Thank you for the thoughtful replies. I'll reply to them one by one. I did not intend for this thread to turn into a PC vs. Mac thread. I am familiar with both, and they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Maybe you need a new techie! .......
With a little effort you might get to keep your Mac and have it running like a race car.
Thanks Carol. I actually have a very good tech that I have confidence in. I know more than average, and when I was working, I used to, in addition to other duties, buy (and sell) all the computer hardware and software and manage and liaise with the dedicated house tech for a 25 person LAN. The reason I asked the question is because hardware has evolved a lot in the 5 years since I worked in an office. I have already looked at installing a SSD, upping RAM, etc. etc. etc. It's clear that I need a new laptop if I don't want to wait several minutes for certain programs to load.
Man, you Mac users are sooo touchy......
Seriously Cynthia, a second opinion may be in order. If not, let me ask the obvious question . . . do you NEED a laptop?
Yeah, Glenn, I really do. The one I have has been ridden hard and put away wet. As Matt mentioned, there are lots of reasons for getting a new one. Don't get me wrong--I have loved my Mac, and I am an Apple fan. I own Apple stock. I'd like nothing better than to buy another Mac, but I'm not sure it's the best solution for me. Not sure yet. I'm a writer. I need a laptop where I can sit and write and type on a normal keyboard. I also want a numeric keypad, which I can't have with a Mac unless I add another dedicated keyboard. On my current Mac, I have an external hard drive plugged in all the time for back up. If I also have a keyboard plugged in, that's it for USB ports on this one. So I would have to unplug something to download (for example) photos from my camera.
Cynthia,
I would be hesitant about replacing your laptop as well. The first thing I would check is whether the memory is upgradable or not. If it's not, then move forward with a new one. If it is, I would seriously consider maxing out the memory and upgrading to a solid state drive.....
The notion that the gigahertz spec on a processor identifies it's processing power is only a relative measure within its own processing family. Newer processors have optimized processing methods which will do the same amount of processing in fewer clock cycles than older processors. That's the Gigahertz spec - how many cycles per second. So, using the same processing methods, the GHz value is relevant. Comparing a Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz to a Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz is certainly not going to be equal in anything other than how many times the clock cycles per second. In addition to the processing methods, there are also more cores in the newer processors. Your core 2 duo has two cores, and a new one in your price range will likely have 2 or 4.
But, don't throw out that laptop just yet. Working with graphics relies quite a bit on memory so upgrading the memory will likely help significantly, assuming your image file sizes are of good size. And, upgrading to a solid state drive will make it feel like a new computer. And if your techie didn't at least mention these options in passing, I'd recommend looking for a new techie.
Okay, I got off my duff and checked the specs on the 2008 vintage Macbook Pro. 4GB is maxed out on RAM.
Question about your computing needs. Do you perform your graphics work while mobile? If not, getting a graphics focused desktop computer and keeping the laptop for things like email, document writing, and forumming would likely be the way to get the most horsepower for your $$$ while still being able to be mobile. (not to steal Glenn's words
Have you thought about building your own?
Thank you, Matt, and Ryan for answering my original question. What you have written here, and I highlighted in red, is almost exactly what a guy just told me in the local big box computer store. The GHz is just part of the bigger picture. What I have, "Intel Core 2 Duo", will not compare with the "generation 7" in computers today. Matt, I did talk to my tech at length about modifying the one I have including changing to a SSD. He told me because of my laptop's age and general wear and tear, he's reluctant to put in a SSD.
Regarding being mobile, no, I don't particularly need to be mobile, and I would consider a desktop if it was cheaper...but I haven't found that to be the case.....maybe I'm mistaken.
Many of the newer chips (most of the i5 and i7 series and some i3) in that price range have 4 cores (processors) instead of 2 cores like the core 2 duo has. That will help if you have application that can use the extra cores (Aperture should .. some.. but how much I don't actually know). They also tend to have somewhat faster bus bandwidth so data can get in and out of them a smidge faster (vastly simplified ). The performance gains from a newer platform would likely be measurable but likely not revolutionary, just evolutionary.
....
So since I want to run a couple of programs that don't exist for Mac, I guess I could get a Mac and then partition it to run Windows when I need Windows. And I could get another keyboard with a numeric keypad when needed. I would like to use Excel in Windows and not Excel for Mac. There's a huge difference, and I'm much more fluent in the Windows version. Whoever mentioned it, yes, I know that Windows 8 is junk, and the touchscreen thing is a waste of my time, but unfortunately, we often end up paying for things we don't want because it's bundled with something we do want. And Matt, no, I don't want to build my own. I don't know enough about it and don't want to learn. In years gone by, I might have considered it, but not now.
So I guess I'll think about it some more and look at some specs and prices. Either Mac with a view to partitioning it or PC (+ iPad).