11-04-2011, 09:54 AM

Hi guys,

I've been considering a MacBook Pro which I will mostly be using for day to day streaming, movie playing, internet, music, sound recording and video editing.

As you surely know the MacBook Pro line has just been bumped. Here in Europe these laptops are quite a bit expensive so what happens in this transition time is: I can get a 15" 2.0 Ghz Spring model for 1550 eur (2144 USD) and I can get a newer Fall 2.2 Ghz Spring model for 1750 eur (2420 USD). So the difference is about 200 eur (276 USD). From a psychological point of view, spending more than 1500 eur (2100 USD) on a laptop is a bit too much but then it depends on the ultimate gain.

So the difference between these 2 models is basically an increase in clock speed (2.0 to 2.2 Ghz), and a 512 Mb GPU slightly more modern than the 256 Mb GPU in the Spring model.

So my question is.... how much of a difference in perform is this going to make and does it justify the 200 eur ? (that would be around 276 USD difference) Maybe this money could be better spent on an SSD.
Again my most demanding tasks will be video editing (source is Full HD) and sound recording (1 instrument at once, for now

Anyway next year there is likely to be a major refresh in the line so either of these 2 15" models now will likely lose a lot of resell value in 6 months.. so the investment issue is a bit redundant here.. how future proof are these 2 laptops and is one much better than the other ? Of course it's always better to have the best possible performance but if the difference is minimal...

Thanks for your insights guys!

11-04-2011, 09:56 AM

Just for the record I'm coming from a 1Gb 1.8Ghz Dual Core 5 year old Toshiba A100 Satellite laptop which still "gets me by" a little bit

11-09-2011, 11:35 AM

anyone ?

11-09-2011, 11:41 AM

Have you looked in the Apple refurb store?

Basically same as new with new warranty and significant discount.

FWIW I think either of the laptops you mention should suit your needs. I would go with the one that makes the most sense from a budget standpoint, except given the choice I would get the best GPU I could afford since memory and HDs are upgradeable and graphics isn't.

11-09-2011, 11:46 AM

hmmm refurbish store ? Have to look into that, had no idea it existed...

you're right about the GPU... decisions decisions

11-10-2011, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by mindwalkr

hmmm refurbish store ? Have to look into that, had no idea it existed...

you're right about the GPU... decisions decisions

You don't say where in Europe you are, but here's a link the the Germany Apple On-line Store (will be similar elsewhere).

Refurbished MacBook Pro - Apple Store (Deutschland)

Availability of specific models fluctuates, but as you can see, respectable savings.

11-10-2011, 11:36 AM

For the time being I'm temporarily in the Netherlands. If I just take your URL and replace /de/ with /nl/ I get to a non existing page. Which is a bit strange since it works for other countries. Nonetheless I might as well just stop by a shop and ask in there!