MobileTechReview: New Apple MacBook Pro Santa Rosa: ‘Buy it’

30 Comments

“This latest third revision to the MacBook Proline follows quickly behind the updates to the regular MacBook; speed and memory. It’s more of the same here with a processor upgrade from 2.33 to 2.4Ghz, an nVidia 8600m GT graphics processor replacing the ATI X1600 and a switch to Intel’s new “Santa Rosa” mobile chipset offering 800Mhz front-side bus and support for 4Gb of RAM,” Michael Thwaite reports for MobileTechReview.

“The MacBook Prorange includes 15″ 1440×900 resolution and 17″ 1680×1050 resolution display units with the LED only available on the 15″ at the moment. Processors have jumped to 2.2 and 2.4GHz on the 15″ and 2.4Ghz only for the 17″… New is the option for a higher resolution (1920×1200) display on the 17″ – worth it in my opinion,” Thwaite reports.

“Did you know that the insides of the MacBook Proare all cast aluminum? No, it is, the hard disk is held in place, not by plastic moldings, but by little rubber cones that suspend the hard disk in air, touching nothing… And you wonder why you can’t hear it? That’s quality, quality that makes you feel that your investment was worthwhile,” Thwaite reports. “There’s loads of that stuff like that in the MacBook Proand the latest version just adds more.”

Thwaite reports, “To sum up, it’s an incremental step forward; advancing an already top flight system, if you have a MacBook Proalready, enjoy it, it’s a very nice piece of hardware, if you don’t have one, well, Apple have just given you another great incentive. Buy it.”

Full article, including benchmarks, here.

30 Comments

  1. I’m seriously thinking of replacing my trusty 2004 12″ PowerBook with a nice 15″ LCD matte MacBook Pro with 256MB vram. Just wish I had an option for a smaller form factor than the 15″. But I can no longer wait for the mythical tablet – perhaps Macworld ’08 will be the time for that. This sounds like the time to make the move.

    I’m especially looking forward to using Aperture when I’m “in the field”. I use Lightroom at the moment on the PowerBook (and Aperture at the office on the iMac coreduo), since the poor PB cannot handle Aperture at more than a snail’s pace.

    Still, I’ll wait ’till after the WWDC keynote to place my order ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

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  4. I ordered mine!!!! Plus ordered 4GB of micron ram from OWC!!!!! Yippeeee

    2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM – 2x1GB
    160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200
    SuperDrive 8X
    MacBook Pro 17-in Hi-Res GL WS
    NO MODEM
    NO OPTIONAL SW
    BkLit Keyboard/Mac OS
    Country Kit

    Plus the free with rebate:

    IPOD NANO 4G SILVER PERSONAL-2ND GEN-USA
    PA426LL/A

    Ships by: Jun 8 – Jun 12
    Delivers by: Jun 12 – Jun 18

    Reply

  5. That review hacked the English language to ribbons.

    drmacnut, I had the same concern when I moved from a 12″ PB to a 15″ MBP. The MBP is thin, light and rigid. It is easy to carry and operate at the same time. It’s not quite as easy as the 12″, but the speed and features like the speaker, backlit keyboard, and big, bright display will help you overlook the slight portability difference.

    Now the 17″ MBP is another matter. It is difficult to operate while holding. It is less rigid and tends to knock into things, at least when I’m operating it.

    Did I mention the MBP is fast?

    Reply

  8. I think it depends mainly on the pH level of the fart. Also, you’ll need to factor in wind velocity, decibels, vibration intensity and collateral chunkage. It’s probably best to avoid squatting or sitting on your MBP after meals or any time spicy, hot rectal vapors are imminent.

    Reply

  9. “That review hacked the English language to ribbons.”

    Seriously. I’ve been a victim of typos myself, but since when did run-on sentences and randomly placed semicolons become acceptable for a supposedly legit publication? The review is nice but the stream-of-consciouness style has me wondering if the publication has editors who graduated from high school.

    That being said, the bottom line seems on the mark. The new Santa Rosa-based MBP may not be a huge step forward, but all the little advances add up to a very nice package.

    Reply

  10. Barefeats.com has a pretty good 3D gaming review of the new MacBookPro.

    I like sites like Barefeats and Accelerate Your Mac because they don’t sugar coat Apple products.

    If a Apple product has problems, they tell you.

    MDN never links to those sites. Nor the good HardMac.com for that matter.

    Check out

    http://mac.zicos.com/

    For a more complete “across the web” Mac news coverage as well as software.

    Reply

  12. Nothing is resistant to farts induced by drinking Camels Milk!

    JPS The Marching King was inspired to write “The Thunderer” from the after effects of quaffing some Camels Milk!:-)

    I will have to sell alot of the stuff in order to buy this one!

    Reply

  13. These new notebooks look terrific in almost every way – except one. Apple continues to stick with a one-year limited warranty on what in every other way is a premium product. Industry standard for a name brand business notebook is three years. Obtaining such coverage through Apple Care adds several hundred dollars to the cost. Does Apple not believe in its products enough to stand behind them?

    mw: “three” (no joke) – as in years of coverage Apple should provide its premium products.

    Reply

  16. I’m buying one — for my wife — yeah, sure.

    What is the best deal on the web? I have seen $150 off. Do you have to pay the sales tax?

    I also note that OWC offers their 4GB memory upgrade for $189, if you send in your Apple supplied 2G of memory. Sounds like a great deal.

    Comments?

    Reply

  21. drmacnut..

    I am in the same boat, my 12pb 1ghz has taken me as far as it can. The problem is at the moment is the price of the MBP, I plan on getting Apple’s 20 lcd, max out the ram and buy Adobe premium suite as an update to CS. That all adds up to some serious bucks so I might be forced to look at a Mac book instead,
    It’s fast but the video apps will kill it I know.

    Reply

  22. There always is a risk of farts catching fire with a laptop on you lap since any tiny spark inside the machine could set your ripper alight.

    However due to its lower power consumption, there is a lower risk with the new MBPs. I recommend replacing your older laptop with a new MBP for safety reasons.

    Reply

  23. How much of an improvement is it over the prior 2.33mhz model? I have that one (15″) and was thinking about giving it to one of my college kids and buying a new one. I already have 3gb RAM. So how much better can it be? Any thoughts??

    Reply

  25. Muckmeyer,

    I would imagine you would not see much improvement. The machine will be faster but not a huge jump in speed. If you want to get the kids on laptop, then get them a MacBook. You could get two MB for the price of one high end MBP. I can’t see the kids need the power of a MBP for college.

    Reply

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