Right around the time I purchased my Macbook, and even today, many people were speculating on when Apple would upgrade their Macbook and Macbook Pro lines. Currently, both notebook models come packed with a Core Duo processor and many people think that Apple will soon start selling them with Core 2 Duo processors. According to Intel, the new Core 2 Duo chips will offer a 20% increase in speed over their respective Core Duo counterpart.
Now usually this is not something I would write about, but I find this particular upgrade conversation interesting. For example, the conversation on when the new processors would be included has got hyped up so much that many people have held off purchasing a new Macbook (I almost did the same) until the new processors are included. They want the new processor and they want the 20% increase. However, is the wait really worth it?
The short answer: No.
The long answer: To answer this question (which I asked myself a few weeks ago), I looked at my computer purchasing pattern. After looking at the date (below), I noticed that I typically buy a new computer every two and half years. In addition, with each purchase I typically receive an increase in performance of more than double (100% increase) what I currently have.
So given those results, I had to ask myself if waiting for the “claimed” 20% increase in speed really was worth waiting around for? As stated, it was/is not.
On one side of the coin, one would say that it is. By looking at the graph, it is apparent that over time the percentage of performance increase per purchase has decreased. Therefore, waiting for an additional 20% could be justified. However, given that my upgrades are for more than double the performance, an additional 20% seems like nothing and most likely would not be noticeable while performing day to day tasks.
Another factor to take into consideration with the above numbers is that most people do not upgrade their systems as often as I do. In fact, I think the average upgrade cycle is more in the five or six year range (I think I read that somewhere at one point in time), so when most people are upgrading they are already seeing performance gains closer to 500%. And really, how noticeable is a 520% increase compared to a 500% increase? Not much.
So the point of this article: stop holding out and upgrade. While holding out for the latest and greatest is a pleasure we all love, it is one that leaves you perpetually unsatisfied. In addition, taking into consideration that the performance increase is only a “claim”, that most users are already seeing performance gains of more than 100%, and that the extra 20% is not likely to give your computer an extra year or two of life, holding out for an additional 20% seems .. well .. ridiculous?
One Comment
It seems you have a point there. The current trend in processors seems to be a streamlining process to improve performance (and the transition to multiple cores), rather than pure megahertz bumping. I’d say that’s a little harder to accomplish.
Perhaps the performance gap between each new generation will get closer and closer until technology finds a miraculous new way.
That said, I got my notebook (iBook G4) about half a year before the transition to Core Duos. Now that’s a huge jump in performance I cannot help but envy.
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