MBP 15 inch 2.4GHZ vs. 2.5GHZ

looking at buying a mac, and idk if the $500 more is worth it for that speed upgrade
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (this is the T8300 with 3mb L2 Cache)
* 2GB memory
* 200GB hard drive1
* Double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB

* 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (this is the T9300 with 6mb L2 Cache)
* 2GB memory
* 250GB hard drive1
* Double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB
i do want to play games, how much better is it with 512mb memory compared to the 256? i kno that's not a faster GPU, just more memory, i wonder how much better they are. i'm guessing i could get the 2.4ghz and up it to 4gb of memory to combat the 256mb less in the video card?
it also have more HD space which is nice. does any1 have one of these, or has the 3dMark06 scores of the two for a comparison? thanks!

 

512mb video card memory is a waste..you could buy the 2.4 ghz with 2gb ram and upgrade it to 4gb..that's what most people do..its rather easy to change the ram on a mbp..however,I can't tell you if 2gb ram will be enough for gaming..

 

The 8600m GT can't use 512MB anyways, so better go for the other one, and save for RAM...

 

If you're just going to be playing video games, get the 2.4 version. The graphical performance difference between the two models is very minimal, due to the 128-bit membus on the 8600M GT limiting how effectively it can use that extra VRAM. I can't quote 3DMark scores (but they aren't necessarily accurate anyways), but I remember seeing them when this model was released and the difference was <5% I think. I know it was about 9-12% between the 128 MB and 256 MB versions of the last iteration, so this should be even smaller.

The double L2 cache is nice too, but your processor is rarely your limiting component (especially when gaming), so I don't think you'd need the better one. As for hard drive space, only you know if 200 GB is enough for you - certainly would be plenty for me, but if you think you need more, go for it. If you don't mind doing some unauthorized hard drive replacement, you could get a very nice, very large hard drive for much less than $500, if that's the only component for which you need the upgrade.

And also, doubling your RAM might be nice, but realize that it's most likely not going to make a difference, even when gaming. 2 GB is still enough for most tasks these days (or multitasks even), so you really have to push it for the extra RAM to show its strength. If you use VMWare or Parallels, or run several intensive processes at once, then it might be a good idea - and, considering the dirt-cheap price of RAM these days, it won't hurt your wallet too much.

 

not worth it.

 

8600M GT Can't utilize all the 512MB Ram,so it's waste of your money.Extra processor speed not worth too.Just buy 2.4Ghz Model & upgrade RAM .

Read This Review & Justify Yourself

 

k, if its not worth it, then who is their target market with that 2.5ghz model. i asked the guy at the apple store, and he didn't really have an answer, or even a reason why to make that jump (although he didnt mention the L2 cache of the processor, he just saw the 2.4 to 2.5ghz and figured thats all there was to it. not his fault though, he has alot of products to sell, and his target customer isn't usually as smart as i. heh.)
another question too. they have it from 2gb to 4gb. (of course i'd buy the ram on newegg.) buy why don't they have a 3gb version? all the other PC manufacturers have 3gb on their computers, so why not apple. the guy at the store said it was for dual channel, but that doesnt sound right, i know memory works "better" in pairs, but it will still work in un-even situations. i find that interesting.

 

Some people with $4000 budget.

 

Maybe Apple target 2.5Ghz Model for people who are doing Rendering/Encoding stuff(More Cache & Processing power helps them).

RAM is totally apples choice.OS X don't need more ram like Vista ,so Apple don't want to waste money for more RAM.Remember other system makers build notebooks for windows ,Apple is the one & only OS X based notebook maker .Vista based notebook makers may think " More Ram sell More Notebooks :More Sales mean More Profit"

 

thanks all. i might get one next week (right after the WWDC keynote, just to be sure nothing crazy happens.) really tempted to wait, but i dont think they'll be anything new until macworld 09.

 

most windows os's are 32 bit so they can only use ~3.2gb of ram so putting 4gb of ram in a 32 bit os is practically useless, on the other hand os x is a 64 bit os so it can take advantage of 4gb of ram, i just wish the mbp came with 1x2gb module instead of 2x1gb modules.

 

I'll just add my 2 cents and say its not worth the $500.

 

thats so it can use the dual channel. otherwise it would be worse. (Or so they say.)

 

Not worth it, BUT...

I do really wish I had the extra cache (3MB v 6MB), especially for running under VMware.

Sucks you can't get the extra cache CPUs on the $1999 model for an option price of $100-$200.

The extra video card ram and the extra 50GB hard drive don't hold up their end of the deal in the $2499 priced model.

 

What I think he means, is that, if you are like me, and presumably him, you are looking at two 1GB ram sticks on your table. Upgrading to 4GB means you are stuck with two fairly useless 1GB sticks of notebook ram.

Barely worth selling on Craigslist.