Processor advice- buying max spec 15" rMBP

claypigeon101

claypigeon101

claypigeon101

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Hi guys,
I'm about to splash out on a full spec macbook pro,
15" retina
512GB SSD
Geforce 750M
16GB RAM
2.?GHz i7...

This is the question. Which processor to choose.

I'm running Logic Pro X with a few waves plugins and NI Komplete etc, and my little core2duo 2.66GHz/8GB Macbook is CPU-maxing out hard in my latest tracks.

I'm wondering if there are any drawbacks that you know of to buying the 2.8GHz (boost 4Ghz) i7 upgrade, over the stock 2.5Ghz (boost 3.7)

I'm thinking in terms of heat and power here. Do you know of any issues that having the maxed out processor could cause?

(For a change) the extra money (£150 ish) isn't an issue. It's a work investment, since I'm a producer and engineer/recording musician.

What do you think? Advice appreciated.
Thanks!
 
The Core 2 Duo is ancient. So anything from the last few years will be in a different league.

In the real-world, there won't be any drawbacks. However, there won't really be any advantage either. Unless it isn't your money at all or you can afford to throw it away, I wouldn't get the upgrade.
 
lamboman said:
The Core 2 Duo is ancient. So anything from the last few years will be in a different league.
Click to expand...

Thanks lamboman, although I didn't mean will there be a noticeable difference between my current chip. I've used the r15" and they're superbly put together and very fast.

But thanks for the input about the upgrade. I'm still considering.
 
claypigeon101 said:
Thanks lamboman, although I didn't mean will there be a noticeable difference between my current chip. I've used the r15" and they're superbly put together and very fast.

But thanks for the input about the upgrade. I'm still considering.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend the higher option. I currently have the previous generation top spec (haswell 4960hq, 2.6ghz 3.8ghz boost). Late 2013 I think.

The pro isn't able to cool the processor properly. It never boosts to 3.8ghz long enough it always throttles down to about 3.1-3.3 ghz. I'm sure that same will happen to you with the 4ghz version. I've replaced the thermal paste as well which helped the temps a bit but I still get throttling.

The benchmarks only give higher numbers because they're only a few minutes long. Also you get a lower battery life of about an hour. I'd recommend getting the 2.2ghz processor and save that money or get the bigger ssd if you have money to spare.
 
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Ahh I should also mention I had my pro replaced a few times (for other reasons) but they all had similiar thermal issues so I'm sure it's not a faulty Macbook.

The 1tb SSD is also faster than the 512gb if you want to take that into consideration.
 
momo56 said:
...The 1tb SSD is also faster than the 512gb if you want to take that into consideration.
Click to expand...

Thanks momo, some things to think about. These are the issues I was wondering if I'd be facing... I think the 2.5GHz really is the minimum though since I need to safely run projects with 100+ tracks every time...
 
claypigeon101 said:
Thanks lamboman, although I didn't mean will there be a noticeable difference between my current chip. I've used the r15" and they're superbly put together and very fast.

But thanks for the input about the upgrade. I'm still considering.
Click to expand...
Yeah, should have made myself clearer, I mean that the huge difference in performance between your current system and the new machine makes any performance difference between CPU options a moot point really. But that's obvious enough.

Honestly, the difference in performance is going to be tiny. A quick Google through the benchmarks reveals a pretty consistent difference of well under 5%, and in terms of spec they're identical aside from clock speed. Couple that with momo56's point about throttling (likely explaining the tiny difference), and it makes the decision even easier.

Not entirely sure I agree with the battery life difference, however could be some weird stuff going on there. Either way, money would be better spent elsewhere.
 
Thoughts, thoughts.
Superb input guys thank you very much.

A guy on the Apple forums says he has the 2.8GHz 6-8 hours a day use with no issues.
Perhaps the earlier issue Haswell in momo's rMBP had a cooling issue that was ironed out in the 2014 model?
 
momo56 said:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/review/mac-laptops/macbook-pro-retina-review-15inch-2014-3533760/

This review here shows the lower clocked cpu's with better battery life.
Click to expand...

Don't see anything stating an hour's difference, only 25 minutes on what is a rather silly benchmark, though that's really the biggest difference you're going to see. Under heavier loads the difference will certainly be smaller. There won't be a difference in cooling between them, just a spec bump.

Regardless, we're talking about a minimal difference in battery life, no real performance increase and a £150 expenditure that could be spent elsewhere (three 2TB portable hard drives, a decent 22" external display, 1.5 months of daily crap Starbucks hipster beverages).
 
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