Core 2 Duo vs Core i7

Question

Level 1

9 points

Core 2 Duo vs Core i7

I have a MBP 8,2. I Just purchased my dad a MBP 5,5. I am not sure what year that apple switched from core 2 duo to the i7.. But it seems strange to me that reading online everyone claims that the i5 and i7 models are much superior... Every core 2 duo machine I have used seems to be much quicker then the i7... Now my machine is a quad core so i can run more logic tracks (which is nice for me).. But other than this, I am jealous of the older (2009) MBP (Core 2 Duo) machine then my own (2011) MBP (i7).

Just testing application opening speeds my computer took 15 seconds to open Maps app... While my dads old one took only 5 seconds... This doesnt make sense and would seem to me that the newer models should be faster then the older models..

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on May 4, 2014 10:42 PM

Reply

Answer 1

kevin_

Level 4

1,561 points

May 4, 2014 10:50 PM in response to gritzildino

Application launch times have more to do with the Hard Drive than the CPU. If you check, my guess is that on your MacBook Pro you have a hard drive that runs at 5400RPM, and that your dad's MacBook Pro he probably has a 7200RPM drive. On my 2011 MacBook Pro which I installed a SSD in, the Maps program would open almost instantly.

Reply

Answer 2

gritzildino Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 11:05 PM in response to kevin_

Ok gotcha. I think youre right mine is 5400RPM. How can I find my dads speed? Under System Report?

Reply

Answer 3

kevin_

Level 4

1,561 points

May 4, 2014 11:08 PM in response to gritzildino

In Disk Utility you can highlight his drive and then click the Info button. It will tell you t he model. You can then google the model of the drive to find out its specs.

Reply

Answer 4

gritzildino Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 11:20 PM in response to kevin_

His is also 5400RPM... So maybe that is not the issue!?

Reply

Answer 5

Allan Jones

Level 9

69,548 points

May 4, 2014 11:23 PM in response to gritzildino

Are both computers running the same version of the mac OS? Do they have the same amount of RAM installed? Does the i7 have anti-virus software or one of those cr@ppy "I'll Clean Your Mac" programs installed?

Reply

Answer 6

gritzildino Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 11:26 PM in response to Allan Jones

My Mac 4GB ram. His has 2GB. Same OS version... His is a 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo. Mine is 2.2 GHz Core i7. No viruses (dont think so anyway)

Reply

Answer 7

kevin_

Level 4

1,561 points

May 4, 2014 11:32 PM in response to gritzildino

It has to be something else in play with your MacBook Pro. When I went from a 2007 MacBook Pro with a 2.33Ghz Core 2 Duo to a 2011 MacBook Pro with a 2.3Ghz i7 the difference was night and day. Everything was just so much faster.

Reply

Answer 8

gritzildino Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2014 11:41 PM in response to kevin_

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCEPs7_CcxM

I have read some other documentation online that the old core 2 duos are faster... IDK... every one I have used seems to be faster.

Reply

Answer 9

kevin_

Level 4

1,561 points

May 4, 2014 11:54 PM in response to gritzildino

That video is interesting.. But I am very reluctant to believe it. To do a true test you wouldnt test restarting. You would test a cold boot.

Also, he shows youthe actual SSD that is intsalled on the Core2 Duo in the Syetem Profiler. Then claims that the i7 has an even faster SSD, but does not show what is actually installed in the System Profiler which makes it very suspect.

Reply

Answer 10

gritzildino Author

Level 1

9 points

May 5, 2014 12:02 AM in response to kevin_

Ya... IDK.. I dont really care about random youtube video guys computers... I have had a owned a few macbooks and bought and sold several iMacs on ebay for fun... For whatever reason the newer computers dont seem as fast as the older ones

Reply

Answer 11

kevin_

Level 4

1,561 points

May 5, 2014 12:04 AM in response to gritzildino

yeah, I dont care about those either.. I am sort of spoilled. I have the newest Macbook Pro with a 1TB SSD. The SSD in this thing reads / writes at about 1.2GB/sec so to say that its fast is an understatement.

Reply