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New MacBook Dual Core 2 Benchmarks
ApolloX writes "New Macbook Pro Benchmarks are now available. From the article:
'Like the iMac before it, Apple's MacBook Pro underwent an upgrade highlighted by a chip swap — the Core Duo processor that used to power Apple's pro laptop is gone, replaced by the next-generation Core 2 Duo. And as with our iMac benchmarks, these updated Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro models show a modest performance gain when compared to older systems running on Core Duo chips with the same clock speeds.'
As expected, the new 15-inch Intel Dual Core 2 (2.33Ghz/2GB RAM) is the new king of Apple portables, with results for the 17-inch model still pending."
What's with the headline? It's "MacBook Pro", not MacBook. They're separate products. And it's "Core 2 Duo". Would it have been that hard to identify the correct product being reviewed?
This
I'm more interested in how hot these things run.. my old Core Duo MBP runs so hot I can't even use it on my lap, and the fan emits a really annoying loud, high-pitched whine. This computer is actually physically painful to use.
No you can't. Once you add enough upgrades to match the Apple, then the price is more than the Macbook. Look at all the stuff it has standard before you do the math.
I was excited to see the headline. I look at the site and its just comparing several models to a baseline previous MacBook Pro. What is the point in that? I want to see real benchmarks like perhaps windows running on it vs a comparable "PC" laptop from say dell, toshiba or some other vendor. I'd also like to see a benchmark compared to desktop models like iMacs, Mac Pros, etc. To put it in perspective, maybe some benchmarks from G4/G5 models as well.
:)
I want to know how apple compares to other vendors now that apples to apples comparisons are more fair. You could argue driver support if the mac loses, but its not like dell ships great drivers for their modified chipsets either. I have an iBook now and it would be nice to know how PC operating systems run on this thing. I now have a good reason to want to run BSD on one of these
MidnightBSD: The BSD for Everyone
Who DOESN'T like a weenie roast?
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
It also gained dual-layer Superdrives and Firewire 800 back, and comes with more RAM standard and higher maximum RAM than the previous model, which is more than you can say for the iMac upgrade.
1. Go to your Slashdot account preferences page
2. Click the "Homepage" link at the top of that page ( http://hardware.slashdot.org/users.pl?op=edithome )
3. Uncheck the Apple section
Hope that helps.
-William Brendel
You can buy a PC with the same config cheaper, but not substantially cheaper. I can't speak for the MBP, but when I got my Macbook this summer, I did some looking around, and even if you ignore things like build-quality, most comparable x86 laptops were less than 10% cheaper. If you got a comparably small and sturdy machine, the price was actually substantially higher.
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
I picked up a 2.33 GHz MBP (US$2500) a couple of days ago and it meets my expectations. No problems with noise or heat issues, and the build quality and design is much better than the offerings back in 2002 when I bought an iBook 700 MHz G3 and a PB 800 MHz G4. The magnetic power connector by itself is a big improvement.
The included printed documentation is rather lacking for a notebook in this price range. Additionally, there in no recordable CD or DVD included. And as noted before, there is no modem either. For developers, both X Window and Xcode require additional installation steps.
For those who can accept a sligntly slower CPU and half the memory (128 MB vs 256 MB) graphics, a savings of US$500 can be had by getting the base model and using the cash to upgrade the main memory from 1 GB to 2 GB (or 3 GB).
This headline does more than suggest, it actually states, that the system under benchmark has two Core 2 processors. That would be a total of four processing cores spread over two chips, and quite a burden on the poor system's batteries.
WRONG! What it has is a Core 2 Duo dual-processor chip.
It's bad enough the the submitter can't properly write the headline. That the Slashdot editor let it through in this form deserves having him (or her) sent back to Remedial English, and not allowed near a keyboard until they pass it.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Your kidding me...you have to ask that? What the hell are you doing on /. if you can't figure that out?
2.33GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD. It's scary fast, even in Aperture. After reading horror stories on the web I thought it'd run ridiculously hot. Not so, my friends. The bottom does get hot when you do something hardcore (LiveType realtime rendering or a hardcore Aperture session), but not as hot as to be unbearable. Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase, and this is hands down the best laptop I've ever used.
:0)
My son is very pleased, too - he can't get enough of Photo Booth.
Do you mean the Apple technical support which wanted my credit card number before they honoured my warranty, just in case they decided replacing the dead hard drive wasn't covered? And then was rude enough to replace the combo drive in my iBook with a CD-ROM drive, and deny that they had done so afterward, when the drive wasn't even broken in the first place? I'd rather talk to an Indian or Chinese tech support which respects me rather than an American tech support system that treats me like an idiot.
Amazingly, Dell's support is great in this regard. The technicians don't appear to be very knowledgeable and don't speak English very well, but since I've always known what has needed to be replaced on my laptop, they've been more than happy to replace whatever I tell them to within 48 hours, and have never sent me a cheaper replacement (when my hard drive died they sent me an 80GB to replace the 60GB in the laptop). Which is important, because Dells have a tendency to break rather often.
Hmm, Aluminum vs. Magnesium alloy - advantage Thinkpad.
FW800 - What devices do you have that use FW800 and are actually faster because of it? I know I have none. Quick, make something up.
Drop-tilt sensors were developed by Thinkpad and are standard on all Thinkpads (DOH!!).
Thinkpad has a keyboard illuminator built into the top of the screen that is also useful as a light. More functional and much less cheesy than the backlit keyboard in my book. To each his own.
MagSafe power connector is neat. I must say that I've never come close to pulling my computer off the table by the power cord. Maybe you're more of a klutz than me.
The Client Security Solution is not a subscription, but the software that integrates the fingerprint reader, allowing you to log into anything by swiping your fingerprint. Much less useful than your little camera, I'm sure!
Thinkpad service is usually rated higher than Apple service. Comes with 3 years accidental damage and Thinkpad on-site service. Forgot to copy-and-paste that. Don't you have to pay extra for AppleCare, which this essentially is (with better service).
You think the Thinkpad doesn't have an ExpressCard slot? Of course it does.
Ambient Lighting Sensors?? You would pay for that if you had the choice?
The software is your choice. I find nothing on iLife compelling. If you do, great. The cost of the software is a wash between XP and OSX. It's a choice. I said that in the beginning. The discussion was which purchase gives you more hardware for a better price.
So after addressing the above, you're saying that you would pay $200 to have a significantly lower resolution screen, a significantly less powerful graphics card all for FW800 (over FW400), the MagSafe, the iSight camera, and ambient lighting sensors? That's fine, but I really find it difficult to argue that this is a wash from a cost-analysis standpoint.
The chipset is only capable of addressing 32 bits or 4 gigs of memory. Many "64 bit" desktops are the same way. The problem is that while the chipset can see the full 4 gigs of ram, a portion of it (~768mb) is hidden by other address space (video card shadowing, PCI memory addresses, etc). The machine can hold 4 gigs of ram, you just won't be able to see it all. I have a friend with a Dell desktop with the same "problem".
Frankly I like Apple approach as opposed to what many others do ("Supprots 4+ GIGs* (* unable to see top 1/2 gig)").
The problem should go away when they stop using the current chipset (which was designed for the 32 bit Core) and move to the next chipset that was designed specifically for the Core 2 chips.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I'm amazed that people don't know about the second virtual button on Apple's laptops with OS X. Hold both fingers on the track pad. Click. Boom, right-click. And to be honest, I think that it works better than actually having a second button. My thumb isn't very accurate, so sometimes, on a PC laptop, I hit the wrong button. With one, big button to hit, I never mistakenly right-click when I want to left-click. The second physical button works well on mice because you click right- and left-buttons with different fingers. But with laptops, you use the same finger. Apple's two-finger scrolling and right-clicking are simply better solutions than trying to shoe-horn scroll wheels and more buttons onto a laptop.
But to each his own I suppose.