Apple overhauled its MacBook Pro offerings with new processors, new graphics, and a new peripheral connector. The new lineup consists of two 13-inch models, two 15-inch models (down from three in the previous generation) and one 17-inch model. The 13-inch models come with Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 3000, and either a 2.3GHz dual-core Core i5 processor and a 5400-rpm 320GB hard drive for $1199, or a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor with a 5400-rpm 500GB hard drive for $1499. Both 15-inch models come with Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 3000. The $1799 configuration sports a 2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, a 5400-rpm 500GB drive, and a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR5 video memory, while the $2199 offering features a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, a 5400-rpm 750GB drive, and a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 video memory. The $2499 17-inch model has the same specs as the $2199 15-inch model. All MacBook Pros have 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory.
The only external clue to any changes comes in the form of a tiny icon near what was the Mini DisplayPort connector. It’s now the port, a new technology that Intel developed with input from Apple. The port looks like the Mini DisplayPort and you can still connect a or Mini DisplayPort adapter, but you’ll also be able to connect up to six peripheral devices, such as hard drives. Thunderbolt-equipped products have been announced, but they are have not started shipping, so unfortunately, we are unable to test the speed of the Thunderbolt connection in this round of testing.
What we can test is the effect the new processors and graphics have on performance. Intel Core i series processors (known by the code-name Sandy Bridge), are found inside every new MacBook Pro. With the processor, cache, graphics, and memory controller all residing on the same die, these Core i5 and Core i7 processors helped propel the new MacBook Pros well past their predecessors in CPU performance.
The integrated graphics processor in each MacBook Pro has also changed, with Intel’s HD 3000 graphics installed across the line. In the last generation of MacBook Pros, Apple used Intel’s integrated HD graphics only in the higher-end models that had a second, higher-powered GPU, the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M, for graphically intensive applications. Apple didn’t think the older Intel HD graphics were powerful enough to be the only option in those older 13-inch models, which couldn’t support two graphics chips, so the company stuck with Core 2 Duo processors and used Nvidia’s integrated GeForce 320M graphics. With the new HD Graphics 3000, Apple found the improved performance good enough to finally invite the 13-inch models into the Core i era.