Ram or Processor

Looking at getting a new macbook pro with retina, I'm getting the 13'' modle, just wuick question, both the following options are the same price, but which one is best and why?
Intel Core i5 Dual core, 2.6Ghz turbo boost to 3.1Ghz with 16Gb RAM
or
Intel Core i7 Dual core, 2.8Ghz turbo boost to 3.3Ghz with 8Gb RAM
Thanks
Tom

tmorley93 wrote:
Intel Core i5 Dual core, 2.6Ghz turbo boost to 3.1Ghz with 16Gb RAM
Buy the one highlighted above.
You may not notice much difference between 8GB and 16GB RAM.
Best.

Similar Messages

Should I upgrade the RAM, the Processor, and add an ATA/133 card?!

Hello!
I have a few more questions...
I only have 2 internal drives...
(one 300GB which is the main one that runs the applications and one 60Gb used as extra storage mainly for my video projects)
Do I need an ATA/133 PCI controller card for them?
will it really be worth it?
(meaning will it actually make a difference in speed or not?)
or do you only need one of those cards if you have 3 or 4 drives?
also,
would adding more RAM (up to the 2.0 GB limit)
(my comp is currently at 1.25 GB)
make a huge difference?
and the processor...
if i upgrade it to the 1.8 GHz
(it's currently at 867 MHz)
will it be a major improvement?
i guess I'm asking if i would benefit in upgrading
everything:
the RAM,
the processor,
and adding an ATA/133 PCI controller card
or would just upgrading/adding one or two of these be suffice?
I'm seriously looking into upgrading my comp but I want to know
what benefits me and what won't really make a difference
-Cristina-
p.s.
I know I posted this somewhere earlier,
but I'm just so anxious :/
I've been looking at so much information that my head feels like it's going to explode!

Hi-
You don't need a controller card.
If you keep your main drive(s) on the ATA/100 bus (rear carrier), and add (if you like) up to two drives to the ATA/66 (forward carrier) bus, for storage, archives, etc., you will have fine performance from all drives.
If you are going to add a drive, I would add a larger drive to the ATA/100 bus, and move the smaller (60gb) to the ATA/66 position, relegated to storage. Your graphics work (is it?) will then run well on the two drives on the ATA/100 bus.
In a G4, running with maximum RAM (2gb) is always a good performance move, and helps reduce the "spinning beachball", especially with large graphics files. As for "huge difference", not as such, but, RAM is one of the cheapest (especially now) performance buys that can be had, and more RAM is always better than less.
Upgrading to dual 1.8ghz processors would be a "Wow!" type of upgrade, compared to the current dual 867mhz processors. Be advised, that processor upgrades require that you be able to boot to OS 9 prior to installing the processor upgrade. This is to apply necessary "patches" to allow the system to use the new processors. If you don't still have a boot-able OS 9 installed on your machine, you will need to have that ability prior to a processor upgrade.
Another processor upgrade option, would be to change your processors to dual 1.25 or 1.42mhz processors from another MDD. The difference from a 11.25 dual processor, and the dual 1.8, is really between 10-15% increase in performance, with the 1.25mhz providing about 20-25% increase over the dual 867mhz processors. The main problem with this approach, is that there are some modifications that must be made, which aren't the average "do it yourself" type of work.
In the end, though, you may want to take the upgrade money, $600+, sell the MDD, $300+, and put the money on a new Mac. Don't get me wrong, I like upgrades, but it is as much to tinker, as it is to boost performance. And, at the end of the day, I don't need a new Mac. If you don't, either, you will be happy with the upgrades.

Macbook Pro Sluggish: RAM or Processor?

Hi,
I have an early 2011 13" Macbook Pro with the i5 2.3GHZ processor, 4GB memory and 500GB 5400-rpm SATA HD. I'm running Lion OSX 10.7.4 and have a 24" external monitor (samsung) that I use as my primary screen. My work involves a lot of data analysis within excel/R and simultaneously use a variety of other apps (Skype, Omifocus, Mail, iTunes, Adobe Illustrator, Dropbox Toggl and a few other menu-bar/background apps to help manage my workflow). Now I understand I can't be firing away at everything at once but where I'm encountering unbearably slow performance and lagging are in the following areas:
* Large data table processing (commonly in excess of 250k rows) within excel
* Simulatneously using Excel, Mail, Skype and Omnifocus then trying to open another program
* Random other instances of multiple program use
My question is, how can I tell if my RAM or processor is at fault? I've done some research around the Page In/Page out but I'm not 100% sure if it tells the whole story.
Bottom line is I ordered a RAM upgrage 16GB since it was less than $200 from crucial.com but I'm wondering if I need to invest in a new iMac or Macbook pro with a faster processor, SSHD and 16GB of RAM.
Thanks in advance for any help!

Your macbook is fine. The reason you're having issues is because you only have 4GB of RAM have several apps running in the background.
Once your new RAM is installed, you'll see quite a difference in how your macbook handles multiple apps running at the same time.
No need to buy a new one since the one you have is still considered fairly new.
Add your RAM and enjoy your macbook. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for years to come, especially when you get your new RAM installed.

Upgrading ram and processor

I have a mid 2010 white macbook, it become slow after I upgraded it to Mavericks. I would like to know if I reinstall the original OS it will be a bit faster or should I restore the original OS AND upgrade the ram and processor? If I go with the latter, on the Apple website it gives me this ram: PC3-8500 DDR3 1066 MHz. I've researched many brands on Amazon and some people cite problems after installing various brands. Can someone advice me toward a good ram and processor that wont cause any problems? Much appreciated!

Check the link below for highly recommended RAM.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_Whi te
The CPU can not be upgraded.

Macbook air: should i upgrade Ram or Processor?

Looking at getting a macbook air 13 inch 256gb ssd. I am able to upgrade either the processor from an I5 to an I7 or the Ram from 4gb to 8gb. I dont know which one to upgrade. I can only do one. This will be used for school, music, and games like Simcity. What do you think?

lol, Im gonna go against what John said, and recommend you to go with the processor upgrade.
RAM is something you will ONLY notice when it fills up, and most applications on a Mac, including most most games, do not ever use more than 4GB RAM, and since the new Macs will have 1600mhz ram you will get a higher memory bandwith as well, making the size of the RAM even less important.
For most people the only time they will notice the difference between 4 and 8 gb ram is during video editing.
on the other hand, the 2.0ghz i7 will be approximately 27% faster than the i5, you also get 1 more mb of l3 cache. You will notice this much mor often than you will notice the RAM upgrade.
but, that's just me.

Buying a new Macbook Pro for music recording, should I upgrade the RAM or Processor?

As the title states, I'm looking into buying a new Macbook (15 inch) for music recording. Should I upgrade the processor or the RAM memory?

Purchase it with the faster CPU. RAM may be increased later via third party chips at much lower cost if and when required.
Ciao.

Rendering, RAM and processor possibilies...

Hey guys,
I've been working on a video for a few weeks now, and its been going smoothly, until a few days ago. I started needing to render more and more often and now after any change I make, however small it may be, I'm having to render the video again. I've been over and over all the different preferrences and options for playback and such tons trying to figure this out and I'm starting to go a little crazy.
My computer info is below... the video I'm editing is high definition captured from a SONY HDV camera...
In the FCE manual, I think, I read that effects and transitions that should come across in RT are in bold, the additive dissolve, cross dissolve, etc... so those should play without having to render... I'm assume thats correct. But thats not happening for me... I have to render everything, and the renders are taking a considerable amount of time too...... Heres some questions I've been wondering about....
Would increasing RAM help me with this? Or a better processor? Is there any scratch disk settings that would help? Is there a way to allocate more of my RAM for FCE, and if so, would that help the situation?
Anything anyone can suggest would be greatly appreciated.... and I appologize if this is somewhat lengthy and scatterbrained...
Thanks,
Derek.
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor, 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Hi(Bonjour)!
Realtime rendering is like fuel consumption: your milleage may vary.
That's related to your computer spec, nature of video material (your work in HDV converted to Apple Intermediate Codec), effects filters applyed, compositing clip etc.
The preference for realtime itself it also important.
If you do a simple edit in a new sequence (you use the correct setup for your sequence, right? : Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i60 to capture an edit HDV material), and put a clip after another, and hit the play button, is there any red bar in timeline top portion?
If so, does this bar is in (tiny line) video or audio line?
You say that you've captured from an HD Sony camcorder, what model?
What is your workflow for capture: firewire cable? down conversion to SD material upon capturing, dragging file from the camcorder's hard disk or DVD?
I do suspect an incorrect easy setup for your timeline: if your timeline displays red bar in tiny lines, your sequence properties doesn't match your clips properties.
Can you give us more detail about video format (use item's attributes in contextual menu) for one clip and your sequence?
Michel Boissonneault

RAM and processor in a IBM Thinkpad 380D

Hi,
I'm wondering how much RAM i can put in my IBM Thinkpad and if possible, can i put a new processor in it?
Jamos

I'm not a 380 series expert, but I'm sure that you can find the answer using the "search" function here:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=6
Good luck and let us know.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

Troubles with RAMs and Processors...

I'm an architecture student, and I'm going to buy an MacBook Pro 15" inch, i know I'm going to use autocad and maybe Photoshop, should I upgrade my RAM to 8GB and my processor to 2.3 or 2.7GHz? Which to upgrade?

RAM

4g vs 6 g of ram and processor

I am looking to purchase a laptop in the next couple of weeks and I do not know where to begin. I have tried to find some advice on 4g vs 6 g of ram. I am not a huge gamer and I will most likely just use the video graphics to watch netflix on my laptop. I am looking for something that will last me four years. Should I look at 6 g's of ram for its longevity? What about processors? I know that Intel released at i3, i5, i7. For a basic user who just looks to use the internet and watch movies and write many college papers that require several programs running at once, what should I look for? All help is welcomed!!!!

4GB is perfectly fine for your use. Having a system with more RAM doesn't really mean anything unless you've got a solid CPU to go with it.

More RAM = longer processor life ????????

does anyone out there know if adding more RAM helps reduce stress on the processor, thereby extending its lifespan? significantly?

Miguel Peralta:
i what about the difference between putting a computer to sleep and shutting it down. i have the idea that "sleep" does not mean that the computer stops working, and that it in fact remains ON. would shutting down be a better option istead of sleep, to conserve CPU life??
When you place it in sleep mode, the entire state of the machine is still in the DRAM, and the memory is still on and being refreshed. Basically a "1" is stored in a DRAM bit on a single capacitor where the voltage decays rapidly. The mechanism basically reads and rewrites each location periodically to ensure that the state of the memory is maintained above a required threshold to recogize a "1". It takes a certain amount of power to do this.
I believe the CPU power consumption is severely reduced in sleep mode.

Ram Vs. Processor

I have a budget that will let me buy the 8core with 4gigs of Ram or Dual Core with 8gigs. My work is centered around FCP2 and Motion. I work mainly with SD and HD footage.
My only thought is in the long term Ram can always be added.
Thanks for any advice.

A hard call because it's really a balancing act because only under certain circumstances applications will get anywhere near the true benefit of the extra 4 cores. Based on the small amount of data that that Apple gives…
http://www.apple.com/macpro/performance.html
… the difference between the 2.66GHz 4-core is only very marginal compared to the 3GHz 8-core. With Motion, it work best with loads of RAM and the fastest GPU money can buy (not that we've got much choice there).
While it's true in the longer term the 8-core will be better I do think you would be sacrifice more overall by skimping now on RAM and your hard drive implementation. Have you considered what hard drive setup you're going with as this can cost you a pretty penny as well and all OEM option from Apple will be inadequate. And this isn't even considering your backup scheme.
As the video editor/media creator I think you're going to have to look at your system more as a whole and judge based on that. Lacking in any one of the 4 areas (processor, GPU, RAM and HDD) will result in a disproportionate impact on the rest.
If your budget is tight then I would probably opt for the 3GHz 4-core MP with 8GB RAM, ATi X1900 XT and the best RAID implementation you can get your hands on.

Graphics Card for Motion 4, RAM and processor upgrade

I am using a dual quad-core Mac Pro with 8GB DDR2 667MHz RAM for FCP and Motion. I have a NVIDIA Quadro FX card which does not work with Motion. Any suggestions on the card? I am looking into ATI 4870. Also, would like to put in some more RAM..any suggestion? I am looking at products on www.crucial.com
Also, does putting two graphics cards help at all?
Considering processor upgrades..will it be worth it?
Thanks in advance for your responses and time.

Also, does putting two graphics cards help at all?
No, unless you need more than two displays.
Considering processor upgrades..will it be worth it?
No.

How to find how much RAM and Processor speed

what commands should I use to find out:
1. How much RAM the machine have?
2. to find the processor speed?

what commands should I use to find out:Not the only solutions, but:
1. How much RAM the machine have?prtconf | grep Memory
2. to find the processor speed?psrinfo -v
Alan
Sun Developer Technical Support
http://www.sun.com/developers/support

J3000 8258 J4U RAM and Processor

Does anyone know which processors and types of RAM are supported by the motherboard of the J3000 8258 J4U desktop?
Thanks
Dan

MBP Ram and Processor

I am about to buy a MBP and i was wondering on some feedback on if its worth paying the extra for the 2.53 GHz MBP. Is there a noticable difference between the 2gb of ram and the 4 gb of ram. And the difference between the 2.4ghz processor and the 2.53 ghz.
I am not a big gamer but i am just curious how much of a difference all the features have in speed

Interesting. Apple isn't totally overcharging for the RAM this time. It's only $150 to max out the base model.
The hard drive is easy to replace, so if you want to go with the stock drive now and upgrade it later when larger drives are cheaper, you could choose to do that. You can get to 320GB 7200 RPM for $110 after rebate at macsales.com; Apple wants $150 to upgrade the base model to that.
If you will be using Photoshop CS4 it uses the GPU and video RAM now so the 512MB would be good in that case.
All in all I think you will notice more of a speed boost from more RAM, more disk space, and more VRAM (if applicable) than you would from the CPU upgrade.
I still have no regrets about buying the base model Penryn Aluminum MBP with just 256MB VRAM, with main RAM I upgraded myself. But if I was shopping today, with Apple's more reasonable RAM prices and the growing importance of VRAM, I might go for the top end 15", for the RAM, VRAM, HD, and cache upgrade combo, and would consider the CPU boost to be simply a bonus thrown in. I would not spend the extra $300 on the 2.8GHz CPU.

Ram or Processor

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