Need help - MBP 15 330M vs 6750M

My previous (and first) MBP was the 2010 barebones C2D MBP 13 until it got stolen last week (along with my tv and PS3)
Anyways this puts me back in the market and I am teethering on the edge of spending $$$ for powerful MBP or go back to windows for 40% of the cost. Don't want a 17' or tower so those options are out. 15 seems to be a pretty good option between portability and decent performance.

For most part basic use... Netflix streaming, browsing, basic photoediting, etc. If an MBP can deliver a decent GPU then I'll skip getting a TV and PS3 (again!) for now and go back to PC games. I am not looking for a gaming machine in the MBP but would like some gaming potential from it. At some point in near future, I would like to connect it with HD external display so high resolution is important. Btw, I mostly play action/fps games and some action RPG.

At this point, I have two options - a) used/refurb mid-2010 MBP 15 with NVIDIA 330M 512MB
B) new 2011 MBP 15 with AMD's 6750M 1GB

With all other specs equal, price difference is coming out ~$400 after a student discount on the new machine. Will 6750m deliver enough for extra $400 worth? Or should I look into 330M? I am concerned that new games might quickly make the 6750M obsolete and my additional investment would be a waste as its a non-upgradable component.
So only thing that is holding me down is the price/benefit between - 330M versus 6750M. Worth it?

PS - In last two days, I have done plenty of homework on these two. Just seeking personal experiences/ suggestions.

 

for games — only 6750 if you can afford it.
Or 330m and get a better door locks.

 

Is 6750 $400 worth of extra spending itself? I don't think there are any other major advantages between 2011 hi-end MBP vs 2010 hi-end MBP besides the better GPU.

 

Don't forget the processor upgrade (sandy bridge)

 

there is the processor upgrade, going to quad from dual core

there is the update gpu, which is a wholle new world in performance

and If Im not mistaken thunderbolt

 

It's mostly the GPU upgrade, which is a huge difference. The slight bump in processor speed is nice but not a big deal. You get a small bump in HD capacity (worth about $10 bucks heh).

 

As I said, all other specs being equal in my post... the processor on refurb 2010 is also sandy bridge (i7).

So its all about the GPU for the cost.

 

Nope. it's not.

 

how is that possible????

i don't think you realize there are two generations of Core-i CPUs. nehalem cpus are designated with 3 numbers. sandy bridge cpus have 4 digits(the first one is always a 2).

 

Actually I don't. I am new to mac-world and sandy bridge processors.

Honestly, I am not sure if I even get the meaning of what you said above... (3-numbers/ 4-numbers??). Would it affect the usage for my purposes.

CP, you probably know lots more than me. Please explain a bit next time rather than just proving me wrong. Share the knowledge mate.

 

no its not... the 2010 is a First gen i7 dual core... Sandy Bridge is a second gen i7 quad core, which is much faster than the first gen, and has more cores.

 

2011 is a big upgrade for the Macbook Pros, so I wouldn't really even look hard at the older ones.

Big thing is- you get second generation Quad Core i7 on a 15" Macbook Pro, and a serious graphics option (6750, a mid-end card but a good one). The 2010s you are looking at are Dual Cores.

 

My friend has a 2010 top spec, I have a 2011 top spec.

There is no appreciable difference between the two until we fire up the games.

I think it's also important to understand the differences, going forward.

On the one hand, storage, applications and even raw processing is moving into the cloud.

On the other hand, spending money on yesterday(year)'s tech is never advisable.

I would recommend breaking your usage down into percentages and really figure out how much you'll benefit from a newer processor/gpu.

 

$400 seems a bit more justifiable now. Even though I am not going to use it to a professional advantage... which probably most top-spec users do.

Thanks though. Gotta check the bank again.

 

Get the 2011 model definitely. If you already had a 2010 model, there might be room to question whether getting a new one is worth the money; but if you know you're going to be buying a new one anyway, there's simply no contest here between the two.

I've owned the top spec 330M mbp from 2010, which I ditched for the current top spec 6750 2011 iteration. The 2011 mbp is definitely worth it. There is quite a noticeable difference in gaming, and this is on a 2560x1440 external monitor. As you mentioned, the 6750 will probably quickly become obsolete soon, but the 330m is ALREADY obsolete now.

It's also quite a bit faster whenever I'm converting media files.

On the other hand, for other stuff, it's not so noticeable. Booting takes mere seconds on either, and there's no appreciable difference in everyday computing tasks such as web browsing or word processing.

 

the core i7 in the 2010 mbp is an arrandale -- a dual-core first-gen mobile "core i" processor. the core i7 in the 2011 mbp is a sandy bridge -- a quad-core second-gen mobile "core i" cpu. (there is also a quad-core first-gen mobile core i7 under the "clarksfield" designation, but it never appeared in a mac.)

the sandy bridge in the 2011 mbp spanks the arrandale in the 2010 mbp -- on paper and on the bench. in the real world? depends on what you're doing. if you're a lightweight user -- meaning you aren't doing heavy-duty design or dev work, with a least moderate degree of expertise and needs in the big adobe apps, final cut pro, or one of the dev ides -- the 2010 mbp will easily meet your needs, and seem super snappy to boot. for games? the 2011 mbp beats the 2010 mbp, no doubt, but it also runs very hot and is a pretty midrange offering compared to similarly priced pc laptops. the 330m in the 2010 mbp will give you good experiences in older games and wow. the 2011 will add moderate performance in modern games.

it's up to you, but my preference would be for the older mbp, or wait for a revision of the 2011 that brings heat down. then again, i do dev work on an 11" macbook air and it seems plenty snappy, so what do i know? ;-)

 

I would say go for the 2011 model. $400 is definitely worth the upgraded CPU, GPU, Thunderbolt, and the peace of mind knowing you have the latest and greatest, especially since the 2011 refresh was a significant one...not just some minor clock speed increases like before.

Then again...I'm biased because I'm still using the first generation core 2 duo unibody Macbook pro and it seems fast to me. When I used the new 2011 models they seemed like rockets compared to mine.

 

If you're going to be gaming at all, get the 2011. If you're not going to be gaming, get the 2010 with a large SSD. Unless you are doing heavily processor intensive things in OS X, the SSD will make the system seem much faster.

 

I know hardware on PC laptop for $2k can be pretty kickass but I am really looking for a mbp and spending my ps3+tv replacement money on the gaming capacity of the machine. As long as 2011 model will be able to accomodate a large screen ext display in high-res it would serve my needs well. My current monitor is 1920x1080 (24in) but I'd like to get somethign even better next year.

 

I run my 27" 1920x1200 monitor off of the nvidia 9400 all the time with no issues, so I'm sure the 330 or 6750 are more than capable.

 

Yes, both the 330 and the 6750 work fine with large monitors--I've used both on a 27" 2560x1440. That said, if you play games you will need to tone down the settings accordingly.