The update MacBook Pros turn by Apple this calendar week are perform in line with what you might await , give the changes to the laptop line . But one puzzling solution in a test we run to gauge art performance prevents us from making a definitive claim about the unexampled MacBook Pros ’s carrying out just yet .

We come our hands on two 15 - inch MacBook Pros — the 2.2GHz form and the 2.4GHz offer — almost straight off after Apple ’s Tuesday announcement . Though externally monovular to the previous coevals of professional portable Macs , these updated models have undergo something of a major service underneath the hood . All MacBook Pros now send with 2 GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM , up from the 1 GB that was stock on all honest-to-god models ; memory capability has been advance to 4 GB . The updated models also have a faster frontside bus running at 800MHz ( up from 667MHz ) . They ’re the first Intel - establish Mac laptop computer to feature Nvidia graphic — specifically the GeForce 8600 M GT graphics processor with either 128 M of dedicated video ram in the 2.2GHz modeling or 256 megabit in the 2.4GHz model .

Another variety to this generation of MacBook Pros is something that Steve Jobs hint at inhis open letter on Apple ’s environmental policies : conduct - backlit screens . Featured in the 15 - column inch model , light-emitting diode backlights can help meliorate assault and battery life while being more environmentally well-disposed by eliminating the mercury found in the fluorescent lamps behind most LCD screen . ( We have n’t had a chance to measure the battery life shock just yet — those results will amount by and by . )

So how do the other change affect execution ? As we ’ve seen in former examination , add RAM does n’t always stand for better benchmark heaps , as most of our test do just ok with 1 GB of RAM . We append 1 GB of Aries to all of the service line system to rase the playing battleground . But our recent tests of the 2.16GHz black MacBook with its standard 1 GB of RAM knuckle under an monovular Speedmark score with or without the additional RAM .

15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo Benchmarks

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Adobe Photoshop , Cinema 4D XL , iMovie , iTunes , and Zip Archive scores are in moment : seconds . All systems were running Mac OS X 10.4.9 with 2 GB of RAM , with processor carrying out set to Highest in the Energy Saver penchant pane when applicable . The Photoshop Suite test is a solidifying of 15 written task using a 50 MB single file . Photoshop ’s memory was set to 70 pct and chronicle was set to Minimum . We tape how long it took to supply a scene in Cinema4D. We used Compressor to encode a 6minute:26second DV file using the videodisc : Fastest Encode 120 minutes – 4:3 background . In iMovie , we applied the ripened video gist to a 1 - minute movie . We converted 45 minutes of AAC audio file to MP3 using iTunes ’ High Quality mount . We make a Zip archive in the Finder from a 1 GB folder.—MACWORLD LAB examination BY JAMES GALBRAITH , BRIAN CHEN , AND JERRY JUNG

The MacBook Pro mainframe speeds , now about 2- to 3 - pct quicker , did show some improvement , with the 2.4GHz example beating out the old 2.33GHz MacBook Pro in just about every test , including Cinema4D and Compressor .

Then there ’s that vex result , which came in our 3 - D game tests with Unreal Tournament 2004 . The 2.4GHz MacBook Pro , powered by the Nvidia graphics chip , carry 28 - percent slower frame rate than the 2.33GHz model with ATI graphics . Further examination require other games designate that Unreal Tournament was the exception to the rule — the new 2.4GHz MacBook Pro thump out the 2.33GHz fashion model by 28 percent in our Doom tests and 33 percent in Quake 4 underframe rates . Even more telling was the 2.4GHz ’s score versus the stock 2.66GHz Quad - core group Mac Pro — the systems were in a practical all in heat in both Quake and Doom test .

MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo Game Performance

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All system were campaign Mac OS X 10.4.9 with 2 GB of RAM . We used Unreal Tournament 2004 ’s Antalus Botmatch mediocre - frames - per - second grade ; we test at a solving of 1,024 by 768 pixels at the Maximum setting with both audio and graphics enable . Doom 3 was coif to utilize ultra high video setting , 1024 x 768 resolution , quint - sync No , Antialiasing Off and all other configurations set to Yes . Quake 4 was set to 1024 x 768 resolution , mellow lineament video , full screen , multiprocessor on , V - sync No , antialias Off and all other forward-looking preferences fix to Yes.—MACWORLD LAB TESTING BY JERRY JUNG

The Unreal Tournament test outcome factor into a system ’s overall Speedmark score , and the new MacBook Pro ’s unexplained dense frame rates are drag those Speedmark scores down . We ’ve contacted MacSoft and Apple , and they are await into the job . Until we figure out the reason for the Unreal Tournament results , we ’ll waitress to publish a Speedmark grudge .

Look forMacworld ’s full review presently include Speedmark resultant as well as battery life tests that are running as I type this .

[ James Galbraith is Macworld Lab director . ]