i7 vs i5 and 1600mhz on MBP 13" (2011 version)

Hey peeps,

I realize this question might be asked elsewhere but i tried looking for it to no avail so I am posting my own thread and I have 2 questions.

1) I'm completely new to the Mac world and I am wondering if the 300$ difference is worth it for the i7 processor on the MBP 13"?

I am a college student majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I love creating stuff on the side like music (Garage band YAY!) and I use Photoshop a lot to create photo manipulations for fun. I also play the occasional video game but nothing too serious. That being said, is the difference worth it?

2) will 1600 mhz DDR3 SO-DIMM Ram (specifically Kingston Hyperx) work on the core i5 or core i7 13" MPB?

Cheers

Will the extra $300 break the bank? If so, skip it. If not, get it! Reviews for the i7 on the 13" have been pretty good considering it's a dual core. It has 4MB of L3 cache, as opposed to only 3 on the i5. You also get a 500gb drive with the i7, where the i5 gets only 320.

As for the ram, you can only run 1333mhz.

Don't forget, because you are a student, you can save $100 on either one.

Have you thought about a refurb unit? I would advise you take a look at them. You get the same warranty, same condition, but with a cheaper price. Can't go wrong with that!

Check out what I found:
$1269-Refurbished MacBook Pro 13" 2.7GHz dual-core Intel i7

and just for fun, a 15" MBP-
$1269-Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core i5

You like the 15"? For the same price...

I bought a refurbished MBP 15" 2 years ago, and it's still perfect! I will always look at the refurb list first before getting it new.

Actually I think the memory will work - there are quite a few threads over at Rumors where folks are using that. Just make sure you get the right one - evidently there are two 1600MHz options. Will you notice the speed difference? Highly unlikely.

Don't do something that will possibly void your warrant if anything goes wrong. Go within spec, and everything will be okay. Anyways, on the 13" MBP, you can not utilize the 1600mhz, it gets throttled down to 1333. The CPU can use 1600mhz, but the EFI notices the ram at 1333mhz. It's a different story on the 15" and 17" MBP. With this kind of throttling down, you could put a higher mhz ram stick on almost any computer....it doesn't mean that the answer is yes.

If you wanted to do it, you need these memory sticks models from Kingston: KHX1600C9S3K2/8G. Problem is that they are a bit hard to find.

Do not get this model with the "X" after it: KHX1600C9S3K2/8GX

Why pay extra for something you wont use?? If you are going to use this computer fora long time, when the time comes to upgrade computers, the 1600 probably won't be the standard.

Maximum RAM Speed Supported for MBP late 2011

Hi all, do 1600mhz RAM supported by MBP late 2011?

Hi All, I just bought a MBP late 2011, i plan to upgrade it to 8GB of RAM but do 1600Mhz supported by this late 2011 model?

Any Good Brand of RAM to intro?

Mac-crazy - Please don't cross post - and especially on 2 year old threads. I've brought your other post here as well.