I will be going to school soon, and we will be working with apple macbooks, actually a requirement. We will be using Logic Pro in class. My question is, should I go with the 2.2 GHZ or 2.4 GHZ. Either one I get I will be upgrading the ram to 4GB. I am thinking of going with the 2.2 GHZ and save some money. However, I was thinking the 2.4 GHZ will be better in the long run if I decide to keep the notebook for a longer period of time. I will be running VST instruments on Logic. I also plan on gettin bootcamp or parallell to run windows xp pro, so I could use ImageLine FL Studio sometimes. So what do everyone think I should get? Which am I better off with? Please let me know. Thank you in advance!
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Need help deciding! 2.2 GHZ vs. 2.4 GHZ Macbook Pro?
- Thread starter BeenoBeats
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If you're going to keep it for a while, the 2.4 is worth the price bump. It has the better video card, a bigger harddrive and a faster processor. The RAM is easy and cheap to upgrade on both so don't compare ram pricing.
I am not comparing the ram pricing, I apologize if it came out that way. I also forgot to mention that when I buy the macbook pro I will be upgrading to the 160 GB with 7200 RPM. So if I get the 2.2 GHZ mbp, i will have 160 gb hd with 7200 rpm, and 4gb ram. And if i get the 2.4 GHZ mbp, i will have the 160 hd with 7200 rpm and 4gb of ram. I am just wondering if its worth spending the extra money for the 2.4 for what I am trying to do and for the longetivity. Or should I just save some money and get the 2.2?
Based on what you said you will be using (Logic Pro, etc), I doubt you will be NEEDING the 2.4gHz.
Notice i said "need". the 0.2gHz improvement will not make such a difference. But if you want the best i'm sure you can go for it. But in my opinion even if it is going to last you for the next few years (i guess), 2.2gHz will not be THAT outdated.
Besides, its the RAM that matters. So since u'll be getting 4GB of RAM, it'll do u fine (well, MORE than fine) if you get the 2.2gHz.
Unless you want to run graphically intense games, the 128MB of graphics card mem will do you great.
Also, if you need the HD, i suggest getting the 160GB @ 7200 revs. It will improve your system performance by a margin (not that much).
Notice i said "need". the 0.2gHz improvement will not make such a difference. But if you want the best i'm sure you can go for it. But in my opinion even if it is going to last you for the next few years (i guess), 2.2gHz will not be THAT outdated.
Besides, its the RAM that matters. So since u'll be getting 4GB of RAM, it'll do u fine (well, MORE than fine) if you get the 2.2gHz.
Unless you want to run graphically intense games, the 128MB of graphics card mem will do you great.
Also, if you need the HD, i suggest getting the 160GB @ 7200 revs. It will improve your system performance by a margin (not that much).
I'm leaning towards the 2.2 mbp with 4gb of ram and a 160gb 7200 rpm hard drive, unless someone makes a very good argument for the 2.4 lol.
P.S. Thanks for your responses so far.
P.S. Thanks for your responses so far.
I think the 2.4 is a vaid investment, besides the CPU bump, it comes with a better graphics card, and a bigger drive. And if you need anything bigger or faster, you can customise this model as a build to order as well. I personally have a 2.4, and it works great. Though in reality the cpu performance is pretty minor. I just like to have it future proofed (cpu cannot be replaced, built onto the motherboard).
I was in a similar situation when I was deciding which 15" MBP to buy. After trying out associates' MBPs (both 2.2/2.4) I honestly did not find the difference in performance to be that wide of a gap. Granted, if I was using the MBP for 3D gaming or any other 3D intensive app, then it might have made sense.
But, as it stands, the 2.2 did very well with graphic/video intensive apps that I do use, i.e. FCP, PS and even Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. Comments about "future proofing" is moot since both systems are as high tech as you can get. And, for the most part, if you are using the MBP professionally, then it will likely have a lifespan of 3-4 years, at which point, you'll end up picking up new tech anyway.
The 2.2 can easily match the 2.4's performance with an additional 2G RAM and a faster and bigger HD. The beauty is, you will have some change left over to pick up software, a case or what ever else you desire.
But, as it stands, the 2.2 did very well with graphic/video intensive apps that I do use, i.e. FCP, PS and even Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. Comments about "future proofing" is moot since both systems are as high tech as you can get. And, for the most part, if you are using the MBP professionally, then it will likely have a lifespan of 3-4 years, at which point, you'll end up picking up new tech anyway.
The 2.2 can easily match the 2.4's performance with an additional 2G RAM and a faster and bigger HD. The beauty is, you will have some change left over to pick up software, a case or what ever else you desire.
Go for the 2.2
I have teh 2.2 witha 160gb HDD and it flys, I do not use heavy video intensive programmes though. I had the same choice, 2.2 @ £1240 or 2.4@£1545but I could not justify the extra £300+pounds. I like my machine it simply purrs away.
I have teh 2.2 witha 160gb HDD and it flys, I do not use heavy video intensive programmes though. I had the same choice, 2.2 @ £1240 or 2.4@£1545but I could not justify the extra £300+pounds. I like my machine it simply purrs away.
Cool, thanks for everyone's opinions. I'm most likely gonna be ordering the 2.2 with the 160 gb hd @ 7200 rpm. And get the 4gb of ram from macmall or something. Is there a better place to get the 4 gb of ram from for cheap? Also, if I order online, will I be getting the mbp within two weeks? I need it before school. Thanks in advance.
You will be very happy with it! Now long wait for the order to come. Well it at least FEELS like forever
I already know I'll be happy with it. I'm real excited.
I'm still waiting for my loan to come in for school. Probably won't get the check till the next week and a half. If I order sometime in the week of Sept 16th-22nd, do you think I will receive the laptop before the first week of Oct? Also, what would be the best choice to run Imageline FL Studio with? Bootcamp, Parallels, or VMFusion? Please help me out!
I'm still waiting for my loan to come in for school. Probably won't get the check till the next week and a half. If I order sometime in the week of Sept 16th-22nd, do you think I will receive the laptop before the first week of Oct? Also, what would be the best choice to run Imageline FL Studio with? Bootcamp, Parallels, or VMFusion? Please help me out!
Did you get a Asio 2.0 Soundcard ?On board MBP soundcard it´s a piece of crap.
Even with 4 gigas and this power mpb, even with de 17 2.4 with 4 giga, i´´ll be far away from a smother performance.
So , if you gonna use vst, logic pro, pro audio, get a good external soundcard.
Firewire it´s even better, instead of usb models.
2.2 is probably the best option unless you have $$$ to spare. The 2.4 is nice but the performance difference is definitely not huge.
Here's a benchmark of their gaming capabilities, and you can see that they are very close:
http://www.barefeats.com/rosa03.html
Here's a benchmark of their gaming capabilities, and you can see that they are very close:
http://www.barefeats.com/rosa03.html
TOTALLY AGREE! Everything sounds LOUDER and looks BRIGHTER when running on Windows! Not that I am a MS fanboy though!
I thinK Mac OS X may have a safety threshold for its hardware to prevent it from undesired wear due excessive use (brightness limit + sound limit). I dunno but it certainly is strange and I could tell/see/hear the difference when running Windows Vista (via BootCamp).