I am new to Mac world and considering to buy MacBook Pro 13.3". I have noticed that the processor on this model is Core 2 Duo which is quite old now. And all other Mac models have been upgraded to i5 or i7. So is it worth buying MBP 13.3 at this time or should I just wait for it to be upgraded? Any indication on when Apple may upgrade thi specific model?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Worth buying MBP 13.3?
- Thread starter mac999
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Impossible to say unless you tell us what you will do with it. C2D is still a good chip, iX isn't that much faster
Indication on next update
What are your needs, maybe the C2D is quite sufficient for your use, as the i-core CPUs aren't that much faster.
Threads about the MBP 13" getting an i-core CPU
Why the Mac Mini and the 13" MBP have no i-core CPU
What are your needs, maybe the C2D is quite sufficient for your use, as the i-core CPUs aren't that much faster.
Threads about the MBP 13" getting an i-core CPU
Why the Mac Mini and the 13" MBP have no i-core CPU
I am planning on using it mainly for browsing, photo management (no editing),writing documents and presentations and small development for iPhone. I'm pretty sure C2D would be sufficient for me. But I just don't to spend $1500 on something which is on it's way out in the next few months.
C2D is perfectly good for you. It's not going to be obsolete for years. All this fuss about iX is overrated, i3 would actually be slower in some tasks. Grab a refurb to save some pennies
The $1199 MPB would suit your needs just fine. With the student discount, you can actually get it for $100 off and a free iPod Touch and printer (after rebate). I bought the 13" one month ago today, and have had great experiences with it. As others have mentioned...the C2D is still a great chip. I think you'll be satisfied with it, but you know yourself better than anyone on these forums.
Order the 13" MBP from Microcenter for $999. I do pretty much what you'll be doing and that model has been more than sufficient for me.
For what you describe you will be fine. I do the same and my slightly slower MB performs like a champ. Also, I agree about microcenter.com if you have one nearby.
Its definitely not the best time ever to pick up a new macbook. As you have gathered, the 13" is not running the latest Core i5 chips. I have to take exception to the other posters in this thread, every benchmark that I've ever seen has shown major improvements from Core 2 > i5. And I just helped someone buy a Core i5 laptop for $550 a couple weeks ago.
The primary redeeming quality of the 13" MBP is that its running (relatively) powerful nVidia integrated graphics, whereas any cheap Core i5 laptops you'll find right now will only have Intel integrated graphics, which is considered much worse. Its possible that you'd get bottlenecked by the Intel graphics (instead of nVidia graphics) before you would get bottlenecked by the Core 2 (instead of Core i5), so the 13" MBP has that going for it.
The 13" MBP is just a very well designed laptop. Its thin, has a very stylish all-aluminum enclosure, has a backlit keyboard, webcam, mic, and a good selection of ports and wireless connectivity. I really like the keyboard and the trackpad is the best I've ever used. It also has great battery life maybe 4 hours of real world heavy browsing use after a year of battery degradation, which is over double most other laptops.
For me the bottom line is that a few other companies make lines of laptops that are as well designed as the MacBooks (Sony and Lenovo Thinkpad come to mind, but I think that most major brands now have comparable high end model lines), but by the time you buy those they cost about as much as the MacBook. The sort of "commodity" computer where you can get a Core i5 for $550 is going to be plasticky, relatively thick, worthless battery life after a couple years, little attention to ergonomics and design, etc.
So yeah, your choice.
The primary redeeming quality of the 13" MBP is that its running (relatively) powerful nVidia integrated graphics, whereas any cheap Core i5 laptops you'll find right now will only have Intel integrated graphics, which is considered much worse. Its possible that you'd get bottlenecked by the Intel graphics (instead of nVidia graphics) before you would get bottlenecked by the Core 2 (instead of Core i5), so the 13" MBP has that going for it.
The 13" MBP is just a very well designed laptop. Its thin, has a very stylish all-aluminum enclosure, has a backlit keyboard, webcam, mic, and a good selection of ports and wireless connectivity. I really like the keyboard and the trackpad is the best I've ever used. It also has great battery life maybe 4 hours of real world heavy browsing use after a year of battery degradation, which is over double most other laptops.
For me the bottom line is that a few other companies make lines of laptops that are as well designed as the MacBooks (Sony and Lenovo Thinkpad come to mind, but I think that most major brands now have comparable high end model lines), but by the time you buy those they cost about as much as the MacBook. The sort of "commodity" computer where you can get a Core i5 for $550 is going to be plasticky, relatively thick, worthless battery life after a couple years, little attention to ergonomics and design, etc.
So yeah, your choice.