[iMore Question]

So I have finally decided to go with a Retina Macbook Pro 13' model.

I am having the hardest time figuring out what I want to do in terms of upgrades though.

From what I can clearly see the me865ll/a (256 ssd/8gb ram) is the "sweet spot."

Now I have been trying to decide if I want to upgrade any part (CPU ->i7 2.8ghz / RAM ->16GB).

I do have a desktop computer already so this would be macbook would be a nice addition.

My needs are:
Gaming (League of legends and some other NON GRAPHIC intensive games)
Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
BASIC html coding (although at some point I am sure I will get more advanced with this, I know it isn't super criitcal I have an ultra fast PC)
Email/Web browsing/YouTube
No content creation here, merely content viewing
Streaming content (movies/gameplay) from computer(s) to Apple TV which is plugged into a 50' LED TV

Now to restate my question.
Would the added benefit of upgrading the CPU or RAM heavily impact me? I know that the benchmarks on the CPU are only slightly better and if I truly wanted to see a day and night difference for just a tiny bit more money I should go macbook 15'

I will note this, I am one of those people who absolutely hates it when technology is not working as is. This means:
I nerd rage when I lag (gaming)
I nerd rage when apple tv streaming lags (which is why I understand I should just hardwire myself in via HDMI or thunderbolt... this one I get)
I nerd rage when my computer stuff breaks down
I take immaculate care of my computer stuff, I've had a Surface Pro (February 7, 2013 release day), Alienware (2009) Desktop and they've all lasted very well (alienware HDD is failing, I understand that because it was a cheap WD green drive and I am replacing it with a WD black)

So in the interest of points 1 and 3, would it be financially worth to upgrade the CPU or RAM?

Would upgrading 8GB ram -> 16GB ram increase the lifespan of the product?

Would upgrading the core i5 Haswell chip -> core i7 Haswell chip be a noticeable difference (I saw the benchmark scores and they were a few hundred points off, I don't know if it would make a noticeable difference in my gaming experiences)

The main reason why I am considering the i7 is because of my occasional gaming (and the nerd rage that comes with it). Yes I understand that getting a dedicated graphics card would be a day and night difference as well, but I am not going back to windows 8 (even though I thoroughly know how to use it and can teach anyone how to use it) and I am not spending $2600 on a 15' macbook pro that I would only use occasionally for gaming.

The main reason why I am considering the 16GB ram is for future proofing. I understand that most of the programs that I will use won't need more than 8, but I figured 16 would give me a nice cushion should anything major come my way in the future.

I know both options are only available to be upgraded at point of ordering so this is why I have my big decision.

Thank you to anyone that responds to this.

[warcraftWidow]

I'd go with the 16GB and not the CPU upgrade.

[Thriller1990]

Ok RAM upgrade.
But why?

[warcraftWidow]

Just future-proofing. Nothing you're doing now needs it.

[Thriller1990]

And what about the bump to the i7 dual core? It means I get Iris pro graphics or Iris 5100. Not a big difference?

[warcraftWidow]

More is always better if the cost isn't an issue.
I have a 2012 rMBP and the Iris graphics are supposed to be much better in general. But I don't know specifics between the Iris and Iris Pro since I haven't used either. So I'm not much help there. I don't think the i5 to i7 processor bump will make much difference for your uses.