Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2 questions for new macbook pro purchaser

T

The Loaf

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 17, 2007
32
26
Preface this by saying I am absolutely no computer techie. So these questions may sound retarded... but here goes:

1) I currently have a powerbook G4 and need to upgrade. My rig supposedly runs @ 1.5 GHz. I was going to get the new 2.66 GHz 15" macbook pro, but I also see that Apple is selling refurb 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo macbook pros. Does this mean that the Core 2 machine is twice as fast as my current machine? Or does it not work that way? I know the 2.66 GHz machine is Core i7... is it more important to get the most recent processor or the most speed? Does the speed rating really translate to performance, and if so, why is the current fast machine slower that the previous generation?

Since I (obviously) rarely upgrade, I just want to make the right decision. I use Photoshop a lot--if that helps give you some insight.

2nd question: when I bought the powerbook there were problems with the keyboard keys touching the screen when closed. Oils from fingers could eventually etch permanently into the screen. So I bought a little leather-like pad to put between when closing the machine. What's the story today? Has the design changed enough to alleviate this? Does anybody use these pads anymore? I'm a photographer, so a pristine screen is really important to me. Thanks, I really appreciate any insight.
 
1)Clock speeds are little misleading these days.The current 2.66Ghz is the fastest by far. I would buy the 2.66 i7 as it has the new intel processors and cooler too. There is nothing wrong with C2D just i7 is the faster newer processors (the i7 also has turbo mode that allows it to go up to 3.33Ghz).

2) it is better than the older Powerbooks but it is still there.
 
1) The slowest MacBook Pro ever made (namely, those dating to 2006) are easily more than twice as fast as that PowerBook. I can't imagine how they smoke it now. We're talking Nehalem architecture with hyperthreading and a 64-bit OS.

Clock speed doesn't mean a whole lot. Imagine the RPM's of an engine. Just because a Kawasaki two-cylinder can put out as much RPM's as a Honda four-cylinder inline doesn't mean it translates to the same power or acceleration capabilities.

You have to take into account the architecture (G4: PowerPC Core: x86-64), the number of cores [CPU's, basically] (G4: One Core: Two), the system bus (G4: 167mhz Core: 1,066mhz), and so forth.

Even the 2.53ghz Core i5 will be noticeably faster in encoding and such (if the application is optimized) than the 2.66ghz Core 2 Duo in the MacBook Pro's.

2) The recessed keyboard of the modern Macs doesn't seem to touch the display at all.
 
While we're discussing the speed of the new i7 processors in the MBP's, I use Photoshop a lot and see little "waiting" while I'm using it to apply complex filters. It runs very smooth on PS5 and while I can't compare, I can say that I am extremely satisfied and I never wish I would have gotten a desktop instead.

I also used the 'Real World' Photoshop Benchmark that is posted in the Mac Pro section of the forum and got 32 seconds, which is about twice as much as the 2.93 GHz Xeon Mac Pro's.

But like I said, I'm very happy with the portability and the i7 :)
 
Go for the i7 model.

it comes with 512mb of Video memory which people on this forum tend to forget.

this will help with a lot of things and is worth the extra money.

If you really want fast then get a SSD Sandforce 1200 drive and your gonna be smokin!
 
Thanks everyone. i7 it is. And the keyboard/leather-deal... I guess it can't hurt to keep using it... just kind of a hassle.
 
Dude... the keys don't touch the screen.

Just try it out for a week without the cloth and see if you're satisfied.
 
1.) Clockspeed is a worthless measurement unless you're comparing between the same family/type of processors. A Corvette engine is going to be more powerful than a Yugo...almost regardless of how fast it's running. Your G4 is the Yugo, the i7 is the Corvette. The C2D is somewhere in between, but still much closer to the Corvette, if you use that analogy. :p

2.) The keys are recessed on the new MBPs, and the display has a rubber gasket around the edge that keeps the lid from directly contacting the topcase.
 
Hey! I already made a car analogy >8\

Besides, Corvettes are for depressed middle aged men with low self-esteem.
 
Either way, the sleaze-bags I was referring to wouldn't understand fine design and class. They'd take a 1970's Corvette over an Alpha Romeo or Lotus, when not taking prices and income into consideration.

If you want to know precisely what sleazy used-car-salesmen I'm referring to, think Leisure Suit Larry and Steve Ballmer ;)

430-ballmer1,0.jpg
 
I seem to be in the same boat so to speak; I am currently still using my PowerBook G4, and I just today ordered a 15" i7 to replace it. It seemed like the right choice; I can't wait to use it. :)

As for the screen, I have always used one of radtech's screensaverz to put inbetween the screen and keyboard when closed, and I intend to continue to do so. It may be a slight inconvenience, and maybe isn't even necessary, but I like having it around because it is great for cleaning the screen whenever needed. I don't know about the one you have been using, but the radtech one does a great job of cleaning the screen on its own, without any cleaners.
 
Preface this by saying I am absolutely no computer techie. So these questions may sound retarded... but here goes:

1) I currently have a powerbook G4 and need to upgrade. My rig supposedly runs @ 1.5 GHz. I was going to get the new 2.66 GHz 15" macbook pro, but I also see that Apple is selling refurb 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo macbook pros. Does this mean that the Core 2 machine is twice as fast as my current machine? Or does it not work that way? I know the 2.66 GHz machine is Core i7... is it more important to get the most recent processor or the most speed? Does the speed rating really translate to performance, and if so, why is the current fast machine slower that the previous generation?

AMAZING MACHINE i ordered my macbook pro 15" with 2.66 ghz i7 and the high res screen on monday and should have it by next wednesday, i am pretty excited, the new i7 series to make it easy to understand, and i figured this all out over hours of argueing with more computer savy people to come up with more people friendly terms, the i5 - i7 shuts down one core of 2 to safely over clock the the processor for maximum performance, it is fast and efficient. The c2d is a great chip and will be a fast reliable chip for many many years, but the i series are just a bit more modern.

Since I (obviously) rarely upgrade, I just want to make the right decision. I use Photoshop a lot--if that helps give you some insight.

2nd question: when I bought the powerbook there were problems with the keyboard keys touching the screen when closed. Oils from fingers could eventually etch permanently into the screen. So I bought a little leather-like pad to put between when closing the machine. What's the story today? Has the design changed enough to alleviate this? Does anybody use these pads anymore? I'm a photographer, so a pristine screen is really important to me. Thanks, I really appreciate any insight.

i see your concern and i have no answer, but you can get a keyboard cover from http://www.iskin.com/products_mac.tpl i have heard of like 2 issues in my mac history (4 years) and they were minimal and usually idiot operated, you should be good
 
The Nehalem architecture works by powering down the cores that are not being used and just over-clocks the cores that are being used. By using one over-clocked core instead of lolly-gagging around between two cores, you save a lot of power.

The cores seamlessly change clock speed. As well, hyper-threading creates virtual cores that the OS detects as physical cores. So the dual-core Core i processors fool the OS into thinking there are four processors.

How ignorant are some Mac-haters? When the Mac Pro with Nehalem Xeons came out, they pißed all over it saying, "ZOMG, how g**, it's only like 2.66ghz! You fail so hard, MAC!" not taking one moment to understand that they are using the Nehalem architecture which not only utilizes the virtual cores, but clocks the cores to about 3.33ghz each. Thanks, Apple, for giving sock-and-sandal-wearing d-bags something else to laugh at. You could have advertised it as 3.33ghz!

And that's why the iPhone 4's CPU speed is still confidential :D Smart phones are spurring a wholly new "megahertz war."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back