Is 0.4 GHz of extra processor speed worth €300? (about $430)

I'm planning on buying a new macbook pro 13inch and I've got the choice between a 2.3ghz intel core i5 or an 2.7ghz intel core i7 for an extra €300 (= $430).

Can someone explain me what the difference is between i5 and i7? Would it be worth it to updgrade (eg will the performance be better)?

I would mainly use the laptop for matlab simulations (and other simple 3D simulations) and data processing. Some of these calculation are highly recursive and take a long time (fractal computation etc) on my current machine.

There is no simple answer. IMHO, the question is not about 0.4 GHz. (BTW, it is 17% above 2.3).

The real questions are:

• do you have external USB or any other backup solution?

  • no - consider buying an external HDD first!
  • yes, I have - next question :)

• have you already max. memory in your config?

  • no - consider investing into more memory first
  • yes, already max. memory - go to the next question

• is there a config with better graphics performance?

  • yes - consider it first
  • no - next question

• are you a heavy emulated Windows user (Parallels, VMware, VirtualBox etc)?

  • yes, go for the 2.7
  • no - next

• do you need every millisecond of power (because of, for example, gaming, video editing, etc.)?

  • yes - buy the high-end one
  • no - next question

• are you a bit paranoid (meaning, planning to use the FileVault encrypting for your $HOME folder)?

  • yes - buy the high-end one
  • no - next

• how often are you upgrading your Mac?

  • every 18 months (one generation) - don't buy the high-end one, because usually they are a bit overpriced
  • every 2 years or more? - buy the high-end

misc. ;)

• do you already own an iPad?

  • no?! - consider saving another 300 euros on notebook and buy an iPad - trust me, it is much better for browsing in the bed... ;)

• is your girlfriend a technical geek?

  • yes - the high-end is a MUST! :)
  • no, bring her to somewhere for 300 EUR :)

misc 2 :)

• Have iPad, no girlfriend - and have you decided to save 300 euros based on this answer? Consider sending me 50% ;) :)

The two processors in question are the i5-2415M and the i7-2620M. The nitty-gritty tech-spec details can be compared here.

The main difference, besides clock speed, is that the i7 has a bigger cache and includes Intel vPro Technology which theoretically provides faster AES decryption and other magical buzzwords.

Of course, what you really want are benchmarks, and then decide if the 3 seconds you save on a one minute photoshop action is worth three hundred Euros.

The speed differences aren't very important -- the big difference is that the i7 had Intel VT-D technology, which improves VM IO performance, especially if you use multiple VMs simultaneously.

If you see alot of work with VMs in your future and have the money, go for it. Otherwise, the i5 is more than adequate.

The i7 also has hardware AES acceleration.