New MBP 15 i7 slower than old pc?

I have a new MBP 15i with the i7 and 4gs... (aka the base 15in)

Why does it seem to load some web pages slow/have more trouble with them than my desktop pc that is a few years old with an Intel quad core?

I have tired using the same browser for both, and loading with a wired connection side by side but the apple seems to be slower/ have problems loading sometimes.

(I have made sure all of my java and flash is updated.)

I am guessing this is some deep seeded problem with the os? That most websites just load faster on windows (7)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

what browser you running? I find websites load fast on my 2010 core i5. I use Safari and it's just fine, Google Chrome is very fast too!

 

Although it is possible, I do not believe it is the OS fault.

It is probably something in your browser, in your DNS configurations, or maybe your internet service.
Most probable cause for this kind of behavior would be DNS related, I guess.


Is the problem persistent? for how long are you experiencing this slowness?

 

Are they flash websites? Sometimes I have serious flash issues in OS X. Is your flash *actually* up to date? Even though flash updates with the OS in most cases (it's deprecated, new macbook airs apparently don't include flash by default), you should update it manually. Even the most up to date flash isn't perfect. Adobe is responsible for flash implementations for all platforms that it supports. Unfortunately, that means that if you have a problem with flash, your best recourse is to bother them about it. Apple really can't do anything.

Java and HTML5 both work fine (although having java installed by default and update with the OS is also deprecated). Hell, even silverlight works fine. Flash only really works decently in windows. There isn't a great implementation by Adobe or third parties for any other platform (linux, mobiles, osx)

 

Hey guys, thanks so much for the input so far. I really appreciate it.

I tried using google crome and have had the best luck so far with the newest firefox.

I have also gone into the applications and searched for updated drivers manually, so I think I have the most current version?

However, it still lags?

The websites I use most often are : Facebook, Twitter, Hotmail, Autoblog.com, and Kicksonfire.

I usually run these all at the same time on my PC and have no problem, but with my new apple I need to reload a couple times and sometimes things just take longer to load?

Otherwise my new computer seems ok, but when I checked out the same laptop I have next to a G73 (the one with the last gen i7 and 6gs) at Best buy the G73 loaded all of these sites fine and didn't have any hicups or problems but the MBP did?

Seriously considering just trying to sell it for $1600 or so and getting a G73.

 

Also I use Groveshark.com and ESPN alot.

 

what other kind of software have you installed?

I find it hard to believe these will be so slow that you'd want to sell the machine... I have several macs including a 2011 MBP, and all those sites are like instantly loading. Might be something with your ISP, or some software you've installed.

 

Other than checking for updates I haven't installed any other software... (not even ms word/works)

And I don't think its my ISP because my PC is on the same network?

I'm not saying its like stone age slow... guess I was just expecting it to be be faster than my old PC with less hardware...

If web browsing is faster in the G73/G53 I will prob just put this on ebay and get one of those

 

I think you are forgetting that the internet is the internet. A new computer isn't going to magically gain more bandwidth out of your ISP just because it is newer. A 10Mbps internet connection is essentially going to be the same on all systems that are hooked up to it. Any differences are essentially going to come down to browser plug-ins and other tasks the systems are completing at the same time as accessing the internet (especially when you are already comparing two powerful systems, the same wouldn't be true if you were looking at a new MBP and a system from 1997 with a Pentium II processor).

It is really hard to believe that someone would want to sell a computer just because it took an extra second or two to load a website. Flash performance is worse under OS X but that has been known for a while as Adobe continues to not optimize their code. Flash is clunky and buggy under Windows but it is worse under OS X. That being said, a browser plug-in cannot be blamed for slow system performance especially when the code is not optimally written. That's like complaining about a Honda Civic's innability to pull a 5 ton boulder.

 

Kornchild - LOL, all true, thanks for making me smile trying to think about a Honda Civic pulling a boulder.

I guess I am just used to windows 7 being faster to surf then OS X, and considering that is mostly what I am doing on this computer it makes sense for me sell on ebay and just take a hit and still pocket some cash and get a faster pc.

Thanks again for all your help/ input guys. I really appreciate it!

My computer is up on ebay now, made up my mind that maybe OS X just isn't the best system for me.

 

Its possible your ISP throttles things differently depending the client connecting, so yes it can be your ISP.

your premiss that Windows 7 is faster surfing is just wrong... I've used both, and sometimes side by side, and its just not true. What your issue is, i have no idea...

Mac OS X might not be the best system for you though, true... its a case by case basis, and its definitely not for everyone.

 

no matter what browser you use and no matter how fancy the computer, webpage rendering will, at some point, be limited by the speed of your ISP's service.

Too many times I've seen people with new computers wonder why the internet is still slow, when chances are unless their computer is 5-7 years old, the slowness of the internet is a function their slow DSL connection, not their CPU/GPU.

Topic creator: Go to Speedtest.net and post the test results.

 

I also think it is a bad decision to take a financial hit simply because a desktop running Windows 7 loads Google 0.5 seconds faster. I can already tell you that my 13" MBP loads websites faster than my netbook (at least when it comes to Flash heavy sites, standard ones are about equal) and is about on par with my 8-core desktop at work (though it is a little faster when loading Flash-heavy websites as it runs Windows). Are the differences noticeable? Only when they are side by side.

I can already guarantee you that any new Windows notebook is essentially going to be on par with a new MBP. Any speed differences noticed without proper measurement will probably be due to the placebo affect.

 

My download speed was 18.4? But still on hotmail and things I need to load a few times...

I am not saying I want it faster than my PC.. I am saying I don't get why it is slower than my pc...

My pc doesn't have any problems loading/any lag.... when both of my computers are wired in side by side and I bring up the same 4 sites. My pc will bring them up just fine. And the Macbook I need to reload at least 2 of them.... thus its not just .5 slower.

I can sell my macbook pro for probably around $1500 and get a g73 for $1200 so I am still making out with $300 more for a machine that will suit my wants a bit better.

Thanks for your help anyway guys

 

I call BS on the OP's story. Sounds like trolling, honestly. Buys a new MBP i7, claims that surfing on it is slower than on "Windows 7" and has decided to put his new MBP on Ebay and buy another Windows 7 PC. Yeah, Right!

 

Apple MacBook Pro (MC721LL/A) (15.4", 2GHz QUAD CORE) - eBay (item 200604736929 end time May-11-11 10:21:41 PDT)

I have no reason to lie... I was going to keep this for my non-work computer until I discovered how it just wasn't as fast.

Again, thanks for all the help? Or just criticism?

 

Mod: Please delete thread... I have nothing more to learn here.

and nothing to prove?

A true thanks to those who were helping me try to understand what may have been causing a problem.

 

OMG! Now thats odd... someone randomly created a fake ebay name and "purchased" my computer with buy it now...


I've got no luck...

 

Troll thread is troll thread.

 

Not just your ISP but also the web server as well.
Sometimes not so well optimized site refuse to work under heavy load.

But in general i cant say my browsing experience is flawless on Mac. The more various flash elements are in play the higher the chance that Safari will do "byebye-goodluck-havefun"

 

My Macbook Pro has some wierd connection issue with my router. It is slower on my router then other computers. I don't know if my netgear router has some problem with my Macbook Pro or something? It works great at my University, but not at my parents house. I have no idea why. Regardless, internet browsing shouldn't matter on computer really. Unless its really old.

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2775868?start=0&tstart=0

personally, my guess is the router (perhaps the type of wireless security combined with its firmware)...but it's hard to say.

What is the make & model of your router?

 

after reading through this, i think there is some sort of issue with the internet connection. The i7 macbook pro is really fast, especially compared to an old pc, especially considering that many of the sites you are using aren't flash heavy. My i5 dual core has no such issues.

One more idea- maybe you are on the intel graphics card for some reason. Run with that. google: gfxcardstatus

 

My friend, I have seen some stranger stuff.

 

I also have wireless issues with my MBP 15 i5 (mid-2010) and our netgear router. It will randomly drop connection or fail to detect just the 5 GHz channel, fail to detect both wifi channels, or lose the WPA2 passkey. Sometimes a reboot will 'fix' it for a bit, but it will randomly occur again, usually after waking after having been sitting for a bit.

I'm hesitant to blame the router, since we have a macbook, a desktop Windows PC, an iPad, Xbox360, PS3, Wii, WiFi printer, two smart phones and a Kindle that all connect flawlessly. So I'm leaning towards something being glitchy with the MBP wifi cards.

 

Why?

 

Um...gee, maybe this is why? I dunno Mr. Clever, it's only the same exact link posted two up from mine, with 32 pages of people relating problems with their MBP and wireless. Not to mention there are quite a few threads spanning -years- that describe the exact same problem I mentioned.

 

Err.. if a computer with superior hardware and higher price tag loaded web pages 2 seconds slower than an inferior and older computer I'd sure as hell not sit there continuing to use it and I wouldn't expect any other person to accept it either. I'm pretty sure if you buy a 2011 MBP and it was slower than a 2007 desktop you wouldn't want to keep it either. And I sure as heck wouldn't want every page on notebookreview.com to load 2 seconds slower.

Having said that, I think OP gave up too easily.


Our 13" 2008 Unibody MB also has been pretty glitchy with wifi access with different routers. Tested it on D-Link, Linksys, Buffalo and other routers running stock and dd-wrt and it can be finicky, but tomato firmware on Linksys hardware works like a charm.

 

Millions of MacBook Pros are sold every year. Thus, there could be an equivalent thread with hundreds of pages and yet "leaning towards something being glitchy with the MBP wifi cards" would remain an unwarranted inference (viz. a hasty generalisation). This is Philosophy 101, and is something which many here often don't grasp-it's incredibly difficult to prove that this or that machine is afflicted by some general problem. Note also that not every response in those 32 pages will be a new person reporting the same problem, since many people with a problem will undoubtedly post several times.

I'm not at all surprised that people complain about similar issues regularly; people complain about all sorts of things about a variety of products all the time. How that justifies your assertion remains a mystery, however.

Your hostility is also unnecessary.

 

2 seconds is not drastic enough to warrant anything as it could be due to multiple issues. It is a short enough time period that the delay could be due to a bad connection with a wi-fi router, some program loading in the background, etc. A 20 second difference would be cause for concern but not 2 seconds especially since there are so many other factors involved that could be causing such a hhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuugggggeeeeee delay!!11!!one!

A website taking an extra second or two to load on one system or another is nothing new. I can have two Nexus II's sitting here connected to the same wi-fi network running the same release of vanilla Android accessing Google.com. It would not be uncommon for one to load it a second or two faster and that has to do with a ton of variables. There would be an issue if one loaded Google 20 seconds faster than the other though. That doesn't seem to be the OP's case at all. Instead they ran a few websites, didn't seem to do anything else, got mad, and decided to put their MBP up "for sale" because of their obvious biase against OS X.

Morgan is also right. I have personally experienced the 2011 MBP AirPort issues quite a bit. My MBP will suddenly lose it connection to my AirPort Express basestation and I have to eithe turn the MBP's AirPort off and on or I have to power cycle the basestation. It is annoying especially when I am in the middle of streaming Hulu Plus or downloading a large 2-3GB file. Having said that, I still don't know if I would say that it is a wisespread issue. 30 people complaining online is not near enough of a population to state that something is defective. Someone else could easily create a thread saying "No wi-fi problems" and it could have 1000 original replies (ie no duplicate posters). Is that large enough to signify that the 2011 MBP's are defect-free when it comes to wi-fi? No. Lastly, people are always going to post online about problems they come across and not very many will actually make replies who have not come across any issues. You can look at forums that are dedicated to discussing Apple's iDevices. Almost every post will be about some problem with a simple or complex solution. That is because people go to forums looking for help. Hardly anybody ever registers to a forum and makes a thread saying "everything is A-OK!" So the voices of the complainers often appear to be louder.

 

I like to take the stance that 1 person complaining means 100 people have the problem, but only 1 person is bothered enough to complain. For instance, kornchild - you have the problem, I have it, xfiregrunt has it and Malifiss has it, but have any of the four of us bothered to participate in that thread? I know I haven't and I don't plan to. (yeah it's a small sample size, get over it ) What Morgan says is true about making assumptions, but he's dismissing a potential trend even with pretty decent numbers of (admittedly unverified) complaints. So maybe Morgan passed Philosophy 101 but might want to brush up on making assumptions himself ("it works for me so it's not a problem" + "millions are sold every year so we'd hear about a widespread problem")

 

Yea, I think a lot of the problem is that the wifi card is picky. Though to be honest, I think Mac wifi cards have been picky for a long time.

All I can really suggest outside of a replacement computer (which I don't think will help) is to change your wifi security type (if using WPA2, try temporarily switching to WEP or visa versa)...or to replace the router with a different router. My WNDR3700 is fantastic. I get about 12MB/s wireless transfer speeds over my intranet and max speed my ISP allows over internet. It's a fantastic router. I also never had any real issues with my WNR2000. It would lose connection for a few seconds maybe 1x/week. No such issues with the 3700.

$0.02