“As you might expect, the slower processor on the base 11-inch model provided more room for overall performance gains than the slightly faster 13-inch model. So here’s what happens when you spend $150 to upgrade the 11-inch MacBook Air to the Core i7 processor: Our Cinebench CPU and file compression tests ran 21 percent faster, our iTunes encode went 19 percent faster, and our HandBrake test went 14 percent faster.”
Choosing a Configure-to-Order (CTO) upgrade with the Core i7 processor certain offers you a measurable improvement in overall performance, but there’s a significant cost increase too. Take a close look at Macworld’s benchmarks to find out if it’s worth it.