Also, not surprisingly, the switching only works under Mac OS X, so the dedicated card is always active if you install Windows on your Mac. Remember, “off” just keeps the Nvidia graphics active all the time (a battery hog!) – there’s no way to switch off the dedicated graphics altogether like say when you’re looking to eke out the last bit of battery.
As a user, you have little choice to decide or tell which graphics the MacBook Pro is using at a given time, and the only choice you have is to switch the switching system on or off. So how does the graphics switching work on a day-to-day basis? It certainly does work well, a little too well at times. Apps that support GPU-acceleration support, such as Photoshop, also show noticeable improvements. What this translates into is that if your app uses OpenGL and Core Animation graphics, the switching tech decide to switch to the higher-powered discrete graphics processor, switching seamlessly back to the energy-saving integrated graphics when you’re done. Unlike the previous gen, where switching between integrated and dedicated graphics meant logging out and back into Mac OSX, Apple’s new automatic graphics switching technology looks for graphics frameworks used by individual apps when they’re launched. Graphics wise, Apple’s used Intel HD integrated graphics, which shares 256MB of the system’s memory for everyday applications, but for apps that require more grunt, the new MacBook Pros can use its discrete Nvidia GeForce GT330M graphics, with upto 512MB of dedicated graphics memory. Along with the Turbo Boost technology, which switch off idle cores when applications aren’t using them to increase the speed of the active cores, the i7s under the hood means that the blistering performance boosts one finally gets to see isn’t just a function of the increased MHz. In effect, this enables two threads to run at one time on each core, giving the dual-core chips four effective cores. The Core i7 processor supports a feature called Hyper Threading (as do the i5s in the rest of the 15-inch MacBook Pro range). Under fairly moderate use – running multiple tabs on our favorite memory-hogging browser along with some photo edits are pretty much the norm – the Core i7 stands up tall to the task, and then some. Not only do you get 2010-spec processors, Apple’s gone one step further by mating them with some of the latest NVIDIA graphics. If you’re planning on extended use, find a nice flat surface, will ya?īut it is under the covers of this beauty that the beast lies.
The all-aluminum design means that the edges are still too sharp for comfort and that these babies still run pretty hot on a lap. (Mental note: good luck seeing that on a Mac anytime soon!).
Having said that, since this is not a revolutionary upgrade, some of our complaints from the last iteration get carried over as well – the 2 USB ports are still too close to each other to be usable, and they’re still missing an HDMI or a USB 3.0 port. The minimalist aluminium-unibody design is still the standard by which other laptops are measured for their looks and build quality, so Apple’s not upset any apple carts here. There is absolutely no difference externally, which isn’t a half bad thing really. On the outside, you’d be easily forgiven if you mistook this Pro for a 2009 vintage. Our review sample was the top-end 15.4-inch 2.66GHz Core i7/4GB DDR3 RAM model which retails at Rs. And let’s not forget the most petite of the Pros – the entry-level 13-inch model comes with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and a 250GB hard drive), and the higher end model with a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo/ 320GB drive. With the 17-inches, you get the option of an either a 2.53GHz Core i5 or a 2.66GHz Core i7. The entry-level system comes with a 2.4GHz Core i5 processor and a 320GB hard drive, with a mid-range system sporting a 2.53GHz Core i5 processor and a 500GB hard drive and the top of the line model with a 2.66GHz Core i7 processor and a 500GB drive. For the spec-conscious, here’s how the range lines up – the 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in three standard configurations, all of which are kitted with a standard 4GB of DDR3 RAM, dual graphics processors, and a glossy 15.4-inch LED-backlit screen. While the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros have made the switch to the newer line of Core-i CPUs, the 13-inch Pro still uses the older Core 2 Duo CPUs. The 2010 MacBook Pro LineupĪnd so it is with the launch of the 2010 lineup of MacBook Pros. As with all things Apple, they’ll do it…when they’re good and ready. There’s just no way of predicting when Cupertino will release Macs with the latest hardware under the hood. Boy, it sure is tough being a Mac junkie these days.