Computer Speeds

Jez2011 said:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

i7 2.6 gets a better score
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Except the i7 is hyperthreaded, which means in real terms (as opposed to benchmarks) it is 10% faster clock for clock for some things (video encoding being the best example).

To the OP: I'd far rather a 3.5GHz quad core i5 over a 2.6GHz quad core i7 any day (even if I am the one that normally quotes cpubenchmark.net ;)).

Are we talking laptops of desktops (there is a difference in that i5s for laptops are dual core, so a slower quad core i7 may be better)

As to why Apple stick to slower processors - probably to reduce the requirement to dissipate heat.
 
arad85 said:
Except the i7 is hyperthreaded, which means in real terms (as opposed to benchmarks) it is 10% faster clock for clock for some things (video encoding being the best example).

To the OP: I'd far rather a 3.5GHz quad core i5 over a 2.6GHz quad core i7 any day (even if I am the one that normally quotes cpubenchmark.net ;)).

Are we talking laptops of desktops (there is a difference in that i5s for laptops are dual core, so a slower quad core i7 may be better)

As to why Apple stick to slower processors - probably to reduce the requirement to dissipate heat.
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Looking at Laptops.
I have an iMac with 3.1ghz i5 but I need a MacBook Pro for an upcoming trip and was looking at the processor on that.
 
WillNicholls said:
Looking at Laptops.
I have an iMac with 3.1ghz i5 but I need a MacBook Pro for an upcoming trip and was looking at the processor on that.
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Depending on the rest of your system, it will be approximately proportional to the clock frequencies then (both quad core) when you are doing something processor intensive. The 2.6 quad core does have a big turbo boost for single threaded apps, so you probably won't see much of a difference for day-to day stuff. LightRoom or Aperture will probably feel a little slower. I'd opt for one with SSD drive - that will give you a huge improvement in responsiveness over the standard mechanical drive. Also aim for 8G memory. You may have to bite the bullet here as I don't know if you can you self-upgrade MBPs as I'm not a Mac user...
 
I have a i5 2.6Ghz iMac and an i7 2.3 Ghz rMBP. I did some tests recently comparing rendering speeds in Final Cut Pro X. The rMBP was faster than the iMac by about 20%, thanks to the Hyperthreading. a 3.4Ghz i7 iMac ( in an Apple store ) was faster still by about another 20%.
( There were not many disk writes so he fact the rMBP has an SSD doesn't have an effect on he final results)

However these tests were on extreme processor demanding rendering of a video file. In practice I can't tell a lot of difference between the 2.3 rMBP and the 2.6 iMac, using apps such as Lightroom and Photoshop with large RAW files
 
How soon do you need it? If you could wait till summer you'd get a bit faster CPU, and they are likely to be more power efficient - so less heat and better suited for video.

If you need it now, it sounds you'll have to just buy it. Go to apple store and have a play with one using their video software. Get applecare and if it bites the dust they'll just hand you another one.
 
WillNicholls said:
I should add that I will be using this laptop for video editing! :)
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As many cores as possible, running as fast as possible is what you want to edit video on a laptop. On a desktop machine you could pass off some of the workload to a Quadro card, but you won't have that option with a lappy.


Avoid AMD CPUs... they suck at maths intensive ops, and the memory bandwidth is very poor in comparison to Intel.


...in other words... the fastest i7 you can get.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
As many cores as possible, running as fast as possible is what you want to edit video on a laptop. On a desktop machine you could pass off some of the workload to a Quadro card, but you won't have that option with a lappy.


Avoid AMD CPUs... they suck at maths intensive ops, and the memory bandwidth is very poor in comparison to Intel.


...in other words... the fastest i7 you can get.
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And by fastest am I just looking at a higher number of ghz?

daugirdas said:
How soon do you need it? If you could wait till summer you'd get a bit faster CPU, and they are likely to be more power efficient - so less heat and better suited for video.

If you need it now, it sounds you'll have to just buy it. Go to apple store and have a play with one using their video software. Get applecare and if it bites the dust they'll just hand you another one.
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I'm leaving in September but I'm putting kit together soon. I can probably wait till summer. What's the real advantage though? I don't mind a bit slower, I mean by iMac is 3.1 ghz i5 with 12gb RAM and it's fast enough. Can't I just upgrade the mbp?
 
arad85 said:
Depending on the rest of your system, it will be approximately proportional to the clock frequencies then (both quad core) when you are doing something processor intensive. The 2.6 quad core does have a big turbo boost for single threaded apps, so you probably won't see much of a difference for day-to day stuff. LightRoom or Aperture will probably feel a little slower. I'd opt for one with SSD drive - that will give you a huge improvement in responsiveness over the standard mechanical drive. Also aim for 8G memory. You may have to bite the bullet here as I don't know if you can you self-upgrade MBPs as I'm not a Mac user...
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If you get a SSD though you tend to have less space than normal unless you pay loads? Or do you get both a SSD and normal?
 
The i7 has multi threading, it all be faster if your multitasking a lot.

The i5 over clocks better and will out perform otherwise.

I have an i5, over clocked from 2.6Ghz to 4.2Ghz. For the money the i5 wins....
 
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Chappers said:
I have a i5 2.6Ghz iMac and an i7 2.3 Ghz rMBP. I did some tests recently comparing rendering speeds in Final Cut Pro X. The rMBP was faster than the iMac by about 20%, thanks to the Hyperthreading.
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It's not quite as simple as that. You also have to take into account the highest turbo speed.

You'll also find that speed is dependent on what you are encoding too. My i7 is actually SLOWER with hyperthreading on and using all 8 cores than it is with hyperthreading off and using 4 cores for my first pass x264 encodes.
 
Having looked at all the advice, maybe I should ask a new question to simplify it for me!!

I'm taking this MBP to the rainforest to edit some film and images there. I'll use it to move backups to hard drives etc. too so it is pretty essential.

What MBP should I be looking at? Maybe something that isn't the latest is the best option?
Would prefer a 15inch-ish screen.
 
WillNicholls said:
And by fastest am I just looking at a higher number of ghz?
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If you're comparing i7 to i7, yes.



I'm leaving in September but I'm putting kit together soon. I can probably wait till summer. What's the real advantage though? I don't mind a bit slower, I mean by iMac is 3.1 ghz i5 with 12gb RAM and it's fast enough. Can't I just upgrade the mbp?[/QUOTE]

No... upgrading any Mac is a pain in the ass.


Lyonspride said:
The i7 has multi threading, it all be faster if your multitasking a lot.

The i5 over clocks better and will out perform otherwise.

I have an i5, over clocked from 2.6Ghz to 4.2Ghz. For the money the i5 wins....
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Except that you can also overclock the i7.. then the i5 doesn't :)




WillNicholls said:
It's a shame Apple don't make the new MBP with i5 too then :(
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Irrelevant, it's incredibly problematic to overclock a Mac.



Now we know you'll be in a rain forest... I;d get what's best built, and most reliable... forget speed. Get a Panasonic ToughBook or something.
 
Pookeyhead said:
If you're comparing i7 to i7, yes.

No... upgrading any Mac is a pain in the ass.

Now we know you'll be in a rain forest... I;d get what's best built, and most reliable... forget speed. Get a Panasonic ToughBook or something.
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I upgraded my iMac and it took about 5 minutes?

I have asked contacts in the BBC NHU what computer they recommended for it and they said MBP have never failed them and they always use them.
Plus, most of the time I'll be using it will be at base camps and not in the mud!!
 
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Pookeyhead said:
Now we know you'll be in a rain forest... I;d get what's best built, and most reliable... forget speed. Get a Panasonic ToughBook or something.
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Oh my God... yes. Definitely.
 
WillNicholls said:
Just had another look at the apple site. Does anyone know why the faster 15 inch non retina model has vanished?
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You can specify a faster CPU (along with other things) as a build to order spec.

For the non-retina 15"
2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory [+ £140.00]
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory [+ £360.00]

Cheers,
Tony
 
TonyHall said:
You can specify a faster CPU (along with other things) as a build to order spec.

For the non-retina 15"
2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory [+ £140.00]
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory [+ £360.00]

Cheers,
Tony
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Thanks!
Is the .1 increase really that good?
 
WillNicholls said:
Is the .1 increase really that good?
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Sorry, I haven't a clue. To me it sounds fairly inconsequential.

As mentioned earlier it may be wise to hang on for a wee while, as the MacBook Pros are due a refresh sometime soon. A useful website <click> which tracks these things says MBPs are overdue a change. Obviously this is only a guide as only Apple really know. But if it were me I'd wait as long as possible for the refresh, giving you the option of the new spec at old prices, or the older spec for a little less cash.

Please be aware, my advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. :)

Cheers,
Tony
 
WillNicholls said:
Thanks!
Is the .1 increase really that good?
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No. Save the £220 and go and spend it on a good meal for you and your Mrs/partner/SO.

I'm fairly sure the latest MBPs are on Ivy Bridge and the specs of the 2.6/2.7 quad cores can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microprocessor)#Mobile_processors

Notice there is either no cost increment or $200 depending on which you look at for the 2.7GHz (but look at the release dates - it's a price drop). My guess is Apple will be spec'ing the cheaper 2.7G processor rather than the more expensive ;)
 
Apple tend to make announcements at the WWDC, This is scheduled for June 12 this year, This may be when we hear of any new additions to the Mac line up.

Should give you time to decide before your trip

Just another thought. Not sure what program you'll be using but you may want to consider using a mouse rather than the Mac's trackpad, The trackpad is OK , but I find a mouse quicker and easier. Also you may want to consider a keyboard cover just to protect the keyboard
 
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