If you're comparing the new 13-inch MacBook Pros to each other, the high-end 2.9GHz system is 17 percent faster overall than the new low-end 2.5GHz model. Photoshop results for the new 2.9GHz model showed more improvement due to the 8GB of RAM that comes standard, as opposed to the 4GB of RAM standard in the low-end 13-inch and the previous models.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro now comes with either a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) processor, 4GB of memory, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics, and a 500GB hard drive for $1799, or with a 2.6GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics, and a 750GB hard drive for $2199. The previous 15-inch MacBook Pro models came with quad-core Sandy Bridge processors, integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, discrete AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics, and 4GB of memory.

The new low-end 2.3GHz Core i7 model with 4GB of memory stands out; it's 14 percent faster than the previous low-end model, which had a 2.2GHz Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) processor and 4GB of memory. The new high-end 2.6GHz Core i7 model with 8GB of memory is 8 percent faster overall than the previous high-end model, which had a 2.4GHz Core i7 (Sand Bridge) processor and 4GB of memory.

A benchmark in particular that stands out: Portal 2. The frame rates are much improved on the new MacBook Pros. The new low-end model is 21 percent faster than its predecessor. The new high-end model is 18 percent faster than the previous high-end MacBook Pro.