Break Down: MacBook (Pro Late 2008)

I’ve covered the technical specs and Hardware advantages the newly revamped MacBook possesses, but in reality, it’s not much different from its bigger brother, the Pro. The same Unibody enclosure is used and made in the same way. The two mirror each other in looks with the exception in size and to prevent any redundancy, you can read up about the shared specs between the two MacBooks here. However, Apple was sure to make the Pro beefier than its previous incarnation.

The Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT

The MacBook Pro has two GPUs built in with one containing the entire Chipset which is shared in the MacBook; the GeForce 9400M. But to step up the graphics horse power, Apple has employed the use of an additional GeForce 9600M GT. Compared to the last generation MacBook Pro’s 8600M, the newer 9600 trounces it on all levels from power to performance. The 9600M features 32 Shader processors and maxes out at 120 Gigaflops which really provides that extra oomph for gaming and GPU intensive Applications such as Photoshop CS4. In comparison to the previously dominant GeForce 8600M GT, both have the same number of shader processors but the newer 9600 trounces with a 500 MHz core and 1250 MHz shader clock speed while the former runs at 475 and 950 MHz respectively. Both have the same 128 bit bus width and 800 MHz memory clock. Whiles the numbers may not seem so significant, the gaming power of the MacBook Pro has definitely been raised over the years.

Two memory configurations are available which do not siphon from the system RAM but either a separate GDDR5 256 or 512 MB of dedicated video memory. However, this power intensive GPU will plunk your battery life into the four hour range, another hour can be gained by switching to the slower, integrated 9400M. Oh, and about that, you’ll have to log out to switch GPUs. This isn’t the most ideal way to conserve energy even though Apple is really pushing the Hybrid SLI concept in their latest notebooks which was pioneered by Nvidia. Instead of utilizing both GPUs when need despite their differences in speed, they can only be switched back and forth when either energy conservation or faster processing are needed.

The newer 9600 scores much higher according to benchmarks form Arstechnica and a video from Obsessable demonstrates the raw power contained in this machine.

Everything Else

Besides the enhanced graphical prowess of the new MacBook Pro, nothing else remains unique compared to the MacBook unless you count the option of Firewire 800 connectivity. What has changed drastically from previous MacBook Pros which carried over a PowerBook inspired design, is the internal layout. Johny Ives is right to gush about the case’s innards being more beautiful than the outside, Hardware upgrades are made a lot easier but ironically, RAM upgades requires more effort to swap out. The Internals are identical to the MacBook which means easy access to the battery and Hard Drive and can be pulled out in seconds with ease by flipping the machine over and flipping a latch. If you’re paranoid about thieves accessing your unencrypted Hard Drive, a Kensington lock will not only secure your MacBook Pro but also prevent this latch from opening thus preventing unauthorized physical access to its innards.

New to the Pro and to the moans of color picky photographers is a sheet of glass covering the entire screen with no options for a Matte finish. This move has finalized all Macs with screens to be even glossier than before and effectively render everything an iPhone look-a-like. Apple is quick to point out that any glare can be adjusted by altering the brightness which is even easier thanks to the LED backlighting.