MacBook Pro Speed Bump: Faster Than Ever— Make it Even Faster and Save Some Money
Apple has “speed bumped” the MacBook Pro line, with the quad-core Intel Core i7 15" and 17" models now running as fast as 2.5 GHz, and the dual-core 13" model as fast as 2.8 GHz.
The 2.4 to 2.5 GHz upgrade option is not the best value on a price/performance basis (declining benefits per dollar), but it does deliver a 4% faster CPU and a larger on-chip cache. Given the overall machine cost, power users might find any speed bump useful, keeping in mind that the 2.4 GHz speed is already 4% faster than the just prior 2.3 Ghz model.
The high-end user will want a fast 480GB 6G SSD (not Apple’s), and 8GB or 12GB or 16GB of memory, neither 12/16 of which is available from Apple, so get the base model, and upgrade it yourself, or have it done for you as in my MPG Pro Laptop offerings.
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Refurbished
Speed differences of 10-15% don’t matter for most users, but saving 15% might.
You can get 15% off the prior and just slightly slower models with an Apple certified refurbished model. Just be sure to get the 2011 model, NOT the "Core 2 Duo” models, which are much slower.
MPG Pro Laptop
You can have any of the MacBook Pro models upgraded for professional use as an MPG Pro Laptop, with up to 16GB of memory, and with dual internal drives.
Recommended configurations
For maximum performance, these are the cofigurations to consider— add more memory and a fast 6G SSD as noted above.
I always choose the anti-glare screen option when available, and doing so narrows the price gap between the 15" and 17" models to only $200.
Click to go to the Apple Store.