Speed of new MacBook compared to old one?

[sfgiants320]

Hi everyone,

I was looking into getting the new 2.0 GHz MacBook. I've used the 2.4 GHz BlackBook (old one) before, and that one seems fast enough for my needs. Does the improved memory (DDR3) and faster FSB (1066 MHz, right?) make up for the 0.4 GHz speed, or is there a serious difference in speed that I'll notice?

BTW, I'm a high school junior, and I'm looking to use the new notebook for a while...i.e. at least for 3-4 years.

 

[Eidorian]

Stick with the 2.0 GHz model.

Keep in mind that the front side bus and RAM improvements aren't enough gains to be significant over older MacBooks.

 

[sfgiants320]

So you're saying I should buy the new 2.0 GHz Glassbook over the older 2.4 GHz BlackBook? Or the latter?

 

[Eidorian]

So you're saying I should buy the new 2.0 GHz Glassbook over the older 2.4 GHz BlackBook? Or the latter?

If you need raw CPU power then the older 2.4 GHz MacBook is a good choice if you're looking to save some money.

The new Aluminium 2.0 GHz MacBook is on par with the current 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo offerings in terms of CPU power but I'd get it for the 9400M G chipset/IGP solution in the long run.

 

[sfgiants320]

OK, thanks. Regarding graphics performance....I'm not really looking into playing heavy graphics-intensive games like COD or Halo, but would the 2.0 GHz GlassBook suffice for something like Spore or watching 1080p videos (streaming over the internet) smoothly? Or would there be any lag? And what about if I tried to do the same thing while the GlassBook is hooked up to an external 25"+ display (or even a large 40" plasma)?

I was going to go to an Apple store to check them out myself, but an opinion from someone who already has a 2.0 GHz GlassBook would also be cool

Thanks for all the help

 

[Eidorian]

OK, thanks. Regarding graphics performance....I'm not really looking into playing heavy graphics-intensive games like COD or Halo, but would the 2.0 GHz GlassBook suffice for something like Spore or watching 1080p videos (streaming over the internet) smoothly? Or would there be any lag? And what about if I tried to do the same thing while the GlassBook is hooked up to an external 25"+ display (or even a large 40" plasma)?

I was going to go to an Apple store to check them out myself, but an opinion from someone who already has a 2.0 GHz GlassBook would also be cool

Thanks for all the help

First of all lag isn't low frames per second. It's network latency.

The new Glassbooks are much more capable when it comes to gaming in general and it looks like the new machines might support GPU accelerated h.264 decoding as well.

 

[sfgiants320]

Thanks for all the help. But what about connecting up the GlassBook to a large display (such as a 22" monitor or a 40" plasma TV)? Assuming the 1080p or 720p video is stored on the GlassBook's HDD itself (so no streaming from the internet), would the full-screen video play smoothly?

 

[neiltc13]

Thanks for all the help. But what about connecting up the GlassBook to a large display (such as a 22" monitor or a 40" plasma TV)? Assuming the 1080p or 720p video is stored on the GlassBook's HDD itself (so no streaming from the internet), would the full-screen video play smoothly?

Yes. It will also run Spore fine.

 

[Eidorian]

Thanks for all the help. But what about connecting up the GlassBook to a large display (such as a 22" monitor or a 40" plasma TV)? Assuming the 1080p or 720p video is stored on the GlassBook's HDD itself (so no streaming from the internet), would the full-screen video play smoothly?

I do all that video playback right now on my "old" MacBook 2.2 GHz.