What is the best I7 Intel processor to get on the Macbook Pro 15"? Are these processors 2nd generation processors? Does it matter? Should I wait until - when? - for 2nd generation processors to be used? Does the 2.5 Mh processor make a difference?

Question

I'm about to order a MacBook Pro 15".  I wonder if the I7 processors are 2nd generation or if it matters.  Also, is there significant benefit to getting the 2.4 or 2.5 Ghz processor over the 2.2?  I'm not a gamer or graphics manipulator, but I do look at (not edit) a lot of video for my work, and I typically multi-task, having many applications and internet windows open at once. Also, I will be running Windows for work access and applications.  Of course, I have little idea what makes a difference in my use experience, except I plan to get max RAM and probably the fastest hard drive.  Any advice welcome.

Answer 1

Steve,
I appreciate your focus on assistance, and thank you for your help.  Couple of follow up questions:  What you said about the new specs suggests that the MacBook Pro line has recently been upgraded with, what, the 2nd gen Intel chips, some other incremental improvements?  So maybe it has paid off to crawl along with my old mac to get the latest tech.  For these kinds of upgrades, I guess Apple doesn't advertise that they have the latest chips (I've seen PC ads touting the 2nd gen chips, and checked out the Intel site, so that's how I became aware) and all?
I'm planning to enjoy this computer for quite some years.  Of course I will get the 3 yr extended warranty.  And I was planning to get the hi res antiglare screen: that seems to be the best of the options.  It looks like one can now get a faster 750 Gb fast drive, instead of having to settle for 500 in the faster version.  The cost does add up, but my feeling was to go for broke and get the best machine I can.  So does getting the faster cpu and hd and max ram (perhaps buying third party) and all make sense, assuming I can afford it when I add everything up, or is it like a moderately good guitar player getting a top of the line guitar he can't really play well enough to warrant it?  (I remember a story about a student under Segovia arriving with a very very expensive guitar when he was still early in the learning process; it may be apocryphal, but story goes that Segovia took the guitar from the student and smashed it to smithereens.  I assume that was not just because the student mistook the instrument for skill in playing it, but perhaps also because he would be too careful with such an expensive instrument, and fail to master it.  Maybe not a perfect analogy, but I could be mislead by seeking the "best barn burner on the block" when what I need is what will work fine for my purposes.) So I think your original response was probably right on in terms of what will actually be of use to me.
Thanks again,
David