Which mac should i get? i5 sb or i7 sb

Hey guys new to the mac I have a chance to get a macbook. and was wondering which you think I should get. the only difference is i5 2415m vs i7 2640m? The difference in price is about $100. Getting from either my cousin or friend.. Using notebook for typical stuff school and gaming. Windows 7 for gaming and probably going to build an egpu so I can use thunderbolt port. Which would you guys recommend an upgrade. coming from an acer 4820tg? specs in my sig. thanks

 

The difference in performance between the i5 and i7 is negligible, especially in the Sandy Bridge line. Save the $100 and put it toward the eGPU.

 

The 2640m is a little faster but I would say it's only worth it if the total price you are paying is quite low. If you don't mind me asking , how much are you paying for that Mac? It's about 2 years old so if it's going to cost you too much , you should look for another computer.

 

The dual-core i7 CPUs are pretty much nothing more than "Let's hand over more money to Intel!"; as stated, the marginal gains in performance in the dual-core i7 isn't really worth the marginal increase in cost.

I'd personally put that extra $100 towards a SSD.

 

The OP didn't list the rest of the specs of the laptop , for all we know , that old Mac already has an SSD.

 

That's a possibility. I was only suggesting what to do with the extra cash, assuming that it had a HDD.

 

thanks everyone going with the i5 im only spending $450 for the i5. i have an extram 8gb somewhere around the house. and gonna use the ssd I have in my acer. thanks everyone!

 

Different in performance is trivial for the general user.