Immediate debate: Pay $90 for the i7 bump?

[Maven1975]

The i5 should be more effecient. However, I plan on sticking on a eGPU later and the bump in clocks speeds will be nice to have while gaming.

 

[trondah]

I just bought the 11" and had a really hard time deciding the cpu. I do have the money to spend if I wanted the i7, but after thinking about it I came to the conclusion that it doesn't add any value. Besides benchmarks, I don't think you'll notice the difference even in games. If there was a discrete gpu I might have chosen differently, but there isn't.

If benchmarks came out and showed an incredible boost in app performance or fps for games, I'd be quick to return it but I really don't think that will happen.

 

[katyoshi]

I'm wondering about this as well. I'm a healthcare professional that does not do graphic arts or anything. Just everyday use of emails, websites, creating documents from office for mac, iwork...productivity, watching netflix, amazon on demand, music, photos, etc. Not sure if I'll notice the difference in the i7 compared to i5? I looked at the specs and it seems there are very MINOR differences. Then again, I'm not a computer techy expert and would not know how big the differences are...but according to the present numbers in specs, it seems they're not going to be outstandingly noticeable in differences. http://ark.intel.com/compare/54617,54620,56858

can anyone help? I'm on the fence of either the i7 or i5...I've been hearing about more battery use and heat of i7 compared to i5...is this gonna be very noticeable?

 

[bob99]

I went for it, I feel with computers you should always buy the best / fastest available. I use my Mac all day and make my living with it, so the $100 comes out quickly in the wash.

Besides, this way you know you have the best one

 

[katyoshi]

I went for it, I feel with computers you should always buy the best / fastest available. I use my Mac all day and make my living with it, so the $100 comes out quickly in the wash.

Besides, this way you know you have the best one

Gee...can you be nice and not so influential? Lol...I was thinking the same thing...have the best of best to last me 3 years like my 15" mbp did. Then again, it's like my mind is asking me, "do you really need an i7 for your purpose/situation? Can't you just use the $90 toward an incase black sleeve and other things?". But that's just me...

 

[JLatte]

I went for it, I feel with computers you should always buy the best / fastest available. I use my Mac all day and make my living with it, so the $100 comes out quickly in the wash.

Besides, this way you know you have the best one

This is exactly what I'm going to do, as it will be my primary computer and I'm a web developer / iphone developer. Extra cash now, but it definitely doesn't hurt to upgrade and squeeze as much juice out of it as possible.

 

[reputationZed]

I think there are compelling reasons for both arguments, and until we see some benchmarks its anyones guess. Even then benchmarks are hardly a reliable indicator of real world experience. That being said I went with the i7. The i7 and i5 are both 17w TDP processors so I tend to discredit the argument that the i7 will run hot or have shorter battery life than the i5. As to performance I'm guessing the i7 will have some advantage in certain situations but tend to agree that in average day to day use you probably wont notice the difference. With the EDU discount it was an $80 upgrade so I figured what the h, go for it. I honestly dont think you could go wrong either way.

 

[Bigmacduck]

The question is not so much what you need, it is more what you want.

 

[bob99]

Plus, getting the better processor will give the computer a higher resale value. When you're selling your laptop, this custom BTO powerhouse will look better than the other lame-o i5's that are for sale. You will blow buyers away with the extra 0.1 GHz

I'm certainly going to upgrade when the next one comes out, so I figure it's just a temporary machine anyway!

 

[MBABuyer]

I called the local apple store in Richmond VA a few times today and asked about the new SB MBA's

I asked about if they would carry the MBA 13" ultimate, an when they were getting into the store.

Every time I got a response saying "we dont know when we will get the new MBA's"

Were they lying to me, I thought that the all the apple stores were selling SB MBA's tomorrow. And, will the apple store carry 256gb, i7 13" MBA?

 

[katyoshi]

I called the local apple store in Richmond VA a few times today and asked about the new SB MBA's

I asked about if they would carry the MBA 13" ultimate, an when they were getting into the store.

Every time I got a response saying "we dont know when we will get the new MBA's"

Were they lying to me, I thought that the all the apple stores were selling SB MBA's tomorrow. And, will the apple store carry 256gb, i7 13" MBA?

i believe the apple store website says online order only for i7s...