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Can You Help Me Decide on Which 13" MBP?

B

Burly

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 10, 2011
4
0
Hi all, I'm looking to buy my first Mac, and I'm looking at two 13" MBP models.

Here's the new one.
Here's another one, which I think is last year's, but it might be a faster version than the basic one from last year--I'm not sure.

Both are the same price.

The obvious answer is that the new i5 would be better than the Core 2 Duo, but there are couple questions I have about this.

1. The older model's specs say its battery life is 10 hours, while the new one says 7 hours. Does that sound right? Would the new one drain that much more power from the same battery?

2. The older model might be a faster model than the base model from 2010? it's 2.66 GHz with 1066 MHz data bus speed (the new one is an i5 with 2.3 GHz with 1333MHz). If so, is this one faster in any way?

Are there any other decent reasons to go with this particular older model? It looks like the graphics are a bit better with the nVidia GeForce 320M on the older model, but I'm not going to be playing games. I might do a little video editing, but nothing too serious. I've heard the new keyboard is softer, which sounds nice.

Thanks very much for your help.
 
Get the 2011. The battery is not shorter, Apple just used more stringent tests.
The i5 blows a C2D out of the water. Dont even consider the 2010 model.
 
1) The lowered battery life is mostly due to a new method for battery testing, which Apple started using with the Macbook Air. For a long time it's been pretty well accepted that actual in-use battery life would be about half of what is advertised, now Apple is using a test that's a bit closer to real usage.

2) Processor frequency and bus speed don't define the performance. There have been lots of benchmarks of the new generation of Intel processors versus previous generations, give those a look.
 
There is no reason to take the 2010 model instead of the new 2011 model. Although the differences aren't that big, the most important change is the new Sandy Bridge processor. It's definitely faster and more future proof. I wouldn't buy a computer with an Intel Core Duo processor in 2011, in any situation.... :)
 
Thanks, everyone. I just pulled the trigger on the newer model.
 
From Anandtech's New Review:

The advantages are numerous. With the 13-inch MacBook Pro, under OS X at least, there simply aren't any downsides. You get much better CPU performance over the previous generation. In fact, the new 13 can outperform last year's 15 thanks to Sandy Bridge. The new 13 is quite possibly the best balance of portability and performance. It's the single largest upgrade you'll find in the lineup. If you own a previous generation 13-inch MBP, the upgrade is 100% worth it.
Click to expand...

From CNET

For those who want the best computer for the money, fingers point to that same $1,199 MacBook Pro. The next-gen Intel Core i5 CPU is a big improvement over previous MacBook processors, and you also get a slightly larger hard drive, along with a better HD Webcam and a Thunderbolt port. On the other hand, you can save $200 by choosing the basic non-Pro white MacBook.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20039450-1.html#ixzz1GEsf0zg3
Click to expand...
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)

The i7 is even better :D
 
Burly said:
Hi all, I'm looking to buy my first Mac, and I'm looking at two 13" MBP models.

Here's the new one.
Here's another one, which I think is last year's, but it might be a faster version than the basic one from last year--I'm not sure.

Both are the same price.

The obvious answer is that the new i5 would be better than the Core 2 Duo, but there are couple questions I have about this.

1. The older model's specs say its battery life is 10 hours, while the new one says 7 hours. Does that sound right? Would the new one drain that much more power from the same battery?

2. The older model might be a faster model than the base model from 2010? it's 2.66 GHz with 1066 MHz data bus speed (the new one is an i5 with 2.3 GHz with 1333MHz). If so, is this one faster in any way?

Are there any other decent reasons to go with this particular older model? It looks like the graphics are a bit better with the nVidia GeForce 320M on the older model, but I'm not going to be playing games. I might do a little video editing, but nothing too serious. I've heard the new keyboard is softer, which sounds nice.

Thanks very much for your help.
Click to expand...

If you game, the Core 2 Duo/GeForce 320M based model is superior. Otherwise, go with the newer model.

ECUpirate44 said:
Get the 2011. The battery is not shorter, Apple just used more stringent tests.
The i5 blows a C2D out of the water. Dont even consider the 2010 model.
Click to expand...

What you say is completely wrong if we're talking about gaming as the Intel HD 3000 can barely keep up with the GeForce 320M.

iBieber said:
There is no reason to take the 2010 model instead of the new 2011 model. Although the differences aren't that big, the most important change is the new Sandy Bridge processor. It's definitely faster and more future proof. I wouldn't buy a computer with an Intel Core Duo processor in 2011, in any situation.... :)
Click to expand...

One reason: gaming. Otherwise, you're right. But the GeForce 320M on the older 13" MacBook Pro is superior to the Intel HD 3000 on the new 13" MacBook Pro. Because Intel fails at IGPs.
 
I was in the same position as you- wondering which generation to purchase.

I ended up with the 2.66GHz MBP, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD.

My local Micro Center had one left priced at $999.
I purchased it the day after the launch of the new models.
For that price I could not pass it up.

Especially with Intel having known Sandy Bridge problems (yeah, I know it's not supposed to effect these machines), however, I wasn't feeling fuzzy about long term reliability.

Moreover, I have no need for a HD Facetine camera since I don't video chat, nor so I see myself utilizing the Thunderbolt port.
Those held no weight in the comparison.

Since my purchase, I've upgraded to 8GB G.Skill RAM and a larger, faster HDD all for cheaper then what the newer generation would've cost.

I'm happy.

[sent from my android]
 
Yebubbleman said:
If you game, the Core 2 Duo/GeForce 320M based model is superior. Otherwise, go with the newer model.



What you say is completely wrong if we're talking about gaming as the Intel HD 3000 can barely keep up with the GeForce 320M.



One reason: gaming. Otherwise, you're right. But the GeForce 320M on the older 13" MacBook Pro is superior to the Intel HD 3000 on the new 13" MacBook Pro. Because Intel fails at IGPs.
Click to expand...

Marginally. In OS X, the Intel 3000 edges out the 320m in some tests. Regardless of that, neither machine is meant for gaming. There's no way you can warrant the 2010 model, unless it's well-priced.
 
I wonder how much of a difference would I notice by upgrading to 8 gigs of RAM? I don't think I'll be running too many intense programs, but now and then I might have a lot going on.
 
Here's something that seems odd to me. The new one doesn't have a mic input??? I think it has an omnidirectional mic, but does anyone know about this? I actually like to use a mic to record voice with certain programs.
 
Burly said:
Here's something that seems odd to me. The new one doesn't have a mic input??? I think it has an omnidirectional mic, but does anyone know about this? I actually like to use a mic to record voice with certain programs.
Click to expand...

Doesn't the 3.5" jack serve as an audio out and line in?
I'm slightly noob and never have a need to record anything, so I never really checked.
I thought that's what I read though.
..don't crucify me people.

[sent from my android]
 
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