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Comparison of Geekbench scores in regards to the purchase of a new MBP

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So, here's the build up to the question-
I've never taken benchmark test seriously, or at least when it came to a computer that never gave me problems with speed. I've got a 15" MacBook Pro 5.1. I've been saving up money for a new MacBook Pro, or *possibly* an Alienware(1 percent chance of happening), and have it all ready($2500 in the bank earning interest).

The problem I have is a problem that most people probably have too...I saved up the money to buy the best 15", but now I don't want to spend it all on one blow.

So, I've been learning about all the individual 15" models that are available(new/refurb) from Apple's site, as well as comparing them to what people have been posting here on GeekBench with their MBP's running scores of 9k-11k. That's when I got shocked! I always thought my computer was speedy, probably due to how it seems to run so consistently all the time. Mine is a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, with 8GB 1067 ram. It's fine for me, but I want to upgrade. Not knowing how this compares to everything else, I ran Geekbench, and my score came to ~3600. Say what!? I ran it multiple times, trying different things, and it stuck around 3600.

I don't "really" have problems with the speed of this MBP, but I do notice some lag during photo editing, and video compositions, but what I work with is usually multiple layers, and haven't had any computers in my life that never lagged a bit with them, so I thought it was the norm.

What I want to know is, if my MBP scores at 3600, how or what kind of experience would I notice when going to a MBP that scores +11k? I mention 11k+ because I've been saving for the new gen MBP, but it's not here yet, and that should definitely score above what current gen MBP are scoring.

That brings me back to the refubrs. If I like my 3600, I most likely will love anything on the refurb list, with price variances of $1360-$2K.
I also get pushed towards refurbs because my MBP was a refurb, and I'm very happy with it:)

But, if I'm going to pay that much, I would want a new design... and that's where the Alienware comes in.

AAGHHH...this dilemma is torturing me! This GeekBench score is really throwing me off...from what I am guessing, I could theoretically get the cheapest refurbed 15" and it will run better than mine? Is that true?

Also, I will not be getting rid of my current MBP when i upgrade.
 

pigoo3

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What I want to know is, if my MBP scores at 3600, how or what kind of experience would I notice when going to a MBP that scores +11k? I mention 11k+ because I've been saving for the new gen MBP, but it's not here yet, and that should definitely score above what current gen MBP are scoring.

One thing to keep in mind is...you're comparing a core 2 duo to a quad-core i7. So 2 cores vs. 4 cores. If most of the software you use is not written to take advantage of those 4 cores...then the 3600 vs. 11,000 Geekbench scores can be very misleading.

Here's an older article that says OS 10.6 Snow Leopard was optimized for multiple cores...so I think that we can assume that OS 10.7 is as well:
Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard Revealed: Multi-Core Optimized

But apps. like internet browsers may or may not be multi-core compatible...here's a webpage that lists known multi-core apps...and how well it is implemented:
Mac- Application support for multiple CPU cores

...as you can see it's a rather short list...and with some of the apps...the multi-core implementation is not that good (see the scores).

Multi-core performance is not exactly linear (but to keep things simple for discussions sake)...divide the 11,000 Geekbench score by 4 (for 4 cores)...and you see each core is approximately responsible for 2750 (4 x 2750 = 11,000).

Now take your current core 2 duo MBP with a Geekbench score of 3600 and compare this to the new MBP (but only take the score from 2 cores...2750 x 2)...a 2 core vs. 2 core comparison. Now you see the Geekbench score comparison is 3600 vs. 5500 (still a VERY nice increase)!:)

Also...Geekbench scores do not measure graphics/video performance...so I'm sure that a new MBP would be SERIOUSLY faster in the graphics department than the older MBP.

I know how you feel about saving up that $2500. It took a while...and it took a lot of will-power not to spend it on something else...and a lot of hard work to accumulate it. Maybe now that you're questioning whether to spend the $2500 on a new MBP...maybe you don't NEED the new computer that badly.;)

Good luck deciding,:)

- Nick
 
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Thanks pigoo3! I kind of guessed that there was something different about the specs when comparing the dual cores/quad cores/ and whatever other number of processors lies in between, but learning about that from reading reviews and specs is about as hard as hard as drilling through concrete with a toothpick.

It is true that I don't need to upgrade, but I want to upgrade. I like upgrading to have the newer version of something. If I didn't want to upgrade, I'm sure I could keep on going for a few more years without issues. But, I like upgrading, just as I went 1 year between iPhone 3g to the iPhone 4, and only 1 year in between that and my iPhone4s, I like to, at least to some extent, stay current with new stuff. I'm about 99.999% sure I will also be getting the iPhone5 when it comes out on launch day.

I also forgot to mention that I REALLY want/need the new TB connection so I can also get audio from the HDMI...but that's just a small issue.

This is an issue for me, but I'm in no rush for a fix. I can wait, as I have before with getting the best deal. There are plenty of techy stuff to keep me cupid in the meantime, like the BB Playbook that I just bought, the PS Vita that I reserved for 2/22/12, and iPhone5/iPad3.
 

robduckyworth


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I've got the new top end 15" Pro. Did a GeekBench run on it last week, you can check out the scores in the Geekbench thread.

It scored about 10500 or something like that.

That said, i was in the same boat.

Had a Core 2 Duo MBP that hit about 3000.

Real world benefits for me (that were instantly noticeable):

File transfers are about 30-40% quicker (or at least they feel that way)

Handbrake video encodes are around down from around 2-3 hours for regular DVD movie to around 13 minutes (the biggest reason i upgraded). now thats a massive increase, am I right?

Gaming performance is significantly improved. Oblivion can now run at highest details at native resolution (1680 x 1050). the old 320M could handle only medium settings and had no onboard RAM - so less textures and nice things in game.

multitasking is epic on this machine. It doesn't slow down.

the new Pro's will have Ivy Bridge chips - the die-shrink of Sandy Bridge, the current generation.

Rumours in the Custom PC area of the market hint at the possibility of 3.0GHz stock speeds on the desktop versions - so you may be looking at faster laptop clock speeds aswell. Plus, they'll run cooler, so the chances of a speed bump are fairly probable.

at the minute people are hinting about a April release for the chips. who knows if its true, but it could be worth the wait. I couldn't wait any longer, to be honest.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Hope this helps you out or at least gives you something interesting to read. ;)
 

pigoo3

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Handbrake video encodes are around down from around 2-3 hours for regular DVD movie to around 13 minutes (the biggest reason i upgraded). now thats a massive increase, am I right?

YIKES...for someone that may do a lot of this...this is a tremendous improvement!!!:)

I believe someone mentioned in the past...that Handbrake is a great example of an application that is written to take full advantage of multiple cores...so a great reason for someone to upgrade that does a lot of Handbrake activities (or even a little since it saves so much time).:)

- Nick
 
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I've got the new top end 15" Pro. Did a GeekBench run on it last week, you can check out the scores in the Geekbench thread.

It scored about 10500 or something like that.

That said, i was in the same boat.

Had a Core 2 Duo MBP that hit about 3000.

Real world benefits for me (that were instantly noticeable):

File transfers are about 30-40% quicker (or at least they feel that way)

Handbrake video encodes are around down from around 2-3 hours for regular DVD movie to around 13 minutes (the biggest reason i upgraded). now thats a massive increase, am I right?



multitasking is epic on this machine. It doesn't slow down.

Yep, I noticed all of this going from an 08 mbp to an 11.
 

robduckyworth


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YIKES...for someone that may do a lot of this...this is a tremendous improvement!!!:)

I believe someone mentioned in the past...that Handbrake is a great example of an application that is written to take full advantage of multiple cores...so a great reason for someone to upgrade that does a lot of Handbrake activities (or even a little since it saves so much time).:)

- Nick

Thats exactly it - its a great application, and one of the few that actually puts Intel HyperThreading to good use.
 
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Wow! That's a pretty nice difference! O.O

I'm hoping for a March release date of the new MBP...that would be almost perfect!
 

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