage of its power but the new i3 CPU could boost things up. MBPs have dual GPUs because of battery life. When there is no need for faster graphics, the integrated (9400M or Intel IGP, depends on model) is used to achieve greater battery life.

A little more about your needs would not hurt. More apps you use? Are they all for OS X or is Windows needed (Boot Camp or VM)? Budget? 21.5" or 27"?

Well I am a windows user switching to the Mac, so not really sure which apps I would be using.
Just things like text editors, some programming tools like emacs etc, and probably the whole Omni suite. Maybe something like DevonAgent too: http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonagent/index.html
But the i5 would be > than the i3 right? Would there be a noticeable difference?

 

[rumorhasitthat]

I'll use the sort of apps you see here;
http://mashable.com/2009/09/19/mac-productivity-apps/

 

[Hellhammer]

Well I am a windows user switching to the Mac, so not really sure which apps I would be using.
Just things like text editors, some programming tools like emacs etc, and probably the whole Omni suite. Maybe something like DevonAgent too: http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonagent/index.html
But the i5 would be > than the i3 right? Would there be a noticeable difference?

It's faster but hard to say is it noticeable as I'm not familiar with the apps you're going to use. If you're getting the 27", pay little more for the i5 as it's faster. Even look at refurbs