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Core Duo vs. Core2 Duo?????

TopGear300

TopGear300

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 21, 2007
121
0
Hello all!!!

I am interested in making an :apple: laptop purchase!! If you check my other threads I first was considering a powerbook just because I am in love with the backlit keyboard.

I plan on making my purchase on eBay and stumblde over the first-gen MBP running at 1.83 ghz and thought to myself as I look deeper into buying a good condition Powerbook, it was going to cost me $700 and MBP's start at 1000 practically. So I dont know much about the Core Duo's and was hoping you guys can fill me in. I wanted a PB with at least 1.25 and a SuperDrive and a backlit keyboard and a nice HDD and all the requirements got old and it would be SOOOO much easier to just buy a MBP knowing they have everything I want.

Thanks!!
:apple:
 
What's the question?

If all you want to know about is the Core Duo, then I'll just say it's much faster than the 1.25 GHz G4 in the PowerBook. It's made by Intel. It has 2 cores rather than just 1. I assume you already know all of this, but is there anything else you want to know?

I don't even know why you'd get the 1.25 Ghz version. If you're going to buy a PB, get the fastest one available.

I'd much rather get a used/refurb MBP. At this point, a PowerBook seems like a waste of money.
 
Well abstract......I already have a main computer (an iMac that I am in love with!!) and don't really feel like spending another 1000 on a secondary machine that I will be using specifically for e-mail, internet, writing word documents, use of wi-fi, I simply want a portable computer, in every sense of the word, a laptop!

I doubt you are right about the 2 core thing, core duo means it has two cores, not core 2 duo. So im pretty sure the first gen core duo's had two cores


What was the difference between the core duo and core2duo anyone else??
:apple:
 
The Core Duo is a 32-bit processor and the Core 2 Duo is a 64-bit processor. If you do want to run Leopard, it should make a difference, plus the Core 2 Duo can address more memory.
 
core due is an older cpu than c2d. if you need a secondary mac then a core due mbp would be fine and a better investment then a powerbook
 
THANKS!!!

How does the Core duo stack up to the G4 runnin at hmmm id say a 1.5?
:apple:
 
Speakin in terms of investment??

Does anyone have advice to me as far as the MBP (CoreDuo) is twice the price. They might (hopefully!!) drop in price after the new MBP comes out but as of now... should I go for a PowerBook 1.25 or higher at $500-$600 or a MBP for no less that a four digit number $$$?? Keep in mind that this will just be a kick around machiene to use when I feel like just doing some computer stuff wirelessly.

(There is just something proper writing a word document in startbucks on an apple PowerBook or an MBP :D hahah vs. stuck in a dark office on an iMac)

:apple:
 
TopGear300 said:
THANKS!!!

How does the Core duo stack up to the G4 runnin at hmmm id say a 1.5?
:apple:
Click to expand...

At least twice as fast. PPC is getting long in the tooth now unless you have a PPC-specific app to run. I would not waste time on a G4. Spend the extra and get a MBP.

These are figures for a mini but should be ballpark for comparison of PB/MBP: http://www.barefeats.com/mincd.html
 
The Core Duo is still a pretty darn fast processor and unless you are doing things that are very processor intense you won't even notice much of a difference from a Core Duo to a Core 2 Duo. Now compared to the G4 there is a huge difference in speed.
 
Abercrombieboy said:
The Core Duo is still a pretty darn fast processor and unless you are doing things that are very processor intense you won't even notice much of a difference from a Core Duo to a Core 2 Duo. Now compared to the G4 there is a huge difference in speed.
Click to expand...



I thought so... thanks bro!!!
:apple:
 
If you're looking for a kick-around machine, why not look at PowerBook G3s? the later model Pismos are great, and can run Tiger quite well. The plastic casing can take a beating and it looks really cool to boot!

Plus, a pismo will only set you back like $125 decently equipped. A lot of people rush out to get the latest and greatest, but most could get by with Clamshell iBooks. I think for a secondary machine a PowerBook G3 would do nicely.

But PBG4s are great machines too. I use one for my main machine (although I'm in High school). I wouldn't waste your time getting a MBP which will sit idly for most of the time. Get something less expensive like a Pismo or a Titanium G4. The vintage design and feel of the units is, in my opinion, worth the speed hit.
 
If you decide to look at the Pismo, you might as well take a peek at the iBook G4 (stay away from iBook G3 600-900MHz models), about a month ago I bought a iBook G4 1.42Ghz for $450.00 on ebay. I bought it for my wife and she loves it. They can run Leopard quite nicely (especially the later models).

And yes the G3 Pismos are great machines.
 
Its worth it to get a C2D, unless you can find a CD for a really cheap price, or even a Core Solo. Its more important than the actual clock speed to get the new version of the processor. But yes any of the intel processors are much much faster than the G4's, the G4's were already way behind Intel when they first came out (pentium 4's usually easily beat them in benchmarks, macs were a laughing stock for price:performance), so of course they are going to get smashed by Intel's newer Core line.

Be very careful when shopping at ebay, most macs there sell for more than what you can get at apple as a refurb.
 
G3 really yall???

A g3 might be ok for just browsing the web, playing music, or basic word proccessing but if you are going to do anything else it is worth it to at least go with the g4. My g4 ibook (i sold it to buy a mbp but am now playing the waiting game) did things very well and would be a good computer (as would the g4 powerbook.

If you want to be somewhat future-proofed it may be worth it to go ahead and get an intel machine - a core duo or core2duo - since the end of universal binaries (apps that will run on both ppc like the g4 and intel machines) will likely come soon.

Regarding the G3 machines, I am writing this reply from a g3 333mhz powerbook (referred to as the lombard). My powerbook is one generation before the prismo (the prismo is a 400mhz machine if I recall)

My G3 is running the latest version of firefox and is very snappy(suprisingly) for web browsing and older versions of photoshop. I have 384MB ram but only a 4 gig hard drive. I would not, however recommend buying a G3 machine as it will not be useful for much more than web browsing and probably will not be able to handle the media rich web pages that are beginning to proliferate the web. Flash is surprisingly resource intensive and my PB sometimes struggles with the higher res youtube videos etc.

To actually answer your question, the core duo will be significantly faster than a G4 and will put you in the class with the future machines (intel). My powerbook is nearly 10 years old and is still very useful for basic tasks because the basic chip architecture (ppc) did not change. A g4 machine will have a much shorter useful life span because of Apple's switch to intel. In the next few years, new PPC software will be less available. The intel machines are the future and will provide you with a machine that, if cared for, will serve you well for years to come.

Good luck with your purchase!

Edit: After reading the OP, I still didn't answer the question...I'm not sure what it is...
 
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