MBP ati mobility radeon x1600 128mb to 256mb worth paying extra?

I just wondered if it's worth to pay extra money for the 128mb to 256mb upgrade on the 3d card on the MBP. (I am planning to use the notebook for at least 3 years...)

I really dont know the difference ,except that future games might need it, but if I just want to watch movies and have Tiger and maybe the new version of the operation system, if it's necessarily...

 

how much more r they asking for the upgrade?

rule of thumb is dedicated gpu is better than integrated one, and the more memory on the gpu the better

cheers ...

 

it's worth it if you're going to use it. 256mb x1600 isn't worth getting for possible "future games." you can watch movies and surf the net perfectly on a 5 year old computer so i don't think that'll be an issue... a lot of people at my school use their MBP's for web-browsing and writing papers which is perfectly fine. we had a special offer for core duo/integrated intel graphics MBP for $1,299 which is good for people who don't need the power of high end MBP's.

 

Hi Vipe,
So, is it worth it? Today it's not a huge deal. The 128mb is a fast Gddr3 which in benchmarks is only slightly slower than the greater 256mb version. If gaming is your concern, you should see what the games your interested in recommend in Video Ram. 3 years down the road it won't matter how much ram you have as DX10 should be in full swing by then and cutting edge games will require you to have a DX10 capable card. the x1600 will not help much then. But it will still be viable for Programs, 3-d vector or 3-d effects, as you can be sure that more ram will be used and possibly required.

My preference was to buy the fully loaded 15" because I could, but I wouldn't have felt it to be inadequate if I purchased the lesser. 500 gets a faster processor, 1 gig ram, and more video ram. the gig of ram is at least $100 at newegg.com and I highly recommend it. $400 - it's up to you if you value nudging that extra ~10% in performance. But if you get the cheaper version and find it's not good enough 3 years later.. you can always sell it cause macs hold their value well

 

I understand that I wont be able to use for future games but will the video (including new formats etc) look better on a 256 mb ? Because of the Ati avivo technology...

Also what about the mac interface with the higher mb 3d card, when Leopard will come out for example...

 

I would just get the 128MB...the difference is going to be <10% in any game the X1600 can actually play.

Beyond that, $500 is simply too much for a 10% processor speed boost, 1GB of RAM, and the extra vRAM.

Get the 2.16GHz C2D version, and buy a stick of 1GB RAM on Newegg. Prices are hovering around $80 now.

 

wooo - $500 just for another xtra 128mb gpu memory?

i 2nd BonaFide in just stay with the stock option & invest in system ram instead

cheers ...

 

Yes, but will the OP have to add the RAM himself and will that not possibly void his warranty?

 

Ram is user upgradeable on the Mac book Pro, and fairly easy to do. Remove the battery, loosen a couple tight screws..remove access plate and viola.. you're ready to add ram.

 

Apple allows you to upgrade the RAM yourself on MBP's, but not the hard drive.

 

Why do macs hold their value more than say an hp or a sony?

 

It really depends on what you're using the MacBook Pro for. Is it for video intensive work such as graphic design, compositing, video editing, animation? Are you planning on playing current games? If the answer is yes then it would benefit you to pay the little extra cost and get the higher end card.

I do hope that ATI will work with Apple to make easily available for purchase highend graphics such as the Mobility FireGL V5200 used for modeling and animation.

 

is it easy to upgrade the ram from 1gb to 2 gb?

 

I have the 128mb version and a friend just gotten the 17" 256mb version and we did not notice significant improvement in terms of game play but slightly faster rendering in terms of 3D type applications.

We tested both notebooks using the same resolution, 1440x900. For 3D type rendering we used Maya and Adobe and notice improvement in speed and slight quality. (Note I'm not a design person so to me it looks about the same, but to her it did) For games we tested Doom 3 (mine) and Sim 4 (hers) and did not notice a significant improvement.

 

that might be because of the increased resolution of the 17" MBP.

 

Ding! Fabarati has a very valid point...

To make a fairer comparison, switch the 17" model down to 1440x900 before testing.