What do I need to know in upgrading 13" MBP?

[147798]

I've got a mid-2009 13" MBP. 2.26 C2D, nvidia 9400M, 8GB RAM and a 750GB 7200 RPM drive (WD blue, I think)

The battery needs to be replaced, and it's getting onto 4 years old now (though I think I bought it as a refurb in early 2010, so it's really only 3 years old).

I find ML is kind of laggy on it. At least, it needs rebooting with some frequency, and the battery is shot. Also, it seems to run really hot since upgrading to ML from SL (skipped Lion). I could do a fresh install and repair the battery, but I was thinking I could upgrade instead.

The newer 13" MBP (non-retina) seem like an easy upgrade. One of my questions is -- will I see a step-down in my video and photography editing performance if I drop from the nvidia 9400m to the on-board Intel HD 4000 graphics.

In general, will a new laptop run ML a bit better?

Would appreciate any input/thoughts, or experiences in upgrading.

 

[Spink10]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1101884/

this thread compares 9400 to the Intel HD 3000 (2011) model - 4000 is much better

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/395464-33-nvidia-9400m-256mb-intel-4000-graphics

 

[147798]

Thanks. That's helpful. I'm not an expert in interpreting all this stuff. The only games I play are silly things like Cradle of Rome, and the only 3D/fps game I play is Call of Duty 2 (multi-player), so my concern is more about video editing (which I only do a little of) and using Lightroom for photo editing. In the latter, my concern is more about color gamut and speed. It sounds like the Intel 4000 would certainly provide no loss in performance over the nvidia and might even be a bit better? It also sounds like it might use less power?

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Also, does anyone find ML running on a new 13" MBP to run fine, with limited to no heat issues? I swear my MBP install has a memory leak somewhere, because over time, the RAM gets filled (this is a cycle of sleeping and waking), and I have to reboot to clear it all (and we're talking 8GB).

I'm just looking for some surety before I plunk down for the upgrade. I am pretty frustrated by the performance of my MBP compared to my newly acquired Dell laptop from work, I've even been thinking about switching back, so I'm looking for a little tail wind to convince me to stick with Mac.

 

[di1in]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1101884/

this thread compares 9400 to the Intel HD 3000 (2011) model - 4000 is much better

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/395464-33-nvidia-9400m-256mb-intel-4000-graphics

I just bought mine yesterday, and it handles Call of Duty 4 in 2560x1600 with absolutely no lag.

 

[147798]

Thanks for the replies!

Besides gaming speeds (which is not much of an issue for me), has anyone run SL on a 2009 MBP vs. a 2012? Is there an improvement in 3 key areas:
1) fewer beachballs
2) less lag (maybe that's the same as #1)
3) less heat?

In general, will the integrated graphics help reduce heat?

 

[xShane]

Thanks for the replies!

Besides gaming speeds (which is not much of an issue for me), has anyone run SL on a 2009 MBP vs. a 2012? Is there an improvement in 3 key areas:
1) fewer beachballs
2) less lag (maybe that's the same as #1)
3) less heat?

In general, will the integrated graphics help reduce heat?

Technically speaking, it's going to be faster.

Heat is related to processes. If you're doing something demanding, things might get hotter, depending on how resource intensive they are. I'd say in general there will be less heat, but that doesn't mean no heat.