Question about ordering MBP w/ larger HD

tismfutismfu
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Is the online Apple Store the only place you can order MBPs with larger HDs? I'm in the market for a 15", and I also need the 200GB HD option. From experience in the past, I knew that the brick-and-mortar Apple Stores only sold 'base' models and could not do in-store upgrades for HDs like they can for memory, but it seems that MacMall, MacWarehouse, etc., also only offer 'base' HDs.



And is it true that going for 3GBs of RAM will actually slow the computer down unless I'm really using most of the 3 gigs?



Thanks for any clarification and Happy Thanksgiving.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tismfu


    And is it true that going for 3GBs of RAM will actually slow the computer down unless I'm really using most of the 3 gigs?



    If you are on 2 gigs (two 1 GB sticks), the system memory bus works in dual-channel mode, doubling theoretical memory bandwidth. If you go with 3 gigs (one 1 GB stick, one 2 GB stick), the memory works in single-channel mode.



    If the work you are doing is memory-bandwidth constrained, it's better to go with 2 GB. If it's memory-size constrained, 3 GB is a better option. What are you going to be doing with the computer?
  • Reply 2 of 5
    tismfutismfu Posts: 76member
    My main use for the computer will be web browsing, Office, iTunes, iPhoto, iWeb, some Photoshop/iDVD/iMovie, and (my thinking as of now) Parallels to run a couple Windows apps I need. I'm not a power user, by any stretch, but I find my G5 iMac with 1.5 GB of memory to be a bit sluggish (and it sounds taxed) when using iWeb and iDVD (obviously more so with other apps running).



    Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    I'd say go with the 3 gigs. If you can find a friendly Apple reseller, you may be able to try out each configuration. It doesn't seem like anything you do would benefit noticeably from the increased memory bandwidth, but an increased amount of RAM will enable you to run everything (including parallels) at once very smoothly. You should notice a pleasant speed boost from the Core 2 Duo processor.
  • Reply 4 of 5
    tismfutismfu Posts: 76member
    Thanks again. Your advice has been very helpful.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. H


    If you are on 2 gigs (two 1 GB sticks), the system memory bus works in dual-channel mode, doubling theoretical memory bandwidth. If you go with 3 gigs (one 1 GB stick, one 2 GB stick), the memory works in single-channel mode.



    If the work you are doing is memory-bandwidth constrained, it's better to go with 2 GB. If it's memory-size constrained, 3 GB is a better option. What are you going to be doing with the computer?



    Does the MBP even operate faster under dual channel mode? Does it even have one? The only reason it would be necessary is for using the chipset's integrated graphics, otherwise the memory has twice the bandwidth the computer can use.
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