New MacBook Pros (Late 2011) feature updates that boost performance and value

31.10.2011

The $1799 15-inch 2.2GHz Core i7 MacBook Pro is a little more than 12 percent faster than the 2GHz model it replaces, with graphics performance being the biggest change. With its Radeon HD 6750M graphics, the $1799 model displays 85 percent more frames per second in Cinebench's Open GL test than last year's comparable model and its 256MB AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor. Our Portal 2 tests also shows great improvement, with the new $1799 model displaying 160 frames per second, as compared to the 68.6 frames that last year's $1799 model was able to display. The graphics in the new $1799 model are identical to that found in last year's $2199 model, and the Portal and Cinebench OpenGL test results of those two models are also practically identical.

The new graphics in the $2199 15-inch 2.4GHz Core i7 MacBook Pro perform a little faster than the graphics in the previous $2199 model, a 15-inch 2.2GHz Core i7 MacBook Pro. Overall, the new $2199 model's graphics run about 7 percent faster overall than its predecessor. The new $2199 model displayed nearly 12 percent more frames per second in the Cinebench OpenGL test, and 8 percent more frames per second in our Portal 2 tests.

The new 17-inch model is a little more than 4 percent faster overall than the early 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Battery life also seems to be similar to the last set of MacBook Pros, getting between 5.5 and 6 hours of battery life in our fullscreen video playback test at full brightness.