Which upgrade is better for MBP 15: 7200rpm HD or 2.66GHz i7?

NOT taking into consideration cost, which upgrade (from 5400->7200RPM or 2.4 i5--> 2.66 i7) would have a more significant effect on usage for a Macbook Pro 15?If there would be different strengths and weaknesses, i'd appreciate the subtleties, as well.

I know this is an odd configuration question, but it's because I ordered a 2.4GHz i5 MBP w/ 7200rpm 500GB HD w/ hi-res glossy through a friend's employee discount for approx $1900 yesterday (will arrive sometime this week). But today, I am seeing an offer for a new 2.66 i7 MBP w/ 5400rpm 500GB HD w/ hi-res anti-glare for $2100. Both are at VERY good prices relative to their retail price. Also, keep in mind the i7 upgrade includes upgraded video card memory (512MB vs 256).

So i'm considering selling or returning my ordered laptop and buying the i7 one. Thoughts?

 

Interesting question and my thoughts changed in some ways while reading.

$200 difference. Just to be clear when you first layed out the question. The answer for most people is the faster HDD matters more.

But $200 for the i7 620m and double the GPU memory is tempting. HDD upgrade is one of the easiest and low cost upgrades. What do you think of anti-glare? Some love and hard to get. If you like then yes worth more than $200.

What is your usage? I think as configured almost no difference in overall performance for normal user. Any CPU gain on the one could be offset by the faster HDD on the other. But consider HDD upgrade much easier and cheaper than CPU upgrade.

Good luck.

 

I think that the question in this case boils down to which screen type you like. If you're thinking about paying an extra $200 for the i7, you probably feel like it's a worthwhile upgrade. Also, the HDD can be swapped out easily later on to a 7200 RPM drive, but the screen cannot be changed easily.

Which do you like better, anti-glare or glossy?

 

i do slightly prefer glossy (which is why i custom-ordered it for hi-res glossy), but i don't necessarily have a strong opinion. it would be my first glossy screen (i've had thinkpads previously, and matte monitors as well), but glossy screens always look so sexy when i see other people with them. i do understand the problems with glare and oversaturation of colors, but i had decided on trying it out for myself, as it will mainly be used at home, connected to a monitor.

my usage is fairly light as well. the heaviest uses would be handbrake, heavy multi-tasking, occasional video/photo editing, and Starcraft 2. i do not do any programming or 3D rendering.

 

With your usage the CPU will rarely be the bottleneck, while a 5400rpm HDD will often be the bottleneck.