REAL WORLD TESTS ARE COMING SOON BUT HERE IS AN APPETIZER
Here are some quick test results comparing the fastest 2009 Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro to the 2010 MacBook Pro Core i5 and Core i7. I also added the iMac Core i7. You can run these same tests on your Mac if you want to see how it compares.
Cinebench 11.5 is a benchmark based on a professional 3D app called Cinema 4D. It uses all physical and virtual cores to render the CPU test. (RED bar means fastest rating.)
Geekbench 2.1.5 runs an integer and floating point processor test. Then it runs a memory performance and bandwidth test. The overall score is a combination of the four test sections. We ran the 64-bit version of the app. (RED bar means fastest overall rating.)
Cinebench 11.5 is a benchmark based on a professional 3D app called Cinema 4D. The latest version has an improved OpenGL test. (RED bar means fastest in FPS.)
SmallLuxGPU 1.5.5 is a GUI version of a 64-bit OpenCL command line app designed to demo and benchmark raytracing. Go to MacUpdate for a copy . We ran the "Benchmark Midrange GPU" test. (RED bar means fastest time in seconds.)