Processor speed and MAX (2.66ghz vs 2.93ghz)

fuzzbucketz's icon

Hi there,

I am about to buy a new Macbook pro (the 17inch) for use with programs like Logic, Reaktor, kontakt and Max/MSP/Jitter. I know everyone always talks about Ram being the important thing. My question is how important is the processor speed. It's $300 to upgrade from 2.66ghz to 2.93ghz. I'm new to Max and not sure if this would make a different for a program like Max, or Reaktor.

Thanks

davydka's icon

It's a very slight speed boost. Save your $300 for a rainy day.

Wetterberg's icon

As a general rule I recommend to never buy the absolutely fastest cpu,
etc, simply because there's an extreme premium associated with it.

Get the second- or third-fastest machine instead, its price is more
reasonable.

Andreas.

fuzzbucketz skrev:
> Hi there,
>
> I am about to buy a new Macbook pro (the 17inch) for use with programs like Logic, Reaktor, kontakt and Max/MSP/Jitter. I know everyone always talks about Ram being the important thing. My question is how important is the processor speed. It's $300 to upgrade from 2.66ghz to 2.93ghz. I'm new to Max and not sure if this would make a different for a program like Max, or Reaktor.
>
> Thanks
>

seejayjames's icon

Quote: Wetterberg wrote on Sun, 01 February 2009 14:23
----------------------------------------------------
> As a general rule I recommend to never buy the absolutely fastest cpu,
> etc, simply because there's an extreme premium associated with it.
>
> Get the second- or third-fastest machine instead, its price is more
> reasonable.
>
> Andreas.
>
>

-----------------------

I'd second that. The premium with the latest processor and associated fast depreciation of its value is kind of nuts. Going a step down could cut your cost by a lot and be barely noticeable speed-wise. OTOH having dual-core versus single (if they even still make them) or quad-core seems to be well worth it, not just for Max but for general use and speediness. RAM and HD speed are also big factors and often create the bottlenecks in performance, not just the processor.