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Why is 2.7 GHz $250 more than 2.6?

gmanist1000

gmanist1000

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Sep 22, 2009
2,885
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So why does a spec bump from the 2.6 GHz option to the 2.7 GHz justify a $250 increase? A measly 100 MHz of processing power and 2MB more of L3 Cache doesn't seem to be worth $250 to me.

I opted for the 2.6 GHz, and I love it... don't get me wrong. But I was thinking about the highest end model but when I saw that it was $250 for basically nothing I didn't even have to think about my decision.
 
I think it isn't too far out of line with what Intel prices them at in bins of 1000.
 
Ever since I've been buying computers within a processor line there's usually been a low-end model, a middle one that's substantially faster at a modest increase, and a top of the line that's minimally faster and absurdly more expensive. It's not an Apple thing, it's an Intel thing.
 
gmanist1000 said:
No it's a 0.1 Increase. Which is 100, therefore it's a 100 MHz increase.
Click to expand...

It is. No one told you it was worth it. Intel and Apple priced things that way. If Apple figured no one would buy it, they would not have even offered the option. In no way are most cpu upgrades cost effective in terms of real performance or machine longevity.
 
If you NEED it, then Buy It.. if not, don't.. :rolleyes:

It is no different in other industries.. if you buy a 'high end' BMW the costs Add Up pretty quickly with minor additions..

As stated, if no one wanted it then they wouldn't offer it.. :D
 
It worth it if you are doing some heavy processing apps, in the end the time ends up which.. Time is money :D
 
That's pretty much the way it always is with going to higher end processors and graphics cards. It's diminishing returns as you get towards the upper limits of the current generation.

This is true when configuring systems from Apple, other PC manufacturers, or even when buying components yourself. Going after that top 10% of currently available performance is going to cost you a lot more than settling for 90%.
 
Because the production line is mainly focused on the mainstream chips/board and it cost more to build out the 2.7GHz board since its an outlier part. That cost is being shifted on to the consumer.
 
If you ask people to choose a number between 1 ant 10, most will probably choose 7. The mystery of prime numbers subconsciously attract people... Apple and Intel marketing strategists and mentalists know that people like the number 7, and 2.7Ghz looks and sounds nice...:cool:. They know they are gonna sell it even if the performance improvement is minimal... These corporations are money making machines...
 
bobcan said:
If you NEED it, then Buy It.. if not, don't.. :rolleyes:

It is no different in other industries.. if you buy a 'high end' BMW the costs Add Up pretty quickly with minor additions..

As stated, if no one wanted it then they wouldn't offer it.. :D
Click to expand...

Well that's not a good analogy. If the mid-range model (335i) offered 99% of the performance of the top end model (M3) and was manufactured with the exact same components, then that'd be a valid analogy. But that's not the case. In reality, you'd need quite a few modifications for a 335 to match an M3, and even then the experience is never really the same.

CPUs used to be somewhat similar. In the past, one needed to overlock a fair deal to match the top end CPU - but not anymore. In 99% of all cases, the extra cache and 100MHz won't have a meaningful impact.

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sofianito said:
If you ask people to choose a number between 1 ant 10, most will probably choose 7. The mystery of prime numbers subconsciously attract people... Apple and Intel marketing strategists and mentalists know that people like the number 7, and 2.7Ghz looks and sounds nice...:cool:. They know they are gonna sell it even if the performance improvement is minimal... These corporations are money making machines...
Click to expand...

Which is why the 2.6GHz model is called the 3720QM?
 
$250 is pocket change when you are already going to spend over 2k on a laptop. So I opted to fully load everything.
 
There is also 2MB more cache and the 100MHz bump. 8MB vs the rest of the fleets 6MB. It showed no performance benefit over the 100MHz advantage though. May be worth it to some specific users.
 
iaymnu said:
$250 is pocket change when you are already going to spend over 2k on a laptop. So I opted to fully load everything.
Click to expand...

For me it was worth saving and I spent it on Apple Care with student discount for $240.
 
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