Macworld | Mac Product Guide: 17-inch MacBook Pro/2.5GHz

17-inch MacBook Pro/2.5GHz

Like the MacBooks, the MacBook Pro line gets the latest generation of Core 2 Duo chips code-named Penryn. That boosts the amount of L2 cache to 6MB on the 2.5GHz models; this model also sports more video RAM for its Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor, as well as a third USB 2.0 port. he MacBook Pro adds the MultiTouch trackpad first introduced in the MacBook Air.

	Reviewed	Full Review

If you've been waiting to buy a new Apple laptop, or you've been hesitating about upgrading from your G4 PowerBook, wait no longer. The new MacBook Pros are Apple's speediest laptops eve, and the higher-end models, such as this one, are loaded with both system and video RAM and better L2 cache capacities for improved performance.

Pros: Better battery life; supports trackpad hand gestures; double the video RAM of previous models.

Cons: Hardware remote no longer free; trackpad a bit narrow for hand gestures.

Basics

Reviewed Price: $2,799

Processor: 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo (Penryn)

Information about this system on Apple's website

Price Comparison

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Lab Tests

Speedmark 5 Score	219
Cinema 4D XL 10.5	0:52
iMovie HD 6	0:45
iTunes 7.5	1:02
Photoshop CS3	1:00
Compressor	0:52
Unreal Tournament 2004	81.6fps
Tested Configuration	Mac OS X 10.5.2 with 2GB of RAM

Tested Configuration	Mac OS X 10.5.2 with 2GB of RAM
Display	flat panel ; 17 inches; 1,680-by-1,050
Processor	2.5GHz Core 2 Duo (Penryn)
Cache	6MB shared L2
Frontside Bus Speed	800MHz
Memory	2GB of DDR2 SDRAM ; 4GB maximum - 667MHz
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI; Maximum resolution:2,560-by-1,600; Port(s):DVI, VGA
Hard Drive	250GB Serial ATA, 5,400-rpm
Optical Drive	8X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW)
Ethernet	10/100/1000BASE-T
Wireless	AirPort Extreme built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR built-in
Peripheral Ports	Firewire: 1 FW 400 and 1 FW 800 port; USB: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Audio	Inputs: Combined optical digital input/audio line in;Outputs: Combined optical digital output/headphone out
Expansion Slots	ExpressCard/34 slot
Dimensions	15.4 x 1.0 x 10.4 inches
Weight	6.8 pounds
Battery Life	4.5 hours