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The benchmark results forApple ’s latest MacBook Prosare in — and they ’re impressive . In testing conduct by Macworld Lab , the laptop computer released Thursday plow inSpeedmarkscores between 13 and 53 percent faster than the systems they replace .
Apple modernize its MacBook Pro offerings with raw processors , new graphics , and a newfangled peripheral connector . The raw lineup consists of two 13 - inch models , two 15 - inch models ( down from three in the previous generation ) and one 17 - column inch mannikin . The 13 - inch mannikin amount with Intel ’s incorporate HD Graphics 3000 , and either a 2.3GHz threefold - meat Core i5 C.P.U. and a 5400 - rev 320 GB grueling drive for $ 1199 , or a 2.7GHz dual - core Core i7 CPU with a 5400 - revolutions per minute 500 GB hard drive for $ 1499 . Both 15 - inch good example come with Intel ’s integrated HD Graphics 3000 . The $ 1799 configuration sports a 2GHz quad - core Core i7 central processing unit , a 5400 - revolutions per minute 500 GB driving , and a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6490 M graphics central processor with 256 MB of GDDR5 video memory , while the $ 2199 oblation features a 2.2GHz quad - magnetic core Core i7 C.P.U. , a 5400 - rpm 750 GB drive , and a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6750 M art processor with 1 GB of GDDR5 video memory . The $ 2499 17 - inch model has the same glasses as the $ 2199 15 - inch model . All MacBook Pros have 4 GB of 1333MHz DDR3 computer memory .
The only external cue to any changes comes in the bod of a petite picture near what was the Mini DisplayPort connector . It ’s now the Thunderbolt interface , a newfangled engineering that Intel develop with input from Apple . The larboard looks like the Mini DisplayPort and you’re able to still link a light-emitting diode Cinema Display or Mini DisplayPort adapter , but you ’ll also be able to connect up to six peripheral equipment , such as hard drive . Thunderbolt - equipped product have been announce , but they are have not originate shipping , so unfortunately , we are unable to try the speed of the Thunderbolt connexion in this beat of testing .
Call of Duty 4 results are based on framerate; higher results are better. All other test results in the above chart are in seconds; lower results are better. References models initalics. Best result inbold.
What we can examine is the effect the new processors and graphics have on public presentation . Intel Core i series processors ( known by the code - name Sandy Bridge ) , are launch inside every new MacBook Pro . With the processor , stash , artwork , and memory controller all residing on the same dice , these Core i5 and Core i7 processors helped propel the new MacBook Pros well past their predecessors in CPU carrying out .
The integrated graphics processor in each MacBook Pro has also transfer , with Intel ’s HD 3000 graphics install across the line . In the last generation of MacBook Pros , Apple used Intel ’s incorporated HD artwork only in the higher - end models that had a second , higher - powered GPU , the Nvidia GeForce GT 330 M , for graphically intensive applications . Apple did n’t imagine the old Intel HD computer graphic were potent enough to be the only selection in those older 13 - inch exemplar , which could n’t support two artwork chips , so the companionship stuck with Core 2 Duo processors and used Nvidia ’s desegregate GeForce 320 K graphics . With the new HD Graphics 3000 , Apple come up the improved performance good enough to at long last invite the 13 - in modelling into the Core i geological era .
Speedmark 6.5 results:
2011 MacBook Pros
mellow scores are better . Reference exemplar initalics . Best result inbold .
13-inch MacBook Pros
Overall , the new entranceway - stratum 13 - inch MacBook Pro , with a Speedmark 6.5 score of 141 was 35 percentage faster than the 106 score by the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo example it replaces . The new system was faster at just about everything , except for our Call of responsibility tests , which was only able-bodied to expose 26 frames per second versus the 33 frames display by the senior example with Nvidia nontextual matter . The lower game carrying into action will probably be take care by many as a reasonable Mary Leontyne Price to pay for the increased carrying out feel in other lotion . The biggest leap was in our iTunes AAC - to - MP3 encoding test , which was 57 percentage faster on the newfangled system . Our Handbrake trial run wind up 47 percent quicker on the newer system than on the one it replaces .
The 13 - inch 2.7GHz Core i7 MacBook Pro ’s improvement was less dramatic , scoring only a 13 - pct amplification over the model it supplant , a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo system . The new system was 36 pct faster in our iTunes test and 28 per centum faster in our Handbrake mental testing . Again , Call of Duty was 26 percent ( 7 frames per second ) faster on the older Nvidia - powered 13 - column inch poser .
We bump the submission - point 13 - in MacBook Pro to be 31 percent faster overall than the 13 - column inch 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Air . The Pro was much faster in processor intensive chore , but the MacBook Air was much faster at duplicating and unzipping files , thanks to the flash storage . The Air ’s Nvidia graphics were also faster than the Intel HD Graphics 3000 .
15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros
The 15 - column inch 2.0GHz quad core Core i7 MacBook Pro was 33 percent faster overall than the 15 - inch 2.4GHz dual meat Core i5 system acquaint last April . The novel MacBook Pro ’s Handbrake time was 51 percent faster than the older system , while its iTunes encoding time were 24 percentage faster . double and Unzipping file did n’t see much improvement between the systems , and Call of Duty framerate was slower than the older system .
The 15 - inch 2.2GHz quad - nub Core i7 MacBook Pro and the 17 - inch framework that has similar specifications were finally able to outperform their herald in secret plan performance , thanks to the Radeon HD 6750 thou graphics with 1 GB of dedicated video storage . The novel manakin were able display 31 percent more frame per 2d than the 15- and 17 - inch models with Nvidia GeForce GT 330 M nontextual matter that they supervene upon . Overall , the novel 15 - in 2.2GHz quad - heart Core i7 MacBook Pro was 38 percent faster than last year ’s fastest 15 - inch framework and the new 17 - inch model was 53 percent faster than last year ’s big Mac laptop computer .
iMacs
What ’s more interesting was how well the Modern MacBook Pros compare performance - wise to the iMacs . The fresh 2.0GHz 15 - inch MacBook Pro beat out the entry - level 3.06GHz dual core Core i3 iMac by one Speedmark gunpoint , with Call of Duty and disk - intensive labor running quicker on the iMac and C.P.U. - intensive tasks running quicker on the MacBook Pro . The 15- and 17 - column inch 2.2GHz MacBook Pros were about 7 percent faster overall than the high - end standard conformation iMac , a 27 - inch model with a 2.8GHz quad - gist Core i5 CPU . The three Macs grade identically in our Aperture consequence test , as well as our Photoshop and iMovie export tryout . Call of Duty was 9 percent faster on the iMac .
Speedmark 6.5 individual application test results:
2011 MacBook Pros
Results are in seconds . Lower result are better . Reference models initalics . Best result inbold .
Call of Duty 4 termination are based on framerate ; higher results are better . All other test solution in the above chart are in seconds ; lower results are good . References models initalics . Best upshot inbold .
CineBench R11.5 Graphics results are a scotch ; high outcome are unspoiled . All other psychometric test results in the above chart are in seconds ; downhearted consequence are better . Reference models initalics . Best event inbold .
MathematicaMark 7 results are stacks ; higher result are better . All other mental testing results in the above chart are in seconds ; abject answer are good . reference work models initalics . unspoilt result inbold .
How we tested . Speedmark 6.5 score are proportional to those of a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini ( Mid 2010 ) with 2 GB of RAM , which is assign a score of 100 . We duplicated a 1 GB file , created a Zip archive in the Finder from the two 1 GB files and then unzipped it . We win over 135 minutes of AAC audio files to MP3 using iTunes ’ High Quality setting . In iMovie ’ 09 , we imported a camera archive and exported it to iTunes using the Mobile Devices prepare . We ran a Timedemo at 1024 - by-768 with 4X anti - aliasing on in Call of Duty 4 . We imported 200 JPEGs into iPhoto ’ 09 . The Photoshop Suite run is a solidification of 23 written undertaking using a 50 MB data file . Photoshop ’s memory was gear up to 70 percent and story was do to Minimum . For our multitasking test , we clock the Photoshop test again , but with the iTunes MP3 encoding and file compression tests persist in the background . We used Handbrake to encode four chapters from a videodisc previously ripped to the hard movement to H.264 . We memorialise how long it take to render a scene with multiprocessors in Cinebench and ran that applications programme ’s OpenGL , frame of reference per second trial run . We execute the Evaluate Notebook test in MathematicaMark 7 . We ran the WorldBench 6 multitasking trial on a Parallels 6 VM running Windows 7 Professional . We timed the import and processing meter for 200 photo in Aperture.—Macworld research lab testing by James Galbraith , William Wang , and Mauricio Grijalva
Check back soon forMacworld ’s fullreview of these new MacBook Pro systems , include battery tests and more graphics results .
[ James Galbraith is Macworld ’s science laboratory director . ]
