Core 2 Duo vs i5, i7 CPU's

[Wicked1]

Has anyone seen a significant speed increase of the different CPU's.

I was looking at Refurb's and I was thinking of getting a 15" MBP with the 9400/9600 Core 2 Duo, as apposed to the newer one with the i5's or i7's.

If it is worth the extra $2-300 I would but I am not sure it is, maybe the extra battery is enough only because I plan on using it as a main Computer and putting a 128 GB SSD in it so battery life should be good with either model.

 

[maflynn]

Based on various benchmarks that I saw when the i5 MBPs hit the street, I'd say yes.

My recommendation is to use mroogle as those benchmarks were most certainly discussed here

 

[Eddyisgreat]

C2D:

i7:

No but seriously you get alot more comp for that $2-$300. It's really a no brainer as long as you use the extra horsepower.

 

[kfscoll]

From what I've read, iX-series processors are roughly 20% faster than Core 2-series processors clock-for-clock. Of course, that 20% depends on what type of application you're running. If you could get a 2.8GHz C2D for $200-$300 less than a 2.4GHz i5, that might be a compelling buy (not considering the different video cards in the machines). If you then take the money you saved and bought a fast SSD, that Core 2 Duo machine is going to feel considerably quicker than the i5 machine with a conventional hard drive.

I have a mid-2009 2.66GHz C2D MacBook Pro with an OWC SSD installed that easily feels as snappy as my 2.8GHz Core i7 iMac when executing day-to-day tasks. The SSD makes a bigger difference in most productivity applications than a quicker processor ever would. Of course, gaming and video editing are a different story, but the differences between a 2.8GHz C2D and a dual-core 2.4GHz i5 are going to be relatively minor. Just remember that a new MacBook Pro will have a faster video card than last year's C2D MacBook Pros, so that will affect gaming and video rendering performance also.

 

[Wattser93]

The i5 model will also do audio out through the minidisplay port so you can use an HDMI adapter and have the audio and video in one cable, in case that matters. You get extra battery life, audio out through the minidisplay, and a newer processor.

I say buy the newer model, but if you don't need the i5, buy a 13" and you can get the power of the older 15" (very similar performance in day to day use), better battery life than either of the 15", audio out, and a smaller form factor if that matters to you. And with the extra money you save, you can add that SSD and save some money over buying the 15" and SSD.