I'm buying a Macbook Pro Retina, and cant decide what processor to choose and what additional cabels to purchase.
First I was sure i5 2,4GHz was enough, but I will connect it to up to two external monitors:
- One 24' regular HD, and
- One 27' 2560×1440 Asus PB278Q
Maybe it's worth getting even an i7 when planning on connecting it to two external monitors?
And also, do I need any other cable than TB to VGA to receive maximum resolution on the Asus monitor? I saw some cable for around $100 with USB+TB to VGA, would that improve the picture?
Best Answer
Generally amount of monitors connected does not have that much influence on cpu performance. Also, i7 CPUs shine most where tasks are prepared to use multiple CPUs/cores (code compiling, audio, video, graphics editing, rendering). Thus I don't think you should consider CPU update because of amount of monitors you want to connect.
For normal usage andeven gaming I'd just choose the best i5 you can get and get better SSD or more ram instead.
As for the cables - you will have 2 TB ports and HDMI - if you want to leave one TB free maybe use those? So, if any of the mentionend monitors has Display Port (DP) you would need 1 mini DP/DP and one HDMIcable.
I think you can also get TB hub, that will allow you to use one TB to connect both screens, but I haven't tested it.