Quad core, Core 2 Duo, i5, i7, etc questions....

[palmerc2]

So I am not too familiar with all the lingo when it comes to processors, I know enough to get me by, but there are a few questions I have...and possibly other MR users have as well.

First things first, it is rumored we will see a refresh of MBPs in about 3 months which may sport a quad core processor. Right now the current lineup for the MBP is the Core 2 Duo, which is also the same processor I have in my Alu iMac. I have the 2.8GHz.

I just want to know: what are the performance gains between a Core 2 Duo and a quad core? What is the difference between i5 and i7??

If there is anymore information you think I should know / forgot to mention, do tell!

 

[Bennieboy©]

apple wont offer a quad core macbook pro model, for much the same reasons you dont see quad core mac mini's, not enough space and too much heat

 

[Mhaddy]

Not sure about hard numbers for you but the world of computing is going towards multi-core processing, particularly with the releases of Snow Leopard and Windows 7. I think it will be a while (re: 1 year+) before you really start to see noticeable gains from 4 CPU's to the average Joe but that's just me. I've got 8 cores in my Mac Pro so I don't care .

 

[mac-ho]

If you can afford the Quad, go for it. The Dual is more machine than I need. (For most people it is) but I keep the Imacs a long time. (In computer years)--5-6 years. $300 for that period not a deal breaker. If you are in somewhat the same position, the same ingenious reasoning would apply!! Or, if you are like me, you can figure a multitude of other reasons to get the quad!! I have to go now. My Nurse is here!!

 

[chill.]

it's a bit difficult to give a flat out comparison and hard numbers because there are so many factors to weigh and depends on how you use it

i7 is a relatively big upgrade over core 2 duo. i think i7 murders on the benchmarks, and the jump from core 2 duo -> i7 is comparable to pentium -> core duo. it's the next generation, the way of the future!

i think apple will get i7 macbooks in 2+ more refreshes... they are typically slow to adopt new tech