Dual Core i7 vs Quad Core i7 CPU

[Nicky H]

This is pretty useful for comparing macs:
http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac...mpare=all-macs

Bit of a pain finding the right model but it shows speeds/frequencies/caches for all the important items as well as benchmarks.

(Yes the quad-core is faster - whether you really need it if you're just using traktor/serato is doubtful)

[deevey]

so I want a fast reliable machine that won't be obsolete in the next year or so

You are only going to notice a noticeable difference between the i5 vs i7 in quad core, even then you will only notice the real world differences if you are utilizing multiple applications at once.

If I were in your shoes right now, I would buy a 15 Refurb i7 Retina with 512SSD for just over 2k.

And then start trimming my audio library.

And definetly get Applecare before the first years warranty is up.

If storage is your "must have"

I would get a 2012 model and:

• Buy the fastest model you can.
• 512 SSD,for the OS
• A 2tb Non-SSD for my music library
• Max out the ram.

And expect to replace it sooner due to the screen resolution and low end graphics card - which I reckon may cause problems in the next few years with apps designed for larger screens.