What will I miss if I go 1 gen back?

[GWestphal]

I'm thinking of getting an iMac and a Macbook Pro and I'm wondering if I'll miss anything big if I get refurbed from 1 gen back (Core 2 Duo parts) as compared to the newest Core5 stuff.

I mostly surf the web, watch movies, email, and use Matlab. So nothing really extreme.

 

[Kmax82]

Nothing. Core i3/5/7 just add speed and quad core (for i5/7). It's a newer architecture, but all of OS X works just fine with C2D components. It likely won't change in the near future either, since they look to be sticking with the x86 chips... nothing else really compares at this point.

 

[Kadarin]

My vintage '07 MBP (2.4Ghz C2D, 4GB RAM) still works great for everything I use it for; I don't expect to have to upgrade it for the next few years.

 

[TheStu]

Honestly, my '06 MacBook would still be here as my system of choice, but I gave it to my sister. That was a Core Duo.

So yea, the last generation Core 2s should do ya fine.

 

[madeuce]

One thing you might miss is the automatic graphics switching in the new ones. I have a 2.8ghz C2D and I have to go into settings to manually switch between the 9600M GT and the 9400M integrated graphics. Can be a hassle sometimes.

 

[zacharace]

Happy Core 2 Duo MacBook (aluminum) user here. At my price point I could have gotten a used Al MacBook or a new 13" MacBook Pro, and the differences are pretty minimal. Compared to a new Core i5 15" MacBook Pro, the performance gap widens a bit, but definitely not to a point where my system is "slow" or crippled. Not the latest gamer, but she still runs like a champ.