Clipper Internals - A vs B components

[Phoenix13]

First off, I just got an Imperial Clipper! Yayyyyy! Soooo much of an upgrade from a T6 (skipped the 7). A true beauty in all forms. *drinks a beer*

Anyway, I noticed that a lot of the internal components such as thrusters, power distributors, shields, etc., have a significant price jump going from B grade to A grade equipment. This puts me in a bit of a conundrum in that by the time I can afford even a couple A grade equipment, I can instead buy the mighty Python. This leads me to a couple questions from those with more experience with this than myself. Firstly, is there a noticeable, even large, difference between A grade and B grade components? I was hoping to upgrade my components in order to break my repetitive trade route with some bounty hunting and hoping to at least be able to hold up against players in smaller ships as well as elite NPC's in all ships. How necessary will it be to upgrade to A grade equipment, and at what point should I just go and buy the Python?

Thanks for any and all help.
CMDR Phoenix13

Long Live the Empire!

 

[Deputy]

This decision kinda hangs over a bunch of the premium ships. Once you start upgrading the Python you'll be outlaying huge amounts as well. You'll have to make a call along the way about what ship you want the most and then give it big, expensive love rather then going for the next ship

 

[Xaraman]

From what I can understand about the difference between A and B grade equip is that although the A grade doesn't provide that much of a performance jump, their main attribute is their lack of weight.

So for certain loads outs you can get a massive system jump range or a slightly higher top speed and manoeuvrability.