To upgrade or not. Benchmarks suggest it's not necessary....

[bjwhite3114]

I have an Early 2011 MBP with a 4-core i7 2.0Ghz processor and SSD. Am considering a move to a more recent model, but when I consider benchmark numbers I find it hard to rationalize the need for an upgrade.

My 2011 geekbench numbers: 2913 single / 9242 multicore

Looking at some used 2014/2015 models on swappa for around $900 to $1100:
2014 or 2015 MBP 2.2Ghz: 3760 / 12850
2014 or 2015 MBP 2.8Ghz: 4350 / 14500

I'm not terribly keen on the lack of ports and the butterfly keyboard with the recent models, but:
2018 2.6Ghz: 5000 / 21300

So, by moving to a 2014/2015 model, I'd be able to install Mojave without any hacks and get about a 40 to 50% performance bump. I do some app development but have seen no problems running Xcode on my 2011. Despite my desire to get a shiny newish mac, I'm having troubles rationalizing it by the numbers alone.

Any advice? We have some extra disposable income thanks to a recent promotion, but I still try to be responsible with my spending decisions. (Really wish Apple hadn't excluded my MBP from Mojave. Can't help but see it is a bit of a money grab given the slowing growth of processor upgrades.)

 

[robvas]

I would wait for your current laptop to break....then buy a new one. Might have another year left.

 

[puma1552]

I'm on a mid-2010 2.66 which benchmarks at like 2200, and have a refurb 2015 base model 2.2 you have listed above coming tomorrow. The processor is whatever, but I am dying for a retina screen, have been for years, and dark mode in Mojave. I'm also really looking forward to a thinner device. So for me, it's not so much the processor and raw benchmarks, but the rest of the package overall; I'll be making a 5 year jump so pretty much everything will be substantially better, minus giving up a dedicated graphics card but I don't do anything that really requires it so no loss there other than bragging rights.

My mid-2010 runs beautifully on High Sierra, but I just plain want a new machine and after not buying one since 2008 (my 2010 is an AC replacement for my 2008 model) I figure I'm well overdue to spend some money on one for no other reason than it's been a long time and I just plain want a new machine.