MacBook Pro GAMERS: 2.4 vs 2.6 OR 7200rpm drive OR?

I am getting a 15" MacBook Pro soon. I might wait for Macworld to see what improvements Apple makes in the line, but I want to see if some of the Apple-installed upgrades are really worth it, so I can possibly avoid unnecessarily spending some $. I will be maxing RAM to 4GB, and am getting the glossy display. I am not planning on using Windows Vista at this time.
I mainly play WoW and Doom
1) Clock speed: 2.4gHz vs 2.6gHz. Does this speed bump give ANY noticeable improvement in game play?
2) Hard drive: 5400rpm 160GB vs 7200 200GB: It seem to me this may be a good investment to avoid too much thrashing.
Opinions, please!

For older games like WOW and Doom, don't bother spending money getting an extra 200Mhz, for the 2.6Ghz, even the 2.2Ghz model would run those games just fine to be honest. As for the hard drive, unless you are doing professional video work, or working with large files (over a 1GB for a single file) don't bother getting the 7200rpm, get a larger 5400rpm drive (a larger 5400rpm drive is actually faster than a smaller 7200rpm drive in terms of actual read/write time).
Message was edited by: PB PM

Similar Messages

  • I have a MacBook Pro, 10.10.2 Yosemite. My external hard drive no longer appears on my screen or in Time Machine

    I have a MacBook Pro, 10.10.2 Yosemite. My external hard drive no longer appears on my screen or in Time Machine. I have gone into Disc Utility to repair disc, and get the message: Error: Partition map check failed because no slices were found. I was trying to follow Melophage's instructions by going into "Terminal" and entering  "diskutil list; diskutil cs list; mount"  and "diskutil info disk2."  Then I entered the command "sudo got show disk1."   I am sure I have made the problem worse. Can you give me some help?  Thank you. blelambert
    Last login: Wed Mar 11 19:23:03 on ttys000
    ~ belambert$ diskutil list
    /dev/disk0
       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *251.0 GB   disk0
       1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
       2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         250.1 GB   disk0s2
       3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
    /dev/disk1
       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
       0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *249.8 GB   disk1
                                     Logical Volume on disk0s2
                                     7A998EAE-68FB-4BAC-BF40-7A31D2806B2C
                                     Unlocked Encrypted
    /dev/disk2
       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *2.0 TB     disk2
       1:         Microsoft Reserved                         134.2 MB   disk2s1
    ~ belambert$ diskutil cs list
    CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
    |
    +-- Logical Volume Group 883A56F4-5559-4872-A8DA-960F99655B63
        =========================================================
        Name:         Macintosh HD
      Status:       Online
        Size:         250140434432 B (250.1 GB)
        Free Space:   8921088 B (8.9 MB)
        |
        +-< Physical Volume 7EDAFA20-FF9A-45FB-BA44-6526BB46C381
        |   ----------------------------------------------------
        |   Index:    0
        |   Disk:     disk0s2
        |   Status:   Online
        |   Size:     250140434432 B (250.1 GB)
        |
        +-> Logical Volume Family B47B0B40-CBF2-4D02-BFEF-182061AC6F8E
            Encryption Status:       Unlocked
            Encryption Type:         AES-XTS
            Conversion Status:       Complete
            Conversion Direction:    -none-
            Has Encrypted Extents:   Yes
            Fully Secure:            Yes
            Passphrase Required:     Yes
            |
            +-> Logical Volume 7A998EAE-68FB-4BAC-BF40-7A31D2806B2C
                Disk:                  disk1
                Status:                Online
                Size (Total):          249779191808 B (249.8 GB)
                Conversion Progress:   -none-
                Revertible:            Yes (unlock and decryption required)
                LV Name:               Macintosh HD
                Volume Name:           Macintosh HD
                Content Hint:          Apple_HFS
    ~ belambert$ mount
    /dev/disk1 on / (hfs, local, journaled)
    devfs on /dev (devfs, local, nobrowse)
    map -hosts on /net (autofs, nosuid, automounted, nobrowse)
    map auto_home on /home (autofs, automounted, nobrowse)
    localhost:/vB3z604U-dvSpES6320fHq on /Volumes/MobileBackups (mtmfs, nosuid, read-only, nobrowse)
    ~ belambert$ diskutil info disk2
       Device Identifier:        disk2
       Device Node:              /dev/disk2
       Part of Whole:            disk2
       Device / Media Name:      WD My Book 111A Media
      File System:              None
       Content (IOContent):      GUID_partition_scheme
       OS Can Be Installed:      No
       Media Type:               Generic
       Protocol:                 USB
       SMART Status:             Not Supported
       Total Size:               2.0 TB (2000365289472 Bytes) (exactly 3906963456 512-Byte-Units)
       Volume Free Space:        Not applicable (no file system)
       Device Block Size:        512 Bytes
       Read-Only Media:          No
       Read-Only Volume:         Not applicable (no file system)
       Ejectable:                Yes
      File System:              None
       Content (IOContent):      GUID_partition_scheme
       OS Can Be Installed:      No
       Media Type:               Generic
       Protocol:                 USB
       SMART Status:             Not Supported
       Total Size:               2.0 TB (2000365289472 Bytes) (exactly 3906963456 512-Byte-Units)
       Volume Free Space:        Not applicable (no file system)
       Device Block Size:        512 Bytes
       Read-Only Media:          No
       Read-Only Volume:         Not applicable (no file system)
       Ejectable:                Yes
    belambert  ttys000                   Wed Mar 11 17:34 - 17:39  (00:05)
    belambert  ttys000                   Wed Mar 11 17:33 - 17:34  (00:00)
    wtmp begins Sun Mar  8 14:40
    ~ belambert$ ~ belambert$ diskutil list
    -bash: :~: command not found
    ~ belambert$ /dev/disk0
    -bash: /dev/disk0: Permission denied
    :~ belambert$    #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
    ~ belambert$    0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *251.0 GB   disk0
    -bash: 0:: command not found
    :~ belambert$    1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
    -bash: 1:: command not found
    ~ belambert$    2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         250.1 GB   disk0s2
    -bash: 2:: command not found
    ~ belambert$    3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
    -bash: /dev/disk1: Permission denied
    ~ belambert$    #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
    ~ belambert$    0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *249.8 GB   disk1
    -bash: 0:: command not found
    ~ belambert$                                  Logical Volume on disk0s2
    -bash: Logical: command not found
    ~ belambert$                                  7A998EAE-68FB-4BAC-BF40-7A31D2806B2C
    -bash: 7A998EAE-68FB-4BAC-BF40-7A31D2806B2C: command not found
    ~ belambert$                                  Unlocked Encrypted
    -bash: Unlocked: command not found
    :~ belambert$ /dev/disk2
    -bash: /dev/disk2: Permission denied
    ~ belambert$    #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
    :~ belambert$    0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *2.0 TB     disk2
    -bash: 0:: command not found
    ~ belambert$    1:         Microsoft Reserved                         134.2 MB   disk2s1
    -bash: 1:: command not found
    ~ belambert$ ~ belambert$ diskutil cs list
    -bash: ~: command not found
    ~ belambert$ CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
    -bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('
    ~ belambert$ |
    -bash: syntax error near unexpected token `|'
    ~ belambert$ +-- Logical Volume Group 883A56F4-5559-4872-A8DA-960F99655B63
    -bash: +--: command not found
    ~ belambert$     =========================================================
    -bash: =========================================================: command not found
    ~ belambert$     Name:         Macintosh HD
    -bash: Name:: command not found
    ~ belambert$
    -bash: 3:: command not found
    ~ belambert$ /dev/disk1
       Whole:                    Yes
       Internal:                 No
       OS 9 Drivers:             No
       Low Level Format:         Not supported
    :~ belambert$ Last login: Wed Mar 11 19:23:03 on ttys000
    ~ belambert$ diskutil list
       Whole:                    Yes
       Internal:                 No
       OS 9 Drivers:             No
       Low Level Format:         Not supported
    ~ belambert$ Last login: Wed Mar 11 19:23:03 on ttys000
    ~ belambert$ diskutil list
       Volume Name:              Not applicable (no file system)
       Mounted:                  Not applicable (no file system)

    racergirl,
    have you tried resetting your MacBook Pro’s System Management Controller, to see if that makes a difference with the heat?

  • Can someone please help me re-install my Creative Design 5.5 on my Mac?  My MacBook Pro recently crashed and had to have the hard drive replaced.  The back up from Time Machine is not reinstalling the program.  Since I have the download paid, and codes, I

    Can someone please help me re-install my Creative Design 5.5 on my Mac?  My MacBook Pro recently crashed and had to have the hard drive replaced.  The back up from Time Machine is not reinstalling the program.  Since I have the download paid, and codes, I need direction on how to reinstall -- HELP?

    Hi bodegakc,
    If you have the serial number then please use the below mentioned link to download the product you are looking for .
    CS5.5
    Also before installing Please go to Applications-->Utilities--> Adobe installers and if there is any uninstaller for CS5.5 , you can remove it and do a fresh install.
    You can also use creative cloud cleaner tool before installing.
    Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6
    Thanks
    Nikhil Gupta

  • Can I set up my Macbook Pro to boot to Win 7 from an external drive?

    Rather than partition my internal drive for having to work with Windows & Office 2010 (specifically Access 2010) can I set up my macbook pro to boot to Win 7 from an external drive?

    No, not with Boot Camp. I've never even tried it with a VM (which I use) - I keep all the data on my internal drive. I'm not saying that it couldn't be done with a VM, I've just never tried it.
    Clinton

  • I have just bought a macbook pro and i want to use an ext hard drive with it which i previously used on a windows computer, but when i plug it in it doesn't show up on my macbook pro, I've wiped it and just need to format it but don't know how, help

    i have just bought a macbook pro and i want to use an ext hard drive with it which i previously used on a windows computer, but when i plug it in it doesn't show up on my macbook pro, I've wiped it and just need to format it but don't know how, any help would be much appreciated

    Try the other USB port. If it still doesn't show up in Disk Utility then there may be something wrong with your Mac. Try something else in each USB port and see if it is seen. If the other thing, like a USB thumb drive, does show up in disk utiltiy then the USB ports are fine.
    Power down the system and restart with the drive connected, go to DU and see it it is seen.

  • Hi, I have macbook Pro, running Leopard OS X. I partitioned my hard drive a while ago to install windows and only allowed myself 10 Gig of data. Anyway, i deleted windows and want another OSX on there instead. How do i make this partition bigger please??

    Hi, I have macbook Pro, running Leopard OS X. I partitioned my hard drive a while ago to install windows and only allowed myself 10 Gig of data. I deleted windows after i realised i wasnt enjoying using it at all and wasted my hard drive. I now decided that i want another OSX on there instead yet i have only allowed myself 10 gb on the partition. I have ben thru some programms but am struggling on making this partition bigger.
    I only want it at 20gb but cant seem to make the partition bigger, only smaller or split it into further partition.
    Is there a way to do this, i have all installation discs from original OSX so think this could help.
    Any help please would be fantastic.
    Thanks Chris

    Hi, dragging the partition will only make smaller, not larger. In disk utility you can only split or make smaller the partitions. Yes i booted from installation disks also but still no help.
    And Brody, I am willing to erase the disc completely, infact jus started doing a backup in order to do so but that failed also. And the information you gave on partition a hard drive, Although very simple and i already know how to do this, but it wont let me make the partition bigger, and i dont want to make a new partition, just enlarge the one i already have, which i dont see possible from disk utility.
    Getting really frustrated now, even backing up is saying no to me. **** external being a douche.
    I dont mind erasing the hard drive but surely this must be doable without deleting the secondary partition back t a single volume, and re partitioning into 2 volumes again.
    Thanks again

  • What is the difference in price of MacBook Pro 13-inch:   2.9GHz750GB and  256GB solid-state drive

    What is the difference in price of MacBook Pro 13-inch:   2.9GHz750GB and  256GB solid-state drive ?

    go to the Store and configure all the models with upgrades but... an SSD will be fast and responsive, no noise or heat and adds $200 probably to the cost
    macbook series forum though, are here (not here)
      MacBook Pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
    http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro

  • How do i upload OS x Snow Leopard on my macbook pro 13 if it does not have an optical drive?

    how do i upload OS x Snow Leopard on my macbook pro 13 if it does not have an optical drive?

    Use an external one.
    (112340)

  • My MacBook Pro died suddenly when I was removing a flash drive (LG up3 neon ps4) and is now both unresponsive and unchargable. Is there anything I can do to fix it on my own? (There aren't any apple stores in my current country)

    My MacBook Pro died suddenly when I was removing a flash drive (LG up3 neon ps4) and is now both unresponsive and cannot be charged. Troubleshooting.... Is there anything I can do to fix it on my own? (There aren't any apple stores in my current country)

    Hello antol1n1,
    Sorry to hear your MacBook Pro is not charging or powering on.  Sometimes a System Management Controller reset can help with the following charging and power issues:
    Power
    The computer doesn't respond to the power button when pressed.
    A portable Mac doesn't appear to respond properly when you close or open the lid.
    The computer sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly.
    The battery does not appear to be charging properly.
    The MagSafe power adaptor LED doesn't appear to indicate the correct activity.
    To reset the System Management Controller on your MacBook Pro (with a built-in battery) , you can follow these steps:
    Shut down the computer.
    Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
    On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
    Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
    Press the power button to turn on the computer. 
    Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.
    You can find more information in the full article here:
    Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
    I hope this helps!
    Best,
    Sheila M.

  • I received a macbook pro in april but it has not any optical drive although it was included in the order form. What should I do?

    i received a macbook pro in april but it has not any optical drive although it was included in the order form. What should I do?

    I now the place but it is my first time to work with mac and no body is here to help me and i should figure it out by myself. The slot looks closed with the similar color  as aluminum so i thought it is blocked. But in system info i saw that there is  a drive on my macpro so i test a cd to insert and .

  • Can a MacBook Pro with Microsoft Office 2008 accept a Windows USB drive?

    Can a MacBook Pro with Microsoft Office 2008 accept a Windows USB drive?

    You can hook up an USB drive formatted as FAT32 or NTFS(read-only), but it can't read exFAT drives or boot Windows from an USB drive.
    (72945)

  • Im swithching from 2007 macbook pro 17" to 2011 macbook pro 17" . Can i clone the old hard drive and use OSX 10.5.8?

    Can I install OSX 10.5.8 on a new macbook pro which comes with Lion? I would like to clone my old hard drive onto the new mac without lion causing compatibility issues????

    trajan2050 wrote:
    What if replace the new 2011 MBP drive with a brand new SSD with snow leopard pre installed?
    Snow Leopard may be possible, depending on whether it was shipped from the factory with SL and had Lion installed in the supply chain, or if it shipped with Lion in the first place. However the SL version would have to be the one which was originally installed or later, which likely means 10.6.7 or.8. The retail 10.6.3 installer won't work, nor will an installation cloned from a different Mac unless it was from the exact same model.
    Plenty of threads around concerning installing SL in place of Lion - do a search. Some have been successful.
    Replacing the HD wouldn't be necessary, and won't make the OS version run the rest of the hardware.

  • My MacBook Pro won't let me mount my external Hard Drive. Just trying to restore my iTunes library.

    My MacBook Pro, less than a year old, started acting weird. I backed everything up, took it in to Best Buy, who sent it out to Apple Repair and they put in a new motherboard.
    It's running on Mac OS X Version 10.7.4
    Now I am trying to put everything back on the computer from my external Maxtor 80GB Hard Drive. MacBook Pro won't recognize the external drive.
    I tried Disk Utility. I can see the external drive, and did a repair disk and verify disk. Several times. Each time it says "This partition map seems to be ok."
    However, I am not able to mount it, as that option is greyed out and i can't select it.
    Also, under the Icon for the external hard drive, it has the Macintosh HD Icon (essentially my computer). I tried to restore this way, didn't work.
    I need this to mount, as it has all of my itunes stuff on it; dozens of my sons movies, and my entire iTunes library.
    PLEASE HEEEEELP!! HOW CAN I MOUNT THIS EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE? Thank you in advance

    Try things in this USB/Firewire faq.
    DALE

  • MacBook Pro 'Crunching/Grinding' noise, is it the fan/hard drive?

    I posted a YouTube video so you could hear the noise my MacBook Pro 15 inch laptop is making. Here is the link as well as the copy/pasted description I used on YouTube (too lazy to re-write) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW8bIOeOv-w
    Hi guys,
    Two weeks ago my MacBook Pro started getting really hot on the back left hand side of the keyboard area -- to the point that I couldn't have it resting on my legs.
    It is now making a crunching noise from the same area. Sometimes it doesn't crouch and other times it's so loud it sounds like an expiring bomb. It doesn't have to do with how many programs I'm using. I just watched a full movie and it was silent on the crunch noise ... Other times nothing is running and it's just sitting there crunching away.
    Not sure if this is a fan or hard drive issue -- I've YouTubed other videos but my noise seems to be completely different from everything I've found. Any help would be great.
    Heading into Apple tomorrow but I'm worried it'll stop making the noise when I go in, like the car whose breaks squeak until you take it to the mechanic type of thing.
    Any help would be grateful appreciated and received.
    Best, MPG.

    The technicians at the genius bar can listen to your link as well.
    Ciao.

  • My Mid 2009 Macbook pro (Just purchased) will not turn on after hard drive change and ram upgrade

    So i purchased a mid 2009 Macbook Pro from a guy with 4 gb of ram and 250gb hard drive. It worked perfectly fine when i booted it with his hard drive and ram installed.
    I spilled beer in my old computer (late 2009 15" 500gb hard drive and 8gb ram) but took the hard drive to get tested and it worked fine. i later found out it was from a 2010.
    Like an idiot i assumed the pro i just purchased would be able to handle the same upgrades that were in my old computer so i threw in the 500gb hard drive (2010) and the 8gb of ram.
    The thing booted up fine, just a bit slow which i chalked up to my hard drive sitting unplugged for a long time.
    After about 3 minutes it crashed on me. Confused i replaced the 4gb of original ram back into it. (the 8gb ram was pny i bought from ebay so i thought it could be that) It decided not to turn on or show any lights on the front except for the battery meter.
    After this i replaced the original hard drive and still NO LUCK!! im really mad because i am in desperate need of the information on my original 500gb hard drive and im afraid i have destroyed 2 computers and about $1K worth of cash out the window.
    HELP please enlighten me on what i have done and if the situation can be fixed.

    UPDATE: Problem solved with the old hard drive in it, Now the less pressing issue:
    Will the computer run my 500gb hard drive with all my information on it? I need to forward a resume and it is on that hard drive.

Maybe you are looking for