Another Look at Apple's Core 2 Duo Choice for New 13-Inch MacBook Pro

[oplix]

When I bought my 2010 13 MBP I knew exactly what I was getting for the price and it made sense. C2D is still a very capable processor and for some things such as gaming, a higher clocked C2D will outperform a lower clocked i3.

It's just the way some applications are coded.

 

[fredeil]

From what i've read here, some people seem to think that the 13" MPB is a failure and I shouldn't be getting one?
The only thing i'm dissapointed about is the screen resolution, but it's the same as I currently have on my 15" HP pc.


(I know it's an old thread)

 

[chrmjenkins]

From what i've read here, some people seem to think that the 13" MPB is a failure and I shouldn't be getting one?
The only thing i'm dissapointed about is the screen resolution, but it's the same as I currently have on my 15" HP pc.


(I know it's an old thread)

Not at all. It's only disappointing if you care about having the maximum CPU performance and have no regard for the GPU.

 

[jegbook]

Not at all. It's only disappointing if you care about having the maximum CPU performance and have no regard for the GPU.

I agree. True, a faster processor can help games, too, but the GPU seems decent.

I just got a 2.4GHz 13" MBP a couple weeks ago and it's very impressive. My Win 7 experience index is 5.3 (gaming graphics is the 5.3, other scores average 5.8). It replaced a 2.2 SR MacBook, which was still way fast in Snow Leopard and Win 7 (worked well with Aero, too, even with the X3100).

For most computing that doesn't involve video/CAD and/or audio rendering, the current 13" MBP seems an extremely capable machine. And with the ability to take advantage of OpenCL as that becomes prominent, it is poised to remain a contender for some time to come, I would think.

FWIW, I am able to run Neverwinter Nights 2 at 1280x800 with almost all settings on high and still get over 30FPS, about a 4 or 5 times improvement of the MacBook w/ x3100.

Check out Micro Center. They have them for a grand and sometimes have open box ones for a hundred less than that!

Happy computing.

 

[John.B]

Sorry for the necropost, but...

Does the Intel/FTC anti-trust settlement (Ars) mean that Nvidia can start making integrated chipset/GPUs for the Intel i3/i5/i7 chips?

Third, Intel must retain the use of the PCI Express interface for at least six years, such that GPUs can be used without suffering any performance limit. The intent is to ensure that companies like NVIDIA still have a reason to produce GPUs targeted at Intel-based systems, even when those Intel systems contain integrated GPUs.

 

[polaris20]

Sorry for the necropost, but...

Does the Intel/FTC anti-trust settlement (Ars) mean that Nvidia can start making integrated chipset/GPUs for the Intel i3/i5/i7 chips?

I hope so. I don't necessarily have a huge problem with the C2D as we're currently deploying it, since the role is mainly office workers/road warriors and those in IT, however it would be nice to see an i3 in there, along with a decent nVidia chipset or ATI chipset.

 

[chrmjenkins]

Sorry for the necropost, but...

Does the Intel/FTC anti-trust settlement (Ars) mean that Nvidia can start making integrated chipset/GPUs for the Intel i3/i5/i7 chips?

No. This settlement only guarantees they'll have a PCI express bus to use for a discrete GPU in any Intel system.

 

[qawes]

I agree with Apple's decision, but I have a much better idea:

REMOVE THAT DVD DRIVE !!!

It will make room to:
- Discrete GPU
- Right side USB ports
- MORE BATTERY
- ExpressCard slot

my thoughts exactly

 

[stevo101]

i just sold my new macbook pro 13 I bought 4 months ago after quite update. I listened to everyone that says the c2d is good enough not a big deal blah blah. I dont find that to be true, and its not like i was doing anything super crazy, have a few web browsers open, dvd player, widgets, and my wallpaper was set to change every 1 min and the computer laged not super bad but it lagged non the less. (I monitor the cpu on istat menue) Not to mention my DVD player would crash too often. i'm not sure if that was because i was taxing the cpu or not. Apple should have put the core i5 with the turbo boost in the mbp 13's for sure IMO. Otherwise its just a macbook discuised to be a pro. not to mention the huge price jump from the base 13 pro to the i5 15 pro is a joke!