2.26 ghz or 2.53 ghz macbook pro 13"?

looking to get the macbook pro 13". should I get the 2.26 ghz or shell out the extra $300 and go with the 2.53 ghz (+ more ram & larger HD)?

 

remember you can easily upgrade the ram in your macbook from 2 gigs to 4 gigs very easily for only 50$ if you buy it yourself

if you find yourself running out of HD space, get the 2.53 ghz model

the .27 ghz clock will not make that much of a difference, so i wouldnt base your decision on that.

 

thanks jackpfree.
if the 2.53 ghz is not noticeably faster then it might not be worth the difference.
can I also switch out the HD myself?

 

yeah. I just bought mine and I'm gonna get HDD from newegg and replace it. The 320GB hdd is for under a $100. As for the installation, it seems easy. Search around in this forum and google and you'll find instructions on how to do that. I think Apple have a PDF file somewhere with the instructions too.

 

By the way, the base model comes with 2 X 1GB RAM. So you'll need to get 2 X 2GB. I got crucial and costs about $30 each.

 

what task will you do on it?

 

Everyone says that the money is not worth it. I have to disagree. So you'll spend 60 on memory on your own, prolly about another 80 on the HD. So there is 150ish after shipping and tax. Then you have to install it on your own. So for me, I'd say that the 150 is worth it for the extra speed and time saved, especially if you are afraid that you might screw something up.

 

+1

If you're going to upgrade the HD and RAM on the base model, I'd say it's worth getting the higher-end model and skip the hassle of opening up the case, risking damaging something, stripping screws etc... Plus you'll have a slightly faster CPU.

 

Didn't want to start a new thread with the same question. But I still can't decide on whether to get the 2.26 or 2.53.

I would still be upgrading the HD to Seagate 500GB 7200RPM (139$) on both.
I have the student discount.

Base 13"
$1,100 + $139 (500GB 7200) + $57(crucial 2GB X2)= $1300 (basically) + tax
$1,400+$139 (500GB 7200)= $1539+ tax

I would get the base but I am worried about speed. I do alot of Music Recording, HD Video decoding, photo editing, and plan on playing the Sims 3, GTA 4. My Sony SR has a 2.4 ghz processor and I find it good overall.

Thanks

 

thanks everyone for your responses.

Actually you may be right. I'll need to check out prices on 2gb rams and HD. If the difference with those upgrades on top of the cost of the 2.26ghz is not that much compared to the 2.53ghz then I might as well go with the latter.

I'm looking to replace my ~5 year old acer I've been lugging around between home and office. Main usage will be internet, word processing, spread sheets, presentations, and photo/graphics editing with occasional gaming. It'll be my first mac so this is all new to me.

 

does replacing the memory and hard drive void the applecare plan???

 

nope, those are the only two things that don't

 

Which makes 2.26 an easier choice.

 

It does make it the easier choice, but if he isn't very skilled in that, or is afraid of corrupting something, then I would suggest he pay for the more expensive one.

 

Imho, it's not worth the money.

Seriously the processor speed bump is too less to be any significant value. The RAM is upgradeable, but 2GB is plenty for now. Oh and does Leopard recognize 4 gigs? Cause the 32 bit windows vista recognizes only 3.3 gigs apparently.

So maybe you can upgrade l8r after snow leopard release, by which time the RAM prices would have come down. ( They are really cheap now, so not a big deal )

Oh and about the HDD , I don't think that's a big issue with everyone having external HDD's . Also i don't think the extra 80 gigs is worth it. (you could use your ipod as an HDD, if your budget really sucks)

 

you aren't going to be playing GTA4 on your macbook...

*sigh*

 

If you are going to be doing music recording, and video and photo editing then every bit of processor speed will make a huge difference when your compiling, decoding and other stuff.

Be prepared to play GTA 4 with everything on low low settings and low resolution to be able to play it without hiccups.

 

I just picked up the 2.26 ghz today with upgraded ram to 4 gb and 250 gb 7,200 rpm HD... saved about $150 over the 2.53... couldn't be happier. this is my first Mac and so far it's been great! Have been using it for at least 4 hours non stop! Have to say, the boot time and shut down is amazing! hope it stays like this.

Thanks to everyone for all your kind advices. Now I just need to find hints and shortcuts or 'how to' use a mac. will have to check out the stickies. thanks again!

 

Go for the 2.26ghz version. I got that one and got apple care and more ram with the extra $300.

 

it's sooo easy to install additional ram and upgrade hard drive once you have read the manual.

 

I guess it's a no-brainer for me since I'll just rip the 500GB drive and 4GB of ram from my Thinkpad (Yes, its SATA and DDR3 also) and pop it in the Macbook Pro... A no cost upgrade, $300 cheaper and I can wait the few extra seconds it might take to shrink a DVD, rip a CD or encode a video.