In iMovie, we applied the Aged Film effect from the Video FX. We used Compressor to encode a 6 minute, 26 second DV file using the DVD: Fastest Encode 120 minutes – 4:3 setting. We recorded how long it took to render a scene in Cinema 4D XL. Photoshop’s memory was set to 70 percent and History was set to Minimum. The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 scripted tasks using a 50MB file.
All systems were running Mac OS X 10.5.2 with 2GB of RAM. Adobe Photoshop, Cinema 4D XL, iMovie, iTunes, and Finder scores are in minutes:seconds. Speedmark 5 scores are relative to those of a 1.5GHz Core Solo Mac mini, which is assigned a score of 100.
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (15-inch, 2008)īest results in red. MacBook (black, late 2006) /2.0GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook (white, late 2007) /2.0GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook (black, late 2007)/ 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo Perhaps most interesting, the 2.1GHz MacBook scored one point higher overall than the older 2.2GHz black MacBook, even with a slightly slower processor speed.
The 2.1GHz MacBook showed an almost eight percent improvement over the 2GHz MacBook it replaces. The results showed moderate yet impressive gains-for example, the black 2.4GHz MacBook scored more than nine percent higher overall than its 2.2GHz predecessor. Macworld Lab tested the new MacBooks with version 5 of Speedmark, the latest incarnation of our standard performance benchmark test. Software-wise, the MacBooks include OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and iLife ‘08. One thing you won’t find in the box anymore is the Apple Remote, which is now a $19 add-on. The $1,099 MacBook has a 24x slot-loading combo drive, while the other two MacBooks have an 8x slot-loading double-layer SuperDrive.
All models have a 13.3-inch glossy widescreen display with a 1,280 by 800 pixel resolution, built-in iSight camera, built-in stereo speakers and microphone, analog and digital audio input and output, one FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports, 802.11n-enabled AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, and Gigabit Ethernet. Most of the other components in the new MacBooks are the same as their older counterparts. All MacBooks get a boost in hard drive size to 120GB, 160GB, and 250GB, from 80GB, 120GB, and 160GB respectively. The only difference between the $1,299 white MacBook and the $1,499 black MacBook (except for price and color, obviously) is the black model’s larger hard drive storage capacity. The new MacBooks feature Penryn processors.
If you really have the need to pinch, swipe, and rotate on the trackpad, you have to turn to the MacBook Pro or the MacBook Air ( ). Unfortunately, you won’t find the touted MultiTouch trackpad on any MacBook. The keyboard has a springy yet solid feel to it, and offers a bit more tactile and audible feedback than early MacBook models. To connect to any external display, you need to purchase one of Apple’s $19 video adapters (mini-DVI to DVI or mini-DVI to VGA).Īs with the previous-generation MacBooks, the keyboard has media control keys located along the function key row. The graphics processor can power an external display at up to 1,920-by-1,200 pixels to either mirror or extend the desktop (using an external display brings the shared memory used up to 160MB). The MacBooks use 144MB of RAM from the main system memory, making the 2GB models even more appealing. The new MacBooks use the same graphics chip as before, the Intel GMA X3100, which doesn’t have dedicated video RAM. Although the frontside bus runs at 800MHz, the MacBooks continue to use RAM rated at 667MHz.
As before, Apple recommends installing RAM in matched pairs into the two RAM slots for best performance with the integrated graphics system (the MacBooks come with two 512MB or two 1GB SO-DIMMs, and if you want to upgrade your RAM after purchase, you’ll have to replace both SO-DIMMs for the best results). The 2.4GHz MacBooks (one white, the other black) come with 2GB the models they replaced came with 1GB. The $1,099 2.1GHz MacBook comes with 1GB of RAM.