Intel i5/i7 Processors - Worth the wait?

[wotanub]

I was disappointed that there was no MBP refresh today, as I have been waiting to buy a notebook. I use an iMac as my home base, but I need something portable for school.

I don't know much about processors and components, but are the new processors worth the wait? What the difference between them and the 2.26Ghz Core 2 Duos? All I want is a computer powerful enough to go two or three years without becoming obsolete and a pain to use (this has happened to me twice with HP laptops).

Should I wait for the new processors, go with the low end current ones, or drop extra cash for the high end ones? And how is the speed affected?

 

[jav6454]

Worth the wait? Yes, they are 22% to 30% more efficient that equally clocked Core 2 Duos.

 

[yamabushi]

Yes, they are worth the wait.

 

[quadG5guy]

Absolutely they're worth the wait. I have a late 2006 MBP. It's over 3 years old now. And it benchmarks at 84% of the current 2010 unibody MBP. It scores 3200 in GeekBench on my 2006 model, vs. 3800 for the current model. Core 2 Duo is very long in the tooth now, and the current Core 2 Duo chips are only marginally quicker than they were 3+ years ago. I refuse to replace my old MBP until core i5 models are released.

 

[theLimit]

Using HandBrake, it takes around 2 hours to convert a DVD to AppleTV on my 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, whereas my 2.6GHz Core i5 Quad does it in 30 minutes. I'd say it's definitely worth the wait, especially if you've waited this long. Once you've waited for 7 months, why not wait one more?

Also, depending on your use of the computer, the amount of RAM would likely have much more of an impact three years out than CPU speed.

 

[Eric S.]

It depends on how much productivity you're losing while you wait.

 

[FieryFurnace]

Using HandBrake, it takes around 2 hours to convert a DVD to AppleTV on my 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, whereas my 2.6GHz Core i5 Quad does it in 30 minutes. I'd say it's definitely worth the wait, especially if you've waited this long. Once you've waited for 7 months, why not wait one more?

Also, depending on your use of the computer, the amount of RAM would likely have much more of an impact three years out than CPU speed.

You are comparing your Desktop i5 Quad-Core to a Dual-Core.
The mobile i5 is only a dual-core as far as I know.