Which MacBook? (memory X processor/graphic card dilemma)

[Durval]

Having a very strict budget for a new MacBook Pro, I'd appreciate advice on which one of these two MacBooks Pro 15" below should I choose:

1- less processor speed (2.2GHZ) and graphic card (512 MB), but more RAM (8GB):
2.2GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz RAM
500GB 5400-rpm
Intel HD Graphics 3000
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB GDDR5
price: $2,000

2- better processor speed (2.4GHZ) and graphic card (1 GB), but less RAM (4GB):
2.4GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz
750GB 5400-rpm
Intel HD Graphics 3000
AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB GDDR5
price: $2,200

I am currently a 'one-man-show' using AC 14 on a mid 2010 MacBook Pro (2.66 GHZ dual-core, 4GB RAM), mostly for residential and other small projects.

I was not planning a hardware upgrade right now, but I was forced to, since my current notebook seems to have died (probably it will need a logic board replacement, for the 4th time!, these mid-2010 macbooks are known to have problems with their GeForce cards).

But I do plan to upgrade from AC14 to AC15, as soon as I finish old projects and start new ones.

In short, what would you prefer: 0.2 GHz more processor and 512 MB more graphic card, or 4GB more RAM and $200 more money in your pocket?

[Erich]

I would go for the machine with the better processor and graphics card, then add more RAM via a 3rd party (Crucial, OMC, etc.) when the budget allows. I quickly checked OMC's site and it looks like you could get 8 GB ram for $55 US.

[Durval]

Thanks Erich for the suggestion, it seems a sensible a idea. I didn't know I coudl get memory much cheaper than Apple's.
Anyway, I'm still curious about processor X memory performance improvement.
Which one of the two configurations above do you think it would work better for ArchiCAD?

[Anonymous]

The one with the better processor and video will perform better until you hit the RAM limitations then it will be much worse. Four gigs should be fine for a single residence but I wouldn't use it for a hospital. I have 8GB in my MacBook Pro and I've done some petty large stuff with it though I'm planning to bump up to 16GB now that's it's only about $200.

[PB]

Heads-up: Do not buy any Mac computer at his time - a complete refresh of their line up is strongly anticipated this month (June 2012) at or just after the Apple World Wide Developers Conference.

(PS I'm not sure how long Apple take to get their product refreshes into Brazil - some countries seem to lag behind the USA by a considerable margin)

http://9to5mac.com/

http://arstechnica.com

[aahatimo]

Looking forward to replacing my 2008 MacBook pro. Have been waiting for this! We will see next week who wins the "who had the best guess of what apple will announce" lottery. New Mac lineup all around is my hope.

[PB]

New Retina MacBook Pro seems to be a very capable machine: Performance on a par with a high end iMac, portable, and with a gorgeous screen. My new workstation, me thinks...

(decided against a Mac Pro as I feel that the current model is just holding the fort whilst Apple develop their latest generation Pro for next year - according to rumour)

[Anonymous]

PB wrote:
New Retina MacBook Pro seems to be a very capable machine: Performance on a par with a high end iMac, portable, and with a gorgeous screen. My new workstation, me thinks...

Yes buy one! 😉 the screen is amazing and performance is too.

[PB]

[PB]

Retina MacBook Pro ordered !

...very much looking forward to the improvement over my 2006 MBP ...

Durval, what was your eventual decision?