New MBP 13 inch vs 2006 Black Mac

Four oF NINE

Four oF NINE

macrumors 68000
I'm going to be updating soon, and I'm curious how much of a difference the current MBP will be performance wise compared to my 2006 Black Mac? I have the 2 Core Duo now, 2 GHz processor, with 4GB of RAM. I'm running OS X Lion 10.7.3 now without any problems to speak of.

Am I going to notice any real difference in performance? My current machine isn't bad, but the case is getting cracked and the battery is starting to crap out. Are there any graphical differences? Will response be superior even with the slower chip?

Should I get 2.4GHz dual-core
Intel Core i5, or.. the 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 ?

I plan on sticking with the 13 inch version. Would it make more sense to wait for the Spring upgrade with Ivy Bridge? Will an anti-glare screen be available then?

I'm mainly using it for documents, (document creation with Pages, and stored document management), online news gathering, and some light photography with Aperture. It's also the hub for my iPhone 4S and iPods. I have no use or need for Winduhz, and don't use it for games.

Thanks for any input!
 
Someone's going to throw in a later post the obscene benchmark performance upgrade from the 2011/2012 (if you wait) MBPs and your MB C2D, but in real life performance for tasks you listed? Meh, probably nothing astronomical. Programs won't really open faster, it won't really multi-task better, but more CPU intensive tasks like ripping a DVD will be a bit faster.

Graphics performance - even with the mediocre Intel HD 3000 - should be significantly better than your GMA 950 (I believe). It can run plenty of games that your current GPU can't, if that's your thing. If not, it doesn't matter. Either way, the 13" does not and will not get a dedicated GPU, so the results won't be amazing either.

I would heavily suggest waiting for the 2012 release. It sounds like you have a laptop that works perfectly fine - it just has some blemishes. As long as whatever battery issue you have isn't drastically hindering your usage.

And as far as I know, there has never been a high-res 13" offering and I really doubt there ever will be. It seems like an add-on tied to the 15" model due to the bigger real estate and dedicated GPU.
 
Since you waited this long and the old machine is still working well, it would make sense to wait just a little longer and see what the Ivy Bridge update brings.
 
Like the others I'd wait until the Ivy Bridge updated models are released. Just a few months.

It's unlikely that Apple will offer any better or different screens on the 13", although I certainly would jump at a hi-res antiglare 13" IPS screen, and I'd pay handsomely for it.
 
I am coming from a late '07 MB white and am now on a MBP 13" i7. The main thing I notice is that it performs much better when watching youtube stuff and streaming TV (the MBP is my TV). This results in a lot less fan noise. So, basically, when you hear your fans blowing often, you could benefit from the faster CPU.

Apart from that, I very much enjoy the improved track pad. I haven't used the better camera a lot yet. Oh, the SD slot also is a nice add-on :)
 
Thanks for all the insights, guys.. I'm still curious about the pending upgrade though.. It's in May, right?
 
i have a 2008 mb, and just picked up the late 2011 mbp 13 inch and its like comparing apples to oranges, the pro is much better, fluid loading, better processor, lighter, cleaner, and the screen is much better compared to my old model.
 
I suspect that if there will be an SSD in the new MBP's, it will be expensive. If you feel you need some kind of performance boost before then, what I would do is replace the HD in your BlackMac with an SSD (very easy to do and not that expensive if you buy from Amazon). That will speed things up (restarting, launching apps, etc.).

Then, when you upgrade to the new MBP you can migrate the SSD over to your new Mac. This Crutial drive is 3Gb/s backward compatible, and should work in your current Mac and the new model.

The above only applies if you like to tinker...
 
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