Forums | MacLife

wellfleation wrote:

The build and feel maybe better and feel better (my MBP finish feels high end to me), but the cosmetic changes are really minor unless you know what to look for. (Obviously I'm speaking of the MBP only here). The lack of an option for a matte screen sucks, I don't care what anyone says. Also, my current 2nd gen 2.16GHz MBP still seems to fly (I don't game). This being the case, I still do not feel compelled in any way to upgrade.

That being said, these new machines are gorgeous (FINALLY went latchless!) and the specs are nice and will no doubt take advantage of Snow Leopard's graphic card capabilities.

The biggest gripe I have with my current MBP is the measly 2GB of ram. I have to use windows alongside Mac OS X and it did not cut it.

The extra features are icing on the cake (6MB L2 vs 2MB, FSB at 1066 Mhz vs 667 Mhz, 64-bit motherboard, 512 MB vs 256 MB on the video card, etc)

Cobalt60 wrote:

KHannon wrote:

Macbook.

I'm glad you like your new laptop.  It's good for me to know the new Macbooks are quiet.  It's tough for me to get one though.  I'm not sure I'd see much difference between a new one and my rev a Macbook.  I don't push this machine very much.
So it's the MBPs I interested to see if they are quiet or not.  There I'll at least see a better screen.

I used this to replace my 1.83 Core 2 Duo macbook.  The previous machine worked fine, but for me the build didn't feel as solid and, though it was small, I wanted something smaller (but the Air wasn't an option).  This guy fits the bill nicely.

Random User wrote:

Oh okay. I guess I could stop being lazy and google it up to see if anyone has posted any reviews on the Windows on a new MacBook Pro situation yet. Was just figuring that someone here might have or might be getting ready to experiment on this themselves.

Probably as good a start here as any.

The importance of GPU performance is increasing; if it weren't, Intel wouldn't be so feverishly working to bring Larrabee to market and Apple wouldn't have announced a switch away from Intel chipsets two years after adopting them. GPU accelerated applications are finally beginning to get some exposure; Adobe's recent Photoshop CS4 introduction is the perfect example. If more big-name developers deliver GPU accelerated applications that matter, having a higher performance integrated graphics solution becomes more interesting.

Things have been amazingly quiet on the Intel chipset front. Once the AMD-ATI acquisition was announced, development on ATI Intel chipsets all but halted as did shipments of ATI's chipsets to motherboard makers - no one was looking to touch that beast with a 10 foot pole. That left Intel and NVIDIA as the only providers for Intel chipsets.

We finally got G45 a couple of months ago, but in many ways it was a mild upgrade to G35 rather than the platform we'd all been waiting for. NVIDIA has had its gloves on and eyes set on causing Intel trouble wherever possible, so it's not a surprise that NVIDIA's G45 killer is set up to look even stronger on paper.

The GeForce 9300 and 9400 are similar in many ways to the GeForce 8200/8300 from the AMD world, but obviously since we're talking about non-Nehalem Intel platforms they do have a few changes like the inclusion of a memory controller. Like their AMD counterparts however, the GeForce 9300/9400 are single-chip solutions and unlike the 8200/8300 they are built on a smaller 65nm manufacturing process.

12 pages at AnandTech.

KHannon wrote:

robco wrote:

I still have a 1.83 Core Duo MacBook. It's been great so far. The new one is nice. How is the heat issue? This one gets pretty hot, but it's not unbearable. I know the MBPs get really warm. Just curious if the new MacBook shares that problem.

Ya, my 1.83 would get HOT.  This guy I have had on for a long time and the bottom is slightly warm to the touch but NOWHERE near the 1.83's temp.

That's funny.  I have the 1.83 Core Duo and it doesn't get very hot.  I wonder if that aluminum chassis on the new model is a good heat conductor.  Must be.

Top 10 Things You Didn't Know about the New MacBook

Replacing the hard drive is easier.   

If you happen to break the screen, break a key or dip your MacBook in a sink, its going to cost you.   Get your Applecare.

ack - 

It all depends on how you look at it. I think the higher rez would be nice, but personally I don't want it enough to put up with the larger size and additional pound of weight. I've gotten used to the 13" display and if I really want more space, I can use an external display. It is true that there isn't much more when it comes down to the CPU however. It's the same clock speeds we've seen in recent models. That's not really Apple's fault. I'm mostly interested in the GPU upgrade. Still, I'll definitely wait until the first refresh. I'm in no hurry.

mrreet2001 wrote:

that doesn't really help a failing screen or a blown video card... boot into TDM and boom all your stuff.

or another laptop needs cloned... boot into TDM fire up CCC and boom (after 30 to 40 min) 2 like machines.

The hard drive is ridiculously easy to pull out of these new machines. So pick up one of these in case of an emergency.

For the tech-curious:

NVIDIA officially announced today that it has new GeForce integrated GPUs that will be available soon on motherboards form the typical NVIDIA partners. The new integrated GPUs include the GeForce 9400 and 9300 and are intended for desktop PCs using Intel CPUs.

NVIDIA says that the new GPUs offer full system I/O and discrete-level performance in a package half the size of previous integrated GPUs. The NVIDIA 9400 and 9300 GPUs have 16 cores and are CUDA capable. NVIDIA even promises that the integrated GPUs are capable of playing the latest top PC games and Blu-ray movies.
...

Support for NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI technology is included and boosts performance up to 70% higher than the motherboard GPU alone. NVIDIA says that motherboards using the new GPU will ship this month from XFX, ASUS, ECS, EVGA, Foxconn, Galaxy, and more.

NVIDIA Officially Unveils GeForce 9400 and 9300 Integrated GPUs

With pic.

I'm still using an old 12" powerbook.  I think I'll wait for the first revision, though.

My 12" PB is more than adequate for normal computing needs. The only reason I upgraded to the macbook was because I needed to run windows (faster than VPC allowed) to run my car interface software and I was tired of lugging 2 laptops around every where.

I figured yours was around that speed. I was just letting you know that the later ones are fine for normal computing needs.