MBP Processor speed question... go with 3.06ghz?

jtd


Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hi everyone,

I am in the market for a new MBP 15'' and have decided to get it from the applestore. I need it to be able to handle the adobe creative and design suite (including 3d rendering, etc.). I will get the 4gb of ram for now because its sooo expensive to upgrade. But, my question is about the processor. I have 2 ghz now and its a real pain to have to wait for every adjustment when modifying 3d objects, even in Illustrator. Will the 3.06 ghz make a difference for me?

Any advice is more than appreciated!

Thanks!
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Hi everyone,

I am in the market for a new MBP 15'' and have decided to get it from the applestore. I need it to be able to handle the adobe creative and design suite (including 3d rendering, etc.). I will get the 4gb of ram for now because its sooo expensive to upgrade. But, my question is about the processor. I have 2 ghz now and its a real pain to have to wait for every adjustment when modifying 3d objects, even in Illustrator. Will the 3.06 ghz make a difference for me?

Any advice is more than appreciated!

Thanks!

Remember that performance is a combination of things:

- CPU speed
- GPU speed
- bus speed
- ram speed
- even hard drive speed (5400 rpm vs. 7200rpm)

I believe that the new MacBook Pro's are more advanced in every area listed above vs. your MacBook....so you should see a decent performance increase.

BTW...in case you don't have an unlimited budget ;D ...are you sure you need the 3.06ghz processor? That's a $300 premium over the 2.8ghz.

Also...if you really NEED more ram...don't get it from Apple. I know Apple charges around $1000 for the 8 gig ram upgrade...I know you can get it for about $650 elsewhere.

Hope this helps,

- Nick
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Depends ...

If you are an amateur doing this on the weekend or a hobby - not worth the $300 unless you've just got the money to burn.

If you're earning a living with it / working on this stuff 40+ hours a week, then you'll make back more than the $300 over the course of 2 years even if you only save 1-2 seconds every time you do something.

Don't think you can get the 3.06 in store though. That's an upgrade option so they may not have it in stock. You would be able to order it from them.

The first thing I'd change out would be to put a 7200 RPM drive in it, like maybe the WD black. You will get a noticeable improvement with all things related to disk access with this drive over their stock 5400. I'd spend my money here, no matter which CPU you get.

And if you do not need the mobility, the same thing with a much better video card can be had with a 24" screen in the iMac.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
85
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Greenville, NC
Your Mac's Specs
17" Macbook Pro 3.06Ghz 7200RPM 500gb
I have the 17" MB pro with the 7200 rpm drive and 3.06 ghz processor and it is lightning fast. It really isn't necessary but it is pretty nice to have if you don't mind spending the extra $
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
I have the 17" MB pro with the 7200 rpm drive and 3.06 ghz processor and it is lightning fast. It really isn't necessary but it is pretty nice to have if you don't mind spending the extra $

That's always the trick...having the "extra" $$$!;D

- Nick
 
OP
J

jtd


Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks for all the info. I actually use the comp for fairly intense (as intense as photoshop can get) photoshop and illustrator work for work. It's how I make my menial living, so saving money is good, but I am willing to spend the money if it will allow me to run filters faster and render 3d objects in illustrator (I am about to go back to school for interactive design, masters elearning) and figure whatever makes my life easier is worth the money. I was only wondering if the 3.06 ghz will make a real improvement in speed while working inside of the Adobe suite.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Doubtful that you would notice any difference between them unless they were sitting side by side or using a stop watch for most tasks.

You're only talking about a 9% bump in clock speed and probably only see 6-8% real time improvement.
So, a 10 minute encode on the 2.8 for example, might be 40 seconds faster on the 3.06.
 
OP
J

jtd


Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Points
1
wow, that doesn't seem worth the extra 300.00 Thanks for the info
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
232
Reaction score
6
Points
18
Location
Jacksonville FL
Your Mac's Specs
13'' Macbook Pro 2.26 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3 500 GB 7200rpm HD
Ive always noticed that usually if you have money burning in your pocket and can really afford to get the highest cpu then by all means get it. However if you want to save some dough then getting the lower processor won't be that much a difference. Which is why I went with the low model mac processor and then i'm going to upgrade my ram and already did HD. But upgrading to a faster processor just seemed like dumping my money into something that wouldn't really be that necessary unless I had the money to throw at it.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Ive always noticed that usually if you have money burning in your pocket and can really afford to get the highest cpu then by all means get it. However if you want to save some dough then getting the lower processor won't be that much a difference. Which is why I went with the low model mac processor and then i'm going to upgrade my ram and already did HD. But upgrading to a faster processor just seemed like dumping my money into something that wouldn't really be that necessary unless I had the money to throw at it.

The general computer purchasing rule is buy as much computer as you can afford...because soon enough, today's fast computer is tomorrow's mediocre!;D

- Nick
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top