performance benefits of Sandy Bridge

[devildriver1]

I came close to buying a 15" MBP before stumbling across the macrumors buyers guide which predicts an update to the mbp line in a few months. I would have ignored the advice and went ahead with my purchase if it wasn't for all the hype surrounding intel's new sandy bridge chip.

Anyway, I'm just wondering what sort of performance boost I can expect by going from a current gen i5 MBP and a sandy bridge one. I play games on occasion so any clarification on what can be expected in the graphics department would be helpful, as one blog talked about the discrete cards in the current gen MBPs possibly being faster than what the sandy bridge would offer.
I'm not one who usually waits for the next model, but if the next update to the MBPs is a major one, it probably is worth the wait (given the price).

thanks,

 

[Hellhammer]

Apple usually uses the same GPUs for two generations so Apple may use the 330M GT. The IGP in SB will be better than what is found inside the current gen iX CPUs but it won't affect gaming as you're going to use the dedicated GPU for gaming.

If you need it now, buy it now. There is no reason to wait for a speed bump if the current gen can satisfy your needs. If you don't need it now, then you could wait, SB may bring e.g. USB 3.0 and other nice improvements. Don't expect an update anytime soon though

 

[mulo]

so what your gonna get from the sandy bridge is a speed bump, probably 200-300mhz. and a better intel HD graphics. thats it.

i'm not touching an update before ivy bridge, in which the base model is going to be 22µm, and be a quad core. and presumably an even faster intel HD graphics.

 

[devildriver1]

hmm ok, i don't know whether to be happy or sad now.

A small improvement in the cpu doesn't do much for me, but improved graphics definitely would. I'm not too concerned for USB3 either, so I guess the only updates that would make me think 'damn i should have waited' would be a noticable difference in speed or battery, an improvement in the graphics card or worst, a complete redesign of the unibody itself (guess this won't be happening as it looks up to date as it is and fits perfectly with the rest of the apple product line).

 

[daneoni]

Keep in mind the current shipping MBPs are using Rev A processors which have recently been refreshed by Intel. Also, a significant amount of people have been having issues with these machines. For example the freezing saga.

 

[Hellhammer]

Keep in mind the current shipping MBPs are using Rev A processors which have recently been refreshed by Intel.

Sandy Bridge ain't out yet. Some new Arrandales with marginally faster clock speed were released earlier this week but I wouldn't call that an update. Stepping was updated to K0 in all models but that changes nothing.

Also, a significant amount of people have been having issues with these machines. For example the freezing saga.

Most people are fine though. In forums like MR, there will always be people reporting their issues. Besides, new MBP won't be 100% issue-free so waiting won't help.

 

[vipergts2207]

so what your gonna get from the sandy bridge is a speed bump, probably 200-300mhz. and a better intel HD graphics. thats it.

i'm not touching an update before ivy bridge, in which the base model is going to be 22µm, and be a quad core. and presumably an even faster intel HD graphics.

Obviously we don't know for sure what Apple will be including in their next update or when it will be, but I think you're way off here.

First off, Sandy Bridge isn't a simple speed bump. Intel just released the speed bumped Arrendale processors which Apple may implement before the year's end. Sandy Bridge on the other hand is based on a new architecture.

Currently Apple uses 2.4 and 2.53 GHz i5's and a 2.66 Ghz i7. With Sandy Bridge they'll likely use the 2.5 and 2.6 GHz i5's and the 2.7 GHz i7. The speed boost alone won't be much, but the new architecture will likely give a more than modest performance increase.

It's true that there will be better Intel integrated graphics for Sandy Bridge.

The dedicated graphics will hopefully be updated to a nvidia 425m. It's already been released so it's entirely feasible to see the 330m replaced by the 425m. If we're lucky we might even see the video memory increased from 256/512MB to 512/1024MB

OP, I think Sandy Bridge will be worth the wait if you don't need a new computer right away. Intel is releasing the lineup in Q1 '11 so we could see Sandy Bridge implemented as soon as March. I imagine the PC companies will be showing off Sandy Bridge PC's at CES in January. All in all you could be looking at new processors, new graphics and USB 3.0. A lot less likely, but still possible would be blu-ray drives (but I doubt it). I'll be upgrading my 2007 Santa Rosa MBP to Sandy Bridge assuming they use a 425m graphics chip. If not, I'll be skipping it because not upgrading to that would be BS.

Quote:
"But anachronism talk aside, Sandy Bridge will be a ferociously good client architecture for gaming and content creation. Early benchmarks show that the core has a significant performance edge over the current generation, and the on-die graphics perform as well as some lower end discrete graphics solutions.

Between Sandy Bridge and Tunnel Creek from Intel, and Bulldozer and Llano from AMD, 2011 is shaping up to be the biggest year in a long time for x86. If you're looking to upgrade and can hold out, this is one of those moments when you'll be greatly rewarded for your patience."

http://arstechnica.com/business/new...must-have-upgrade-a-look-at-sandy-bridge.ars/

 

[Pentad]

I strongly agree with Vipergts2207 about 2011. I think x86 is getting some nice TLC from Intel, AMD, and others.

I would like to see AMD become a true competitor in the higher-end markets as competition is good. I'm old enough to remember when Intel had no real competition and they just raked us over the coals.

I hope Apple does a nice refresh in 2011 for the MBP with more than just a CPU/GPU bump. I don't care so much about the case as I'm pretty happy with the Unibody but I would like to see them update the internals (USB 3.0, 1 Gig of Video Memory, etc...)

-P

 

[TMay]

here's a little nugget

"The video encode engine is a brand new addition to Sandy Bridge. Intel is being light on the details of the encoder but we saw a demo where Intel took a ~3 minute 1080p 30Mbps source video and transcoded it to a 640 x 360 iPhone video format. The total process took 14 seconds and completed at a rate of roughly 400 frames per second."

From the anandtech review of Sandy Bridge.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3922/intels-sandy-bridge-architecture-exposed/1

Sandy Bridge is going to be very well received but the wait is going to be long for Mac Pro users; probably a year out.

 

[puma1552]

If Sandy Bridge was also bringing along USB 3 and a gig of VRAM, then yea I'd wait--until the second revision.

But it's not bringing USB 3, and a gig of VRAM is doubtful.

Not to mention, just because SB or USB 3 come out doesn't mean Apple will adopt it right away; could be 6-12 months later.

I see it this way-what I really want to be happy is a Rev. B SB chip, native USB 3, and a gig of VRAM. We are so far from these three things in one machine still, let alone even one of the three. Everything between now and that just seems like partial stepping stones so I wouldn't hold my breath for SB cuz it will still take a long while after (say the lifespan of a computer, a couple years) to get all the above.

But we are on the verge of much more refined Arrandale chips so as soon as those drop I'd get one of those and make due with it for a couple years til Rev B true quadcores, a gig of VRAM, and proven USB 3 are included. Until that point everything to me is just kinda meh, but I would at least get a Rev. B Arrandale because many people have problems and Intel said they had a lot more work to do with the Arrandale silicon in subsequent revisions.

 

[vipergts2207]

If Sandy Bridge was also bringing along USB 3 and a gig of VRAM, then yea I'd wait--until the second revision.

But it's not bringing USB 3, and a gig of VRAM is doubtful.

http://www.fudzilla.com/processors/item/20347-sandy-bridge-to-get-usb-30-support

Obviously that little article isn't gospel, but flat out saying SB won't be bringing USB 3.0 is wrong.

Apple has been using 256/512 MB of graphics memory since early '08. They'll
be upgrading at some point. My guess would be sooner rather than later since 512/1024 MB is pretty much standard in PC's that cost under $1k even. Apple should be ashamed if they don't have those options on $2k+ MBP's when SB is implemented.

Not to mention, just because SB or USB 3 come out doesn't mean Apple will adopt it right away; could be 6-12 months later.

Since when has Apple updated MBP's to 12 month old processors? You could make an argument for the 13" using C2D, but Apple had few options in that regard thanks to Intel screwing over nvidia. Apple had to use either subpar processors or subpar graphics chips. On the other hand nothing is keeping Apple from using SB and new dedicated graphics chips.