what is the diff between Core Duo and Core 2 Duo???

[bennjiboi]

Im confused and if someone could help me out that would be great! i thought they were both the same!!??

Im buying a macbook soon and looking on ebay / apple store as im not sure weather to wait till Leopard comes out or not ect..

 

[goobimama]

Core is the name of the processor, like James or Jonathan, and "Duo" signifies the number of cores that the CPU has.

So Core Duo is basically Core 1 Duo. Like Pentium 1.
Core 2 Duo is Core 2, which also has two cores inside. Like Pentium II.

The main difference is in architechture, like Core 2 has 64bit processing natively. It also consumes less power and runs faster at the same clock speed. On a realistic note however, the performance difference is somewhere in the 10% range...

If you go to an Apple store, you will only get Core 2 Duo Macbooks... They have an edge of the core duo ones in that they have a larger HDD, Wireless-N, and more RAM...

 

[bennjiboi]

so in retrospect? even if i was to buy a macbook say 1.83 core 2 duo and change the ram to 2gig, ill still have a decent machine? i just get worried, it seems processors creeep up every few months and i dont want to be left behind lol i was thinking of spending a little more and getting a 2.16 core 2 duo MB what are your thoughts? there is one on ebay 120hdd, 1 gig ram 2.16 dore 2.. $1400 aus.. decent buy?? and will it be enough? im only going general net and music, but i have alot of music and i find my PB is a bit slow some days lol

 

[goobimama]

1.83Ghz MB has 2MB cache. The 2.16Ghz (and 2Ghz) MB has 4MB cache. This makes a difference in some applications like photoshop and such. But that does not mean that the 1.82Ghz Core 2 Duo is not a kickass machine. I'm running a 2.0Ghz Core Duo iMac and I am yet to feel the need for more speed (2GB RAM makes all the difference). And I run Photoshop, Pages, Lightroom, Illustrator, Burn DVDs and whatnot all AT THE SAME TIME without lag...

I'm not sure about your aussy dollars and how it converts but I've always been vary of ebay dealers... I could be wrong about them though. What's their take on warranty and such?

 

[bennjiboi]

Oh ok cool, well then i may be ok with something a little slower and might not have to spend the extra and if i dont have to then i wont lol

Warranty is expiring July 2008, so i can still take up apple care if i wanted...

Ill look around and ill keep in mind what you said about the cache..

 

[bennjiboi]

oh and is crucial.com a good place to buy ram?

like apple ram is hefty $$ is crucial ram ok and or just as good?

 

[goobimama]

The rule of thumb is Macboy or not, DO NOT buy RAM from Apple cause they are looters in that department. After-market RAM is just as good and if it doesn't work, Crucial will replace it for you without any hassles. Only you might have to remove that aftermarket RAM in case you send the machine back for warranty...

 

[goobimama]

From experience, I would say the cache difference + the Ghz difference between the 2.16Ghz and the 1.83Ghz will result in an overall 10-15% performance gain in favour of the 2.16...

 

[bennjiboi]

yeah i thought as much lol they like to charge top dollar for their ram. I was at first thinking it must have been something great and amazing, but then after asking around Crucial seem to be peoples choice.

Thanks so much for your help!!


Dont know where i can get a clear case for my new nano do you lol

 

[goobimama]

http://macspeedzone.com/html/hardware/machine/performance_in_the_raw/07/5_28b.shtml

Here's a direct comparison of your two models...

 

[cheetahastra]

I'm going to ask a really dumb question - just to confirm my thoughts.

The Core Duo 2 is a 64bit processor?

 

[goobimama]

Yes. The Core 2 Duo is a 64bit processor from the ground up. However, you aren't going to see performance gains like Jobs showed at WWDC this year with regard to 64bit, cause you don't have more than 4GB of memory to address, at least not on an iMac... But yes. It is 64bit.

 

[bennjiboi]

so really then the 2.16 core 2 due is fairly quicker then over all...

maybe ill just invest in one? thanks for going out of your way to show me!!

 

[bennjiboi]

and with the release of leopard, it wont matter 32 or 64bit.. correct?

all mac's will be ok to run it..

being said obviously 64bit will rin better?

 

[goobimama]

Well it won't matter whether its 64 bit or 32 bit in a way that it won't be obvious to the end user. You will be able to run 32bit and 64bit apps side by side without any issues. Most apps will still be written in 32bit. Only those which require lots of memory (like 3D softwares and such) would be written in 64bit. I don't think it will make a difference on a macbook whether 32bit or 64bit (I could be wrong though, I'm no expert).

And you are welcome...

 

[cheetahastra]

Ha ha thanks for that.
My partner was saying his computer is far superior because its a 64bit AMD processor.
I pointed out he is running a 32bit operating system so that's wasted anyway haha.

Now at least I can say well ha-ha I am 64 bit too!

He is not anti-mac, but anti-owning them. I will convert him!

 

[bennjiboi]

cool i have a better understanding now! i have but one more question! im having problems with my user pic and signature? can you help? ive uploaded a pic and a sig too but the pic only displays in my actual profile, how can i get it to display when i post and reply ect..???


if you can help that would be great, if not ill winge elsewhere lol

 

[bennjiboi]

ohh my signature works lol

ok how about my display pic? can you help there?

 

[goobimama]

You have to go to "Edit Avatar" (It's a Sanskrit word. It means "Current state of being/appearance")

 

[DocZ06]

i just get worried, it seems processors creeep up every few months and i dont want to be left behind lol i was thinking of spending a little more and getting a 2.16 core 2 duo MB what are your thoughts?

You will always be left behind. It's a fact of life with Mac's. My rule of thumb, buy the most Mac you can afford. You will be happy for years. The only exception, would be RAM. Yes, I am referring to Apple's prices.

Speaking of RAM, not all "after market RAM" should be considered. You want RAM which is "guaranteed-compatible to Mac's exacting standards". Anything else and you will develop serious issues with your Mac. Guaranteed.

Crucial meets Apple's standards as does OWC with their RAM. There are other's as well, however I will only submit people I have delt with.

Just a note; As for Applecare, Apple will repair your Mac even with third party "guaranteed-compatible to Mac exacting standards RAM". If you make the mistake of purchasing RAM not meeting exacting standards, and it turns out that RAM is the culprit, Apple will deny your warrenty claim. So be smart when purchasing third party RAM for a Mac.