Which one should I buy and where? Version 80000000

[leitmotif]

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I'm sure this has been beaten to death and for that, I apologize.

I'm going to buy a 13"MBP in the next week or two and I have a couple of questions.

1. What are the advantages of buying the i7vs the i5 version?
2. Should I upgrade to the 8gb of ram?
3. I am a student (in the US), should I buy from a brick and mortar apple store and use a student discount? If I order online from apple, am I charged tax? Is there another online retailer I should buy from? Do other authorized apple resellers offer student discounts and AppleCare?

I just want to get the best price on a good machine that will last and that can be serviced at my local apple store.

Thanks!

 

[GoCubsGo]

What research have you done yourself? What do you think the benefits of the i7vs over i5 are? What do you think do that warrants 8 GB ram? Do you know what an increase in RAM will do? What state do you live in? If you order from Apple, in store or not, if you're in a state that charges tax you should likely be taxed. What authorized reseller do you wish to shop from and we can go to their site (in case you cannot) and review it for you, in case you cannot do that on your own.

You show some effort in research and I bet this will go better. To me, as a student, it would seem you want all of the answers handed to you with no effort. Surely a computer with such a price tag is worth another 30 minutes site seeing at google.com, right?

 

[leitmotif]

What research have you done yourself? What do you think the benefits of the i7vs over i5 are? What do you think do that warrants 8 GB ram? Do you know what an increase in RAM will do? What state do you live in? If you order from Apple, in store or not, if you're in a state that charges tax you should likely be taxed. What authorized reseller do you wish to shop from and we can go to their site (in case you cannot) and review it for you, in case you cannot do that on your own.

You show some effort in research and I bet this will go better. To me, as a student, it would seem you want all of the answers handed to you with no effort. Surely a computer with such a price tag is worth another 30 minutes site seeing at google.com, right?

Wow, I certainly didn't expect this kind of a response. Especially in a forum for buying tips and advice. So, thank you for that refreshing approach to advice.

Also, thank you for magically knowing the amount of effort I've put into research. Perhaps I simply do not understand what I have been looking at...

I don't necessarily expect the answers to be "handed to me". In my experience on forums when a question is posed, people with experience generally answer it. That is, afterall, the intended purpose of a "tips and advice" forum. Is it not?

I've done research but seeing as I am not much of a computer person, I don't know the differences between the i5 and i7. I have a vague understanding of what RAM does. I also know that I'm not looking for a top of the line supercomputer by any means. I just want something that will still be able to keep up with everything in a couple of years. For example, my current computer is 1.83ghz and it is sluggish now.

I posed the tax question because often when ordering an item online from a business in another state, tax is not charged. Having never ordered anything online from Apple, how do I know their setup? That said, I don't know who the credible, good authorized apple retailers are. This is why I posted...

So jessica, thank you again for being such a lovely help. I hope you have a great day.

 

[Mattdsm]

Biggest question would be - what do you use it for?

Honestly, I would recommend staying with the i5 and upgrading the RAM after you've purchased the computer. You can buy RAM from a number of other online retailers (Newegg, amazon, etc.) for a fraction of the price that Apple asks for and it is a very easy upgrade to do. Unless you're going to be doing some heavy video editing, sound mixing, etc. the i7 really doesn't warrant the extra $300.

Just my two cents.

 

[applefan289]

Wow, I certainly didn't expect this kind of a response. Especially in a forum for buying tips and advice. So, thank you for that refreshing approach to advice.

Also, thank you for magically knowing the amount of effort I've put into research. Perhaps I simply do not understand what I have been looking at...

I don't necessarily expect the answers to be "handed to me". In my experience on forums when a question is posed, people with experience generally answer it. That is, afterall, the intended purpose of a "tips and advice" forum. Is it not?

I've done research but seeing as I am not much of a computer person, I don't know the differences between the i5 and i7. I have a vague understanding of what RAM does. I also know that I'm not looking for a top of the line supercomputer by any means. I just want something that will still be able to keep up with everything in a couple of years. For example, my current computer is 1.83ghz and it is sluggish now.

I posed the tax question because often when ordering an item online from a business in another state, tax is not charged. Having never ordered anything online from Apple, how do I know their setup? That said, I don't know who the credible, good authorized apple retailers are. This is why I posted...

So jessica, thank you again for being such a lovely help. I hope you have a great day.

Ignore people who are looking for a reaction. You can never win with people on the internet.

For the i7, that is just a processor speed bump. The current baseline Macs are fast enough for most uses, unless you're doing some heavy artillery like video editing, etc.

I would not upgrade to 8GB of RAM because I do not think it is worth the money. This is analogous to the processor speed, meaning you will get a bump in speed only if you do out-of-the-ordinary stuff.

I would support Apple by going to them directly. And yes, if there is an Apple Store in your state, you will be charged tax online. The easiest thing to do, is if there is an Apple store near you, buy it there.

 

[Batt]

Ignore people who are looking for a reaction. You can never win with people on the internet.

For the i7, that is just a processor speed bump. The current baseline Macs are fast enough for most uses, unless you're doing some heavy artillery like video editing, etc.

I would not upgrade to 8GB of RAM because I do not think it is worth the money. This is analogous to the processor speed, meaning you will get a bump in speed only if you do out-of-the-ordinary stuff.

I would support Apple by going to them directly. And yes, if there is an Apple Store in your state, you will be charged tax online. The easiest thing to do, is if there is an Apple store near you, buy it there.

This is the correct answer.

 

[leitmotif]

Ignore people who are looking for a reaction. You can never win with people on the internet.

For the i7, that is just a processor speed bump. The current baseline Macs are fast enough for most uses, unless you're doing some heavy artillery like video editing, etc.

I would not upgrade to 8GB of RAM because I do not think it is worth the money. This is analogous to the processor speed, meaning you will get a bump in speed only if you do out-of-the-ordinary stuff.

I would support Apple by going to them directly. And yes, if there is an Apple Store in your state, you will be charged tax online. The easiest thing to do, is if there is an Apple store near you, buy it there.

Thank you. I appreciate your explanation about RAM and processor speed, it makes perfect sense. I don't anticipate doing anything too wild. Possibly some light audio recording using a firewire interface.