02.12.2011

MacBook Pro Upgrades 2011/2012

Apple have upgraded the performance of the MacBook Pro with improved Intel® Xeon® processors and graphics capabilities across the range, with the 13in, 15in and 17in all getting a small but worthy power boost.

Those in the market for a new MacBook will be pleased to learn that these upgrades are not reflected in the prices, with these holding at the same level as 2011's earlier MacBook releases.

We look at the choices available in each size bracket and reveal the new specifications customers can look forward to.

MacBook Pro 13in

There are two versions of the 13in MacBook Pro. The entry level model now sports a 2.4GHz duel-core Core i5 chip, replacing the 2.3GHz dual-core Core i5 of its predecessor. The hard drive capacity has been lifted 150GB to 500GB, however the Intel HD Graphics 3000 hardware remains the same as the former models. Prices are frozen and the model is available from £999. 

The higher end 13in MacBook Pro's old 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor has been upgraded to a 2.8GHz dual-core Core i7 and it's old 500GB hard drived replaced with a 750GB version. Once again the graphics capabilty is a constant with the Intel HD Graphics 3000 still in place. This model retails from £1299.

The slightly more powerful processors offer a small boost in performance in both machines, with the new £999 model 4% faster than the older model and the higher end system improving in speed by around 9%.

Comparisons with the MacBook Air

It's worth comparing the entry-level Pro to the MacBook Air (currently £849). For an extra £150, as well as the 2in more of screen, you'll have far more hard drive capacity (the 11in Air has 128GB tops) and double the RAM (the Air only sports 2GB). Speed tests show that the entry level 13in MacBook Pro is no faster (maybe even a little slower) than the entry level 11in MacBook Air, but the extra storage may be worth the extra money to some.

MacBook Pro 15in Entry Level Model

As with the 13in units, there are two versions of the 15in MacBook Pro. The entry level model retails from £1549 and has had its processor upgraded from a 2GHz quad-core Core i7 to a 2.2 quad-core Core i7. This improved processor delivers a performance boost of 12 percent from the previous model. However, unlike the 13in models, the graphics department has received a noticable performance boost. The replacement 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6750M is a decent step forward from the 256MB AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor found in the older model. It's been reported that the frame rate has been raised from 68.6 frames per second to an impressive 160 frames per second, an improvement of more than 100 percent. It has also been noted that the frame rate display speed for the 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6750M has increased by 85 percent compared to last year's 256MB AMD Radeon HD 6490M in Cinebench Open GL tests. The storage capacity on this model has not been changed, with the 500GB hard drive still in place.

MacBook Pro 15in High End Model

This year's high end MacBook Pro 15in has also been given a more powerful processor, a 2.4 GHz quad-core Core i7 - a slight improvement on last year's model's 2.2GHz quad-core, which was also a Core i7. The Graphics card in the high end MacBook Pro 15in has also been given a very modest upgrade, with a 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6770M replacing the older 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6750M. As you might expect, the improvement in graphics performance given here is minimal with tests showing an overall increase of about 7 percent. As with the other 15in MacBook Pro, storage capacity hasn’t changed from the previous model, so the 750GB of hard drive remains constant. Unchanged pricing means the model retails from £1849.

MacBook Pro 17in

In the last generation of MacBook Pros, the only differences between the 17in and the high end 15in was the size of the screen and an ExpressCard/34 slot added to the 17in model. This state of affairs remains the case, and the 17in MacBook Pro has received the same upgrades as the high end 15in version. This means that the MacBook Pro 17in now boasts a 2.4 GHz quad-core Core i7 processor and a 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics card, with the hard drive capacity holding at 750GB.

These upgrades produce a similar slight boost in performance as noted in the new high end MacBook Pro 15in models - with an overall increase of around four percent. The MacBook Pro 17in retails from £2099

Mac Support London's Verdict

Considering prices have stayed constant, by far the biggest improvement in this year's MacBook Pros has been on the entry level 15in model. The graphics cards performance on this machine is the only substantial performance boost over previous versions across the range. However it should not be overlooked that Apple have improved all the models and kept prices constant, which is always good news as far as customers are concerned.

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