New 13" MacBook Pro - the difference...

[pod]

I am in the market for a new 13" MacBook Pro. £256 (Apple UK website) for a marginal increase in hard drive capacity (250GB>320GB) and a not really noticeable(?) speed increase (2.4>2.66GHz) seems a lot to me. Or am I missing something?

 

[6string]

Not really. What you are seeing is that it will cost you a lot more to have Apple change the HD for you and keep the original, rather than you changing it yourself and you keeping the original HD.
Oh, and a negligible bump in processor speed.

 

[pod]

Why would anyone buy the second model if the speed increase is only negligible and a very portable external HD with a much greater capacity can be had for a lot less then £256...

Same with the two 15" i5 models ( although you'll get a 180GB increase for only £154)...

 

[6string]

Why would anyone buy the second model if the speed increase is only negligible and a very portable external HD with a much greater capacity can be had for a lot less then £256...

Most people just want faster because they want it, even if it's not needed.
As for external, that is an essential extra for anyone, but I'm talking about the internal, which not everyone is either comfortable tinkering with, or aren't aware that they are user replaceable.

Same with the two 15" i5 models ( although you'll get a 180GB increase for only £154)...

As above.

A point to add on faster processors, better specs etc, is that you get better resale value.

 

[pod]

So why didn't you go for the second i5 model then? ;-)

 

[6string]

I would only have done the upgrade if I were going to go with the i7.
That would have been $600 out of pocket more.
If I were going the i7, I'd have also taken the $290 upgrade to 2.8GHz if money weren't an issue, and still upgrade the HD and RAM myself, just for resale value once again.

With a larger and faster HD and more RAM (500GB 7200rpm HD and 8GB RAM which cost me $200 all up), I get real time performance increase, which performs better than the stock 2.53GHz i5, and better resale value than the stock 2.53GHz too.

 

[chris_uk]

Its £256 more to go from 2.4 250gb ------> 2.6 320gb, but only £36 to just upgrade to the 320gb hdd!

I have literaly just ordered (in the last 20mins)the 2.4 250gb model, i was going to go for the more expensive model but as mention the difference between 2.4 and 2.6 is hardly even noticable for the kind of stuff i will be doing!

 

[pod]

but only £36 to just upgrade to the 320gb hdd!

Thanks for pointing that out. I'll be going for this option too...