Resolved AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256MB GDDR5 vs. the 6750M with 1GB GDDR5

[bdodds1985]

I am buying a new 15" Macbook Pro from the Apple store online. I get a government discount so its a couple hundred off.
I know two things for sure:
1. I am getting a 128gb SSD
and
2. I am getting a Hi-Res Anti Glare Screen.
Both options are on the 15" MBP I plan on purchasing.

My question is which one to get?
I am not worried about the 2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 vs. the 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7. But with the next option
AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256MB GDDR5 vs. the 6750M with 1GB GDDR5 that concerns me.

I am using the MBP for Internet Browsing & watching movies currently because I am deployed and have nothing else, but it will be hooked up to my LED TV through HDMI. I have googled that the 15" can support 1080p and full HD resolution. Also 90% of the movies I watch are .MKV and at least 720p. I will purchase a Seagate GOFLEX 1.5TB external for my deployment and the same but 3TB when I make it home. Both through FireWire 800 and can be interchangeable to USB 2.0 or 3.0.

I would love an intelligent response as to which one to purchase and if the AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256MB GDDR5 vs. the 6750M with 1GB GDDR5 is that big of a difference for a non gamer.

Anything is better than my Sony Vaio I have now. VGN-CR420e from 2007. Its been through hell and is finally back talking me, literally.. I can hear it thinking. Thank you for you're interests in this post.

My MBP wishlist can be viewed @
http://www.amazon.com/registry/wish...r=all&sort=priority&layout=standard&x=10&y=17
keep in mind that some items are strictly for my deployment to keep my MBP clean and looking new

 

[Gabbelito]

The 6490M will be more than enough for watching HD movies on an external display.
I don't know if screen size is an issue, but even the 13" will handle HD material at ease.
And if you don't play games or use CS5 heavily you won't notice any difference between the two 15" cards.

By the way, a SSD is the best upgrade you can do on a computer

 

[deadwulfe]

I agree. I'm sure there are plenty more knowledgable people than I on this matter, but the 6490m should suit your needs with ease. My impression is that the 6750m is just an option for gamers that want a more beefy GPU out of their MBPs.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

My 2007 iMac with a 128MB ATI 2400 something can playbakc 720p and 1080p content quite well, thus I presume, the 256MB GPU will suffice your playback needs.

On Friday I was able to play 1080p content encoded with a codec called DNxHD (professional video editing codec) on an external projector with my 9600M GT GPU quite well. DNxHD files are not as compressed as H264 encoded ones, thus they don't really stress the CPU or GPU though, but as the data rate is quite high (22MB/s), it stresses the HDD or in my case SSD.

 

[Dark Void]

the difference between the cards themselves isn't too much, it basically comes down to the vram offered in the 6750M.

the lesser card should handle video content just fine.

 

[bdodds1985]

Thanks

Thats about all I needed. I am going to save about $2-300 now and will have my laptop by the end of this month. I can't wait.

 

[NZed]

Credit: This is NOT my picture. I have forgotten to whoever I saved the picture from. Sorry if I didnt properly ask permission from the owner.

 

[jjahshik32]

I'd say just go all out and get the ATI 6750M with the 1GB of VRAM.

Plus the 2.2GHz has AES-NI for future proofing (not a 100% sure but it will benefit with Lion for applications). The 2.0GHz quad is no slouch but heading against even a 2.7GHz dual-core i7 of the 13", in single thread performance looses out. I'd say might as well get the 2.2GHz + 6750M.

 

[w00t951]

If you're just watching movies, the 13" will have no problem. However, assuming you want to get the 15", the 6450 will be perfectly fine. That being said, if you ever get into gaming or anything, you may want the power of the 6750M as a backup. The 6450 is a much slower GPU than the 6750M.

 

[Durious]

Note one of your items is for a 17" MBP... so I'd alter that before purchasing... aside from that I would get the 6750, not because you need it but because in 3 years the price difference will seem invaluable for the difference between the cards!

 

[EEXOOO]

The 6490m is definitely sufficient for your usage.
I run mine with a Dell 27" 1440p display playing 1080p movies also mostly with .mkv with no stutter.
If you know for sure you don't ever game on your MBP then the 6490m will surely be good enough. That's what your xbox360 is for right?

You should ask yourself if you require the CPU and HDD upgrade. If you don't, you will be paying just for the GFX alone and it's not worth it for your kind of usage.

You don't have to worry about future proofing, 2 years down the road the difference between the 6490m and the 6750m isn't gonna be significant. The money you save now can be used to purchase a newer machine.

In summary, get the 6490m.

 

[leo.andres.21]

why not just stick with a 13" mbp? for your purposes, the 13" does everything greatly. if you will be leaving it hooked to your LED TV, why the anti-glare screen?
the entry mbp will does everything you need except for anti-glare.
and the 6490M on the 15" is able to do it better than the HD3000, and the quad-core processor. 6750m and 2.2ghz isn't worth it for what you're using it for.
6750M is only for extreme graphics editor, including photos or movies. mac gamers? maybe a few.
i'd recommend either the 13" mbp for cost saving and low-end 15" if you really need anti-glare.

 

[Wingzero]

That 6750M is actually just a 6770M but downclocked so you can overclock it and undervolt it to get 6770M performance which is even better.

There is a thread about it here in this forum.

 

[bdodds1985]

Note one of your items is for a 17" MBP... so I'd alter that before purchasing... aside from that I would get the 6750, not because you need it but because in 3 years the price difference will seem invaluable for the difference between the cards!

which item? my list is straight off the website. the 15" comes with either the 2.0 6490 or 2.2 6750. I am adding the 128gb SSD and an Anti-Glare Hi-Res screen, which are both options for the 15".

I am set on getting the 2.0 now because I will not need the 2.2/6750. I guess if a couple hundred extra shows up in my account next month then obviously I will. Money is not the issue for me and a good computer.

I want to take my Sony Vaio 14" VGN-CR420E to the firing range and put it in it's place. Never again will I buy a PC

why not just stick with a 13" mbp? for your purposes, the 13" does everything greatly. if you will be leaving it hooked to your LED TV, why the anti-glare screen?
the entry mbp will does everything you need except for anti-glare.
and the 6490M on the 15" is able to do it better than the HD3000, and the quad-core processor. 6750m and 2.2ghz isn't worth it for what you're using it for.
6750M is only for extreme graphics editor, including photos or movies. mac gamers? maybe a few.
i'd recommend either the 13" mbp for cost saving and low-end 15" if you really need anti-glare.

I want the i7 and the macbook pro. better quality computer and the SSD doesnt come on the 13". plus the 13" is ugly and outdated in my personal opinion. the 13" also only has ddr3 2x2gb. when I get my MBP I am ordering 4x2 ddr5 off new egg. so before i even turn it on i will make the upgrade.

so i disagree on the whole low-end idea you had. thumbs down.

the anti-glare comes with the upgrade to the hi-res screen. also i hate how shiny the screen is and how it reflects everything. i have seen it and i would rather spend extra money to get the anti-glare. plus, Im in the military, currently on a deployment... i have no LED TV for a year. and when i do get it i dont always just leave it there.

in short, i pretty much hate the 13" and never thought about getting it, and i wont. I have money to make the investment all the way up to the 17" with a 256gb SSD if i wanted, but i really don't need it. So I settle somewhere in the middle.

why not just stick with a 13" mbp? for your purposes, the 13" does everything greatly. if you will be leaving it hooked to your LED TV, why the anti-glare screen?
the entry mbp will does everything you need except for anti-glare.
and the 6490M on the 15" is able to do it better than the HD3000, and the quad-core processor. 6750m and 2.2ghz isn't worth it for what you're using it for.
6750M is only for extreme graphics editor, including photos or movies. mac gamers? maybe a few.
i'd recommend either the 13" mbp for cost saving and low-end 15" if you really need anti-glare.

I want the i7 and the macbook pro. better quality computer and the SSD doesnt come on the 13". plus the 13" is ugly and outdated in my personal opinion. the 13" also only has ddr3 2x2gb. when I get my MBP I am ordering 4x2 ddr5 off new egg. so before i even turn it on i will make the upgrade.

so i disagree on the whole low-end idea you had. thumbs down.

the anti-glare comes with the upgrade to the hi-res screen. also i hate how shiny the screen is and how it reflects everything. i have seen it and i would rather spend extra money to get the anti-glare. plus, Im in the military, currently on a deployment... i have no LED TV for a year. and when i do get it i dont always just leave it there.

in short, i pretty much hate the 13" and never thought about getting it, and i wont. I have money to make the investment all the way up to the 17" with a 256gb SSD if i wanted, but i really don't need it. So I settle somewhere in the middle.

why not just stick with a 13" mbp? for your purposes, the 13" does everything greatly. if you will be leaving it hooked to your LED TV, why the anti-glare screen?
the entry mbp will does everything you need except for anti-glare.
and the 6490M on the 15" is able to do it better than the HD3000, and the quad-core processor. 6750m and 2.2ghz isn't worth it for what you're using it for.
6750M is only for extreme graphics editor, including photos or movies. mac gamers? maybe a few.
i'd recommend either the 13" mbp for cost saving and low-end 15" if you really need anti-glare.

I want the i7 and the macbook pro. better quality computer and the SSD doesnt come on the 13". plus the 13" is ugly and outdated in my personal opinion. the 13" also only has ddr3 2x2gb. when I get my MBP I am ordering 2x4 ddr5 off new egg. so before i even turn it on i will make the upgrade.

so i disagree on the whole low-end idea you had. thumbs down.

the anti-glare comes with the upgrade to the hi-res screen. also i hate how shiny the screen is and how it reflects everything. i have seen it and i would rather spend extra money to get the anti-glare. plus, Im in the military, currently on a deployment... i have no LED TV for a year. and when i do get it i dont always just leave it there.

in short, i pretty much hate the 13" and never thought about getting it, and i wont. I have money to make the investment all the way up to the 17" with a 256gb SSD if i wanted, but i really don't need it. So I settle somewhere in the middle.

 

[wankey]

Credit: This is NOT my picture. I have forgotten to whoever I saved the picture from. Sorry if I didnt properly ask permission from the owner.

The 6750 is about double the speed of the 6490, Obviously you'll want that one.

 

[iReminisce]

As mentioned, unless you are going to do some heavy video rendering or gaming in Windows, you don't need the 6750.

 

[mrklaw]

how does the 6490 compare with the 320m or the 9400/9600 in previous MBPs?

I have a 2008 MBP with a 9400/9600 combo and its fast enough for minecraft/trackmania. Will the 6490 be a decent amount faster? (hoping for enough headroom for trackmania 2)

 

[deadwulfe]

From NotebookCheck.net:

 

[head honcho 123]

just saw ur wishlist.

one comment.

don't buy the lacie firewire cable. it's over priced. buy all ur cables @ monoprice.com.

btw. i don't work for them LOL

 

[mrklaw]

hmm, so the 6490 is about on par with the 9600. Thats surprising and a little disappointing. 6750 is pretty nice, but its a lot to pay for the upgrade.

 

[Blondie :)]

I am using the MBP for Internet Browsing & watching movies currently because I am deployed and have nothing else, but it will be hooked up to my LED TV through HDMI.

Where can I get an adapter for this? I would love to hook up my MBP to my HDMI port

 

[head honcho 123]

Where can I get an adapter for this? I would love to hook up my MBP to my HDMI port

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2

 

[leo.andres.21]

I want the i7 and the macbook pro. better quality computer and the SSD doesnt come on the 13". plus the 13" is ugly and outdated in my personal opinion. the 13" also only has ddr3 2x2gb. when I get my MBP I am ordering 4x2 ddr5 off new egg. so before i even turn it on i will make the upgrade.

so i disagree on the whole low-end idea you had. thumbs down.

the anti-glare comes with the upgrade to the hi-res screen. also i hate how shiny the screen is and how it reflects everything. i have seen it and i would rather spend extra money to get the anti-glare. plus, Im in the military, currently on a deployment... i have no LED TV for a year. and when i do get it i dont always just leave it there.

in short, i pretty much hate the 13" and never thought about getting it, and i wont. I have money to make the investment all the way up to the 17" with a 256gb SSD if i wanted, but i really don't need it. So I settle somewhere in the middle.

fact check your ram, as there are not even desktop ddr4 ram on the market yet.
the difference between the dual core i7 in 13 incher and 2.0ghz quad core i7 is as much as 5-7%. the 13" macbook pro is exactly the same without the speaker grills, less optical out port and no option for antiglare. no idea where you get the outdated look, unless you thought i was talking of the white MacBook. plus, you can upgrade the 13" MBP with 128GB SSD too.
it seems though that you absolutely want the anti-glare screen, so the best choice would be the lower config 15" mbp w/ 6490m.

 

[pooprscooper]

OP,

You can either get the 6490 for $1530 or spend $340 more and get the 6750. The 200Mhz and couple extra GB of space won't be noticed.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/15

I'd say save the $340 and spend it on something else. The video card upgrade isn't worth that much money. There should be external GPUs via Thunderbolt in another year or two anyways. Sony already has one(VAIO Hybrid), although it's using a hybrid USB 3.0 connector with an optical interface and electrical connection to carry power.

Wishlist:


You won't need the mouse unless you're planning on gaming. If you've never used the Mac's touchpad before you'll see why I say that soon enough.
Is the keyboard because you're planning on using it on the couch like a HTPC? I don't think you'll enjoy that vs just using the MBP in your lap.
That $200 1.5TB external is a huge ripoff. Get a cheap case for ~$40 and buy a 3TB HD for $120.

Plus the 2.2GHz has AES-NI for future proofing (not a 100% sure but it will benefit with Lion for applications).

Both SB mobile chips have AES-NI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AES_instruction_set
Mobile: all Core i7. Though the Intel web pages originally listed the 2630QM and 2635QM as not supporting it, those web pages have been updated to indicate that they do

As for the Lion part, you're talking about FileVault using it?

 

[bdodds1985]

just saw ur wishlist.

one comment.

don't buy the lacie firewire cable. it's over priced. buy all ur cables @ monoprice.com.

btw. i don't work for them LOL

thank you for the website its awesome... the advice also.

Where can I get an adapter for this? I would love to hook up my MBP to my HDMI port

i saw them on apples website. i think it is through the mini display port to hdmi. but im not sure that the older mac's support them, as i have also googled it and got mixed responses and most people used vga (ugh)

OP,

I'd say save the $340 and spend it on something else. The video card upgrade isn't worth that much money. There should be external GPUs via Thunderbolt in another year or two anyways. Sony already has one(VAIO Hybrid), although it's using a hybrid USB 3.0 connector with an optical interface and electrical connection to carry power.

Wishlist:

You won't need the mouse unless you're planning on gaming. If you've never used the Mac's touchpad before you'll see why I say that soon enough.
Is the keyboard because you're planning on using it on the couch like a HTPC? I don't think you'll enjoy that vs just using the MBP in your lap.
That $200 1.5TB external is a huge ripoff. Get a cheap case for ~$40 and buy a 3TB HD for $120.

It sounds like although the upgrade could be nice, unless i need it (and i don't) then don't get it. So I doubt that I will get it. Like I said earlier if a couple extra hundred shows up in my account this and next check then why not... I always like getting the best, especially when I'm investing in something as pricey as a MBP.
second.. i have not used any of the newer touchpads only heard about them.. i still like the double click mouse and have heard that the magic mouse is kind of lame. plus that mouse on the list looks cool and the scroll track lights up. yes the keyboard will be used for my home computing but like i said i will be playing HD movies 720p or better through my hard drive and hooked up to my TV. also where do you see 3tb hard drives for $120 that have firewire and usb? its a new hard drive called GOFLEX.. mostly the new technology is in the smaller 1.5tb i will get, but if you looked at it you would see it comes with a program allowin it to be switched back and forth from mac to pc. which is good i will need that to transfer my files etc etc and just in case someone else wants a movie that i pirated off the internet. only way to get them...

i am really happy that im getting so much feedback as this is my first post here on the website. and from a lot of people witch waaay more knowledge than me on many aspects of computing. what it all boils down for me is mostly if i have enough money to get the best version.. i will, if i do. why not? plus this is an investment that i don't plan on making again for quite some time, as i trust macbooks are better built and last longer than most windows ran pc's. thanks again