Macbook pro 15" 2010 or 2011

Hi, i am looking to buy a macbook pro 15" but i don't know whether i should get a used 2010 2.66ghz i7 with nivida graphics with 512mb video memory or a used 2.53ghz i5 with nivida graphics with 256mb video memory or the new 2011 2.0ghz quad-core i7 with amd graphics with 256mb video memory?

I mainly use the grunt of my laptop to do gaming and video editing so graphics are important.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Take a look here at the latest MacWorld Lab benchmarks for the new MBP machines. They also compare them to the previous models and include information regarding graphics. (frame rate, etc.)

oldhag1995 said:

Hi, i am looking to buy a macbook pro 15" but i don't know whether i should get a used 2010 2.66ghz i7 with nivida graphics with 512mb video memory or a used 2.53ghz i5 with nivida graphics with 256mb video memory or the new 2011 2.0ghz quad-core i7 with amd graphics with 256mb video memory?

I mainly use the grunt of my laptop to do gaming and video editing so graphics are important.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

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If you're a gamer, then I would think the 15" with the 2.2GHz and 1GB Radeon chip would be a no-brainer. I just ordered mine this morning, and even though I'm not a gamer, I think I'm going to see some benefit running my Creative Suite and Final Cut Studio.

The way I figure it, over 4 years (about how long I average a portable) I'm going to spend $600/year. That's less than what most spend on cable/satellite, and I spend 6-10 hours/day on my computer. Very much a worthwhile expenditure.

I have had a look at the macworld benchmarks but i didn't really know how to interpret them and the 2.2ghz is way out of my price range but thanks anyway

oldhag1995 said:

I have had a look at the macworld benchmarks but i didn't really know how to interpret them and the 2.2ghz is way out of my price range but thanks anyway

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Understandable. While a great system, they're definitely not cheap!

This is probably the take-home quote from the MacWorld testing as it relates to you:

The 15-inch 2.0GHz quad core Core i7 MacBook Pro was 33 percent faster overall than the 15-inch 2.4GHz dual core Core i5 system introduced last April. The new MacBook Pro’s Handbrake time was 51 percent faster than the older system, while its iTunes encoding times were 24 percent faster. Duplicating and Unzipping files didn’t see much improvement between the systems, and Call of Duty framerate was slower than the older system.

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The previous system was/is a very good system, and if you're going to be doing a fair amount of gaming without moving to the high-end MBP, then I think I'd personally stick with the 2010 version. Even better, you can pick up a referb with full warranty and save yourself even more.

This looks pretty dog-gone good!


Refurbished MacBook
Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7
Originally released April 2010
15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display (1440 x 900 pixel)
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory
$1,599.00

I have done some more research and i could maybe get a 2.2ghz quad-core for £200 more than a 2.66ghz, would this be worth it and which would hold their money better if i wanted to upgrade next year?

You could always wait, but do you need one now? If so, 200 more for the better processor isn't all that big of a jump in price. I just got a 2.3 quad core MBP 17" and love it. The speed jump from my 13" 2009 MBP was nice to have

yeah i do need one soon because i sold my old macbook pro 13" 2.4ghz core 2 duo because half life 2 was not running great at all and i now need one for school. Does quad core make much difference speed wise?

My suggestion would be to get one of the i5 last-gen MacBooks vs. the last i7. That will save you $$ with hardly any difference in performance. If you are looking at the last-gen i7 then just go for the new Quad Core.

oldhag1995 said:

I have done some more research and i could maybe get a 2.2ghz quad-core for £200 more than a 2.66ghz, would this be worth it and which would hold their money better if i wanted to upgrade next year?

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Within one year, they will both still be great machines, but with the much increased graphics power of the 2.2/1GB Radeon, I would think it (the 2.2) would have the edge, unless of course Apple doesn't something to drastically improve the top line for next year. If you go with the higher-end MBP, why would you need upgrade next year? Not saying you shouldn't, but that system should get you by for more than a year I would think. I'm putting a 720GB/7200rpm HDD in mine plus maxing out the 8GB RAM. I'm hoping to get a minimum of 3 years out of mine, and hopefully 4+.

As to whether or not the 2.2 is worth the extra money, I wish I could answer that for you. I beat myself up for three days asking myself the same question. I finally concluded it would be. With your gaming requirements, it wouldn't surprise me if you would conclude the same. Ultimately, though, it's going to be your decision as to how much you can afford.

Ultimately, I think you'll be pleased with either.

One of the main reasons for my upgrade is because my friend bought a 2.8ghz i7 a couple of months ago and i have become victim to sort of nerd bullying, would 2.2ghz quad-core be better than his?

it would be worth £200 to see his face.

oldhag1995 said:

One of the main reasons for my upgrade is because my friend bought a 2.8ghz i7 a couple of months ago and i have become victim to sort of nerd bullying, would 2.2ghz quad-core be better than his?

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Without having the benchmarking results to look at, I would still think there would be a performance increase over the 2.8 i7, but I can't say that definitively.

I would be pretty certain that you could get his same portable for a lot less than he paid, though.

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 - Apple Store (U.S.)

oldhag1995 said:

One of the main reasons for my upgrade is because my friend bought a 2.8ghz i7 a couple of months ago and i have become victim to sort of nerd bullying, would 2.2ghz quad-core be better than his?

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Based on the geekbench scores - definitely. I geek benched my 2.8GHz i7 dual core this week - and averaged right at 6000 (4 runs in 32-bit mode. Averaged around 6650 for 64-bit). It looks like the quad core 2.3GHz (which shipped out to me today ) is running just at 10,000.

oldhag1995 said:

it would be worth £200 to see his face.

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I believe your decision has been made then...;D

Just have to convince mum to loan me £200 now.
Thanks for your help its much appreciated.

Hopefully she'll front you the cash. The quad core drives are nice indeed. Good luck!