Hi guys, so I finally decided that I will definitely be getting my first mac computer... I want to buy a notebook and I was checking out the specs for the 2.0Ghz macbooks... My only question is whether I should buy the older version with core duo or the newer ones with core 2 duo... I cant really find any good comparisons between the two processors and the macbooks... I checked the macworld website for their tech specs on both models and noticed that the core 2 duo is better in just about every aspect, but I'm not sure how benchmarks work so is the difference significant enough for me to pay the extra $$$??? I can get a core duo for at least 200 dollars less, maybe even cheaper. Please let me know what u think!
I would absolutely not get the older Core Duo computer for several reasons. The first, and probably most important reason is that the Core Duo is a 32 bit chip where the Core 2 Duo is a 64 bit chip. Once the next OS, Leopard, comes out in February, it will be a native 64 bit OS. Check out the preview here http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/index.html. Second, the new generation Mac Book Pros with the Core 2 Duo are a major redesign from the previous generation. They run far cooler and quieter than the older ones, have a Firewire 800 port, and are MUCH FASTER. Get the new laptop, you won't regret it.
The Core 2 Duo also has an 802.11n (Apple calls it AirPort Extreme) wireless card while the original Core Duo only has the 802.11g (AirPort Express). I have an original Core Duo. I bought it about 2 weeks before the new ones were announced. And I wsh I had the opition of spending an extra $200 to get the new one.
