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How does the processor (A8) in this HP laptop compare to 2009 MBP's Core 2 Duo?

Depends on what you want

AMD is designed for high power tasks like gaming, video editing, etc. Intel is designed for everyday use. While both have good speed, Intel preforms better for the home user.
 
So that HP laptop is going to be good at video editing? Even though the laptop is only $400?
 
galaksy said:
So that HP laptop is going to be good at video editing? Even though the laptop is only $400?
Click to expand...

Depends on your definition of good, and the material you are editing. It's going to be slower than a current MacBook Pro, but it might still be powerful enough for your needs. Hard to say anything more specific, without knowing what your needs are.

Here are some relevant Geekbench 3 scores:
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?utf8=✓&q=Macbook+pro+2009
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?utf8=✓&q=A8-4500m

The multithreaded performance of the HP laptop is somewhat better than the older MBP, but the MBP is actually faster in single threaded benchmarks. So if the software you use is properly multithreaded, the HP is going to be slightly faster, but generally they are very close. I would not call the HP an upgrade over the MBP.

IMHO You would benefit much more, if you spent the $400 to get an SSD and maximize the memory of the MBP. If you have already done that, the HP would actually be a downgrade from the MBP.
 
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I've been thinking of upgrading the SSD but one slot for RAM is dead so I can only go up to 4GB unless by a miracle an 8GB stick will work for the one remaining slot
 
Hey galaksy,

I've seen a few of your threads now. I'm just wondering if maybe we would able to help you better if you could tell us

a) What you need your computer for
b) whether it should be mobile or not
c) What your budget is

I see you randomly comparing desktop PCs, laptops, Macs, modern with old machines etc, and I'm not sure if that helps with making a purchase decision.

Btw, did you consider the new Microsoft Surface?
 
I think I need it mostly for the high resolution screen, which would make long readings on the internet much more easy on the eyes and enjoyable and less tiring for the eyes too.

Since the high pixel density is not available on external monitors, I am thinking of probably buying Mac retina or windows equivalent.

Budget, I guess $2000 or less is okay.

----------

By the way, I took out the 8gb ram in my 2009 MacBook Pro to return the RAM because since one slot is out I didn't think one stick was useful, so it would be better to return it and buy 4GB Ram.

To replace it, I put in the 4GB stick from HP laptop, but when I boot it, it started making beeping noise every 3 second and the screen won't turn on.

Is the RAM that came with the HP laptop incompatible with the 2009 Mac?
 
galaksy said:
I think I need it mostly for the high resolution screen, which would make long readings on the internet much more easy on the eyes and enjoyable and less tiring for the eyes too.

Since the high pixel density is not available on external monitors, I am thinking of probably buying Mac retina or windows equivalent.

Budget, I guess $2000 or less is okay.

----------

By the way, I took out the 8gb ram in my 2009 MacBook Pro to return the RAM because since one slot is out I didn't think one stick was useful, so it would be better to return it and buy 4GB Ram.

To replace it, I put in the 4GB stick from HP laptop, but when I boot it, it started making beeping noise every 3 second and the screen won't turn on.

Is the RAM that came with the HP laptop incompatible with the 2009 Mac?
Click to expand...

Probably. Today, most computers use DDR3-1600. In 2009, it was DDR3-1066. So, 2009 computers used slower ram than is standard today.

Also, mixing ram is a bad idea. You want matching pairs.
 
An APU A8-4500m is faster than even a T9800 C2D... The reason a C2D is faster at single threads is because it's faster core for core where as the APU has 4 cores at a slower clock rate. AKA, now a days everything is multi threaded unless you are editing in notepad or paint...

Another important thing people are overlooking is the AMD graphics.. This will make a HUGE impact in video editing performance as Premiere can use the AMD card for OpenCL which will run circles around anything in a old C2D Macbook/Macbook Pro no matter how high of spec.
 
galaksy said:
I think I need it mostly for the high resolution screen, which would make long readings on the internet much more easy on the eyes and enjoyable and less tiring for the eyes too.

Since the high pixel density is not available on external monitors, I am thinking of probably buying Mac retina or windows equivalent.

Budget, I guess $2000 or less is okay.
Click to expand...

Did you consider an iPad for reading?

You might also want to consider waiting for another 1/2 year to year, and see if Apple brings a retina Macbook Air.

Alternatively, I think the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is an interesting device (and has a high-resolution screen). My main concern there is that the kick-stand might make using it on the lap a bit awkward.

Finally ASUS has announced a few interesting devices:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8094/computex-2014-the-asus-zenbook-nx500-a-4kuhd-156-ultrabook

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8081/asus-launches-the-rog-gx500-a-4k-uhd-15inch-gaming-notebook
 
Freyqq said:
Probably. Today, most computers use DDR3-1600. In 2009, it was DDR3-1066. So, 2009 computers used slower ram than is standard today.

Also, mixing ram is a bad idea. You want matching pairs.
Click to expand...


But I used new ram from amazon and it worked, which I returned because I didn't need the whole 8 ram, just the 4gb.
 
Lol. You shouldn't be talking about these things. Ever.


MacCubed said:
AMD is designed for high power tasks like gaming, video editing, etc. Intel is designed for everyday use. While both have good speed, Intel preforms better for the home user.
Click to expand...
 
ha1o2surfer said:
An APU A8-4500m is faster than even a T9800 C2D... The reason a C2D is faster at single threads is because it's faster core for core where as the APU has 4 cores at a slower clock rate. AKA, now a days everything is multi threaded unless you are editing in notepad or paint...

Another important thing people are overlooking is the AMD graphics.. This will make a HUGE impact in video editing performance as Premiere can use the AMD card for OpenCL which will run circles around anything in a old C2D Macbook/Macbook Pro no matter how high of spec.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Somebody told me that because it's a 17inch, the motherboard is bigger so the transference of information will be slower. Is there any truth to that?
 
galaksy said:
Thank you. Somebody told me that because it's a 17inch, the motherboard is bigger so the transference of information will be slower. Is there any truth to that?
Click to expand...

The physical size of the motherboard would not, by itself, have any measurable affect on the speed of data transfer in any system.
 
ha1o2surfer said:
An APU A8-4500m is faster than even a T9800 C2D... The reason a C2D is faster at single threads is because it's faster core for core where as the APU has 4 cores at a slower clock rate. AKA, now a days everything is multi threaded unless you are editing in notepad or paint...



Another important thing people are overlooking is the AMD graphics.. This will make a HUGE impact in video editing performance as Premiere can use the AMD card for OpenCL which will run circles around anything in a old C2D Macbook/Macbook Pro no matter how high of spec.
Click to expand...


Does that mean that the A8 processor will be powerful to handle just about anything? What kind of activities could it not handle?
 
I was just looking at some benchmark scores for the AMD processor compared to the 1.3GHz i5 in the MacBook Air, and it seems that the i5 was quite a bit better on just about every count. I know benchmarks don't tell the whole story, but I don't think the HP laptop is going to be a very powerful machine.
 
So what kind of things would it struggle to handle? I don't know if I should upgrade this laptop by adding 16gb ram etc or buy a new laptop ... Or desktop
 
galaksy said:
So what kind of things would it struggle to handle? I don't know if I should upgrade this laptop by adding 16gb ram etc or buy a new laptop ... Or desktop
Click to expand...

You still haven't really explained what you're going to use it for, outside of "long readings on the internet". If all you're planning to do is use the web browser, I don't think you would need to upgrade at all, so I'm assuming there's something more to it.
 
I would like to get into video editing, to make YouTube videos with a high quality camcorder that I plan to buy.
 
thundersteele said:
Did you consider an iPad for reading?

You might also want to consider waiting for another 1/2 year to year, and see if Apple brings a retina Macbook Air.

Alternatively, I think the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is an interesting device (and has a high-resolution screen). My main concern there is that the kick-stand might make using it on the lap a bit awkward.

Finally ASUS has announced a few interesting devices:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8094/computex-2014-the-asus-zenbook-nx500-a-4kuhd-156-ultrabook

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8081/asus-launches-the-rog-gx500-a-4k-uhd-15inch-gaming-notebook
Click to expand...

I am not sure about the iPad because I can’t use a mouse with it, and it would be hard to use it at eye level. Can you use the mouse with Surface Pro 3?
 
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