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    Ram latency and CPU cache

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by shaknon, Feb 24, 2011.

  1. shaknon

    shaknon Newbie

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    I am considering buying a new MBP 15" and I am hesitant about the following:

    1- Is it worth it to pay $225 upgrade to get i7-2820QM (2.3 GHz) instead of i7-2720QM (2.2 GHz) CPU? how much better is the i7-2820QM? and would the 8MB cache vs 6MB cache make a huge difference?

    2- I want to upgrade the RAM to 8GB. If I order the RAM from Apple it would cost me $180 to upgrade. I can buy 8GB DDR3 RAM from Amazon for $90. The only difference that I noticed between the two RAMs is that Apple RAM's latency is 1333 MHz while the Amazon one is 1066 MHz. Would that make a huge difference?

    Appreciate your input.
     
    shaknon, Feb 24, 2011
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  2. City Pig

    City Pig Notebook Virtuoso

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    ... Apple is charging $225 for the CPU upgrade? Seriously? God, no, it's not worth it. You probably wouldn't even notice a difference.

    As for RAM... you REALLY won't see a difference in speed there. lol
     
    City Pig, Feb 24, 2011
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  3. doh123

    doh123 Without ME its just AWESO

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    do NOT get 1066 ram...

    you can get 1333 ram from newegg or amazon and such as well for still $80 - $100
     
    doh123, Feb 24, 2011
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  4. mmoy

    mmoy Notebook Deity

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    I just compared the specs - you'd really have to want/need every hz of extra power to pay that $225. I wouldn't.
     
    mmoy, Feb 24, 2011
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  5. ajreynol

    ajreynol Notebook Virtuoso

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    that's true for most CPU upgrades for new computer purchases.

    unless you do CPU-intensive stuff (CAD, video editing/transcoding, multicore gaming, etc.) you can almost always just go with the baseline CPU and save a ton of money.
     
    ajreynol, Feb 24, 2011
    #5