MBP 13" w/ 8GB RAM or 15" w/ i5 or i7 and 4GB RAM

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Hi,
I'm completely confused as to what is better for my needs: more ram or more processing power.

I'm attending an MBA program in the fall, and I will be working heavily with productivity applications such as ms office or iworks. I also do digital photo editing in PS and lightroom2, and I do very minimal video editing through imovie.

I currently have the black 13" MB, but it is way too slow for my needs.

My question is, should I buy the new 13" MBP and opt for 8GB of RAM? Or should I buy the new 15" MBP w/ i5 and leave the RAM at 4GB. Or even the 15" MBP w/ i7?

I really like the 13" format, but I really feel uncomfortable about purchasing antiquated equipment with the lack of an i5 processor in the latest offering - especially since technology moves so quickly.

Thoughts? Thanks.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
1.8 GHz i7 MBA 11" OSX 10.8.2
RAM can be important if the tools you use are RAM intensive. That being said what you described running 4GB should be enough. The form factor of the 13" means you give up the newer processors as you mentioned. So if you want to future proof - get an i5 or i7 - whatever you can afford as the i7 will have horsepower to run for a while. Plus if you go with an i5 or i7 you can always upgrade the RAM later if you find that 4GB isn't enough. You cannot upgrade a 13" processor.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
iMac 20" 2.4 GHz Dual Core 3GB Ram 320GB Hard Drive 10.6.2 :: Ipod Touch 8 GB :: Beastly Gaming PC
Well said. It's best to base your purchase around the processor, because your can't upgrade it once you buy your laptop. RAM on the other hand is very easy to upgrade.
 

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