Upgrade process

So I have done the standard wavering between whether to get a new Mac now or wait for Leopard. I currently have a MacBook and will be purchasing a MBP. It also looks like my g/f will be picking up a Mac Mini. So my logic is that if I wait and get the new Macs but still want to upgrade my old Mac I will pay $130 to upgrade one computer. If I buy my new computers now, it will only cost me $60 more to upgrade all of them. But I don't even know if it's worth upgrading my secondary computer.

My primary concern is upgrading Mac OS in place. I have read that it's very easy but what about performance? If you upgrade over the old OS do you notice performance hits? Do apps work seemlessly? Is my best bet to wipe everything and re-install. I just want to know what to expect ahead of time.

The other issue is whether or not the MBP will get a specs bump before then. I don't think the Mini will because is just did last week. I won't care a lot if it's just a clock speed bump but if it's more RAM (doubtful), a bigger hard drive (could be) or new features, I might be bitter. But I doubt the change will be significant enough to get too worked up.

This isn't Windows. You don't need to have a computer manufactured in the last 8 seconds for it to run properly, even old G4 Macs will run Leopard, so your MacBook will do fine.

the MBP was upgraded like 2 months ago, and Intel hasn't released a new chipset since then. So, probably not.

smurfy said:

This isn't Windows. You don't need to have a computer manufactured in the last 8 seconds for it to run properly, even old G4 Macs will run Leopard, so your MacBook will do fine.

the MBP was upgraded like 2 months ago, and Intel hasn't released a new chipset since then. So, probably not.

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I think you missed the point (maybe I wasn't clear so let me know). I am more wondering if I buy a MBP now, and upgrade it in 2-3 months when Leopard comes out, and I do a straight upgrade will everything work smoothly? Do you recommend a wipe and full re-install?

Yes, it should work smoothly.

However, since the OS isn't even released yet and no one has even tried installing it, it's impossible for anyone to really answer your question with certainty.

schweb said:

Yes, it should work smoothly.

However, since the OS isn't even released yet and no one has even tried installing it, it's impossible for anyone to really answer your question with certainty.

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Fair enough, this will be my first upgrade of OS X so I just wondering in the past. I am not imagining that this process will be drastically changed over previous OS X upgrades.

I think you are right, MattSharp. I can't imagine the process being totally different than what we have seen in the last two OS X version updates.

To have in-depth info on the different upgrade options, look at this Apple Knowledge Base Article, Mac OS X 10.4: About installation options.

Hope this helps.