Compare new (Mar 2011) 15" Macbook Pros I'm interested in purchasing the 15" model of the latest generation (Mar 2011) of Macbook Pros. They list two variants that differ $400 in price. As far as I can tell, these are the only differences between them.


2.0 GHz i7 processor ($1800 version) vs 2.2 GHz i7 processor ($2200 version)
500 GB hard drive ($1800 version) vs 750 GB hard drive ($2200 version)
6490M (with 256MB GDDR5) graphics card ($1800 version) vs 6750M (with 1GB GDDR5) graphics card ($2200 version)


Option #2 doesn't make a huge difference to me, so my question is this: for what types of applications will the difference processors have an observable effect in performance? For which types of applications will the different graphics cards have an observable effect in performance?
This question is so subjective because there is nothing specific being asked. Let me break it down for you.

How much does the move from 2.0 GHZ to 2.2 GHZ improve performance?
200 MHz is the obvious answer here. Improve performance, depends, chances are you probably won't notice any difference in that aspect.

How about the different graphics cards?

Obvious difference being the 768MB difference in memory in the cards. Subjective because who knows what your use is going to be, i can tell you for browsing/email/office type products you'll never see the difference. 

Are these improvements limited to certain types of applications?

What certain type of applications? Once again how can you answer this if you don't give anybody a specific area/application that you plan on using.

What do I need to keep in mind when comparing these specs?

Keep in mind in terms of what? Obviously you know the cost difference and some of the numerical differences, but what is it that you are actually asking here?

Sorry if this comes off harsh, but it's too vague and subjective right now to give you any type of concrete answer.