Macopinion

MacBook Penryn Changeup More Than Just A Speed Bump

Now that I've had several days to ruminate over the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook updates, I'm inclined to disagree a bit with my friend Dan Knight over at Low End Mac that their biggest significance may be the effect they will have on prices of refurbished units, especially Apple Certified Refurbished examples of the previous Santa Rosa-based machines.

In general, I think the February, 2008 MacBooks and MacBook Pros represent a solid and significant upgrade, and I was pleased (although not surprised) that there were no changes to the form factors of these models, since I somewhat gloomily anticipate that when the case redesign does come, it will incorporate more (or less?) of the thinness obsession that gripped the MacBook Air designers, compromising functionality in service of aesthetics. Sigh. Hope I'm wrong about that.

Anyway, the mild speed bumps and move to 45 nm "Penryn" chip architecture are welcome enhancements, but speed was not a notable defficiency of release any MacIntel laptop, all the way back to the original 1.83 GHz Core Duo models. However, early testing reports indicate that the Penryn chips run significantly cooler than do previous Core Duo and Core 2 Duo mobile Intel CPUs, which is welcome in itself, and also should result in longer battery life, so those factors definitely need to be considered in a purchase decision.

The new processors are based on Intel's 45nm CPU technology which currently supports speeds up to 2.6 GHz. The 2.4 GHz unit has a 3 GB L2 cache, while the faster chips have 6 GB. Penryn's SSE4 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction to multiple data. Apple has chosen to make the 2.5 GHz variant standard in the high-end the MacBook Pro , but a 2.6 GHz Penryn is available as a BTO option, and Apple claims that with that CPU, the MacBook Pro is 50% to 74% faster than the original version MacBook Pro in early 2006.

Intel’s 45-nanometer process results in transistors so small you could fit a hundred inside a single human cell. With smaller distances for electrons to travel, and two execution cores designed to share resources and conserve power, the Intel Core 2 Duo achieves higher levels of performance without using more power. Battery life is projected to be 30-60 minutes longer than on earlier MacBook Pro models.

According to a detailed report on AnandTech, 45nm Penryn inside the MacBook and MacBook Pro "is a huge deal." The report notes that "Penryn power consumption does go down considerably compared to its 65nm predecessor thanks to the 45nm manufacturing process."

The folks at Engadget agree. Ryan Block reports that they compared a new MacBook Pro Penryn 2.5GHz with an older Core Duo 2.16GHz unit, and found that the faster new machine peaked in temperature at 176° F with its cooling fans running about 3400 RPM, and averaged 173° F with the fans at about 2500 RPM, compared with the older unit which peaked at 195° F with its fans screaming at over 5000 RPM and averaged only a slightly lower 185° F with fan RPM dropping to about 4900 RPM.

Prior to these latest revisions, I was of a mind that the Apple Certified Refurbished 2.2 GHz Santa Rosa MacBook Pro 15 inch, which had recently been selling for $1,699, represented a pretty strong value in an Apple notebook for dollars spent. I haven't changed that evaluation now that the same units have been dropped in price to $1,499.00

That model's 2.2 GHz Santa Rosa processor and 120 gigabyte hard drive should provide plenty of power and commodiousness for most of us, and the June, 2007, 15-inch MacBook Pro also has an LCD backlit display, so it remains slightly ahead of the curve in that department. You still can't get LED backlights in the MacBook, and it's a $100 BTO option with a new 2.5 GHz and 2.6 GHz 17-inch Penryn MacBook Pros.

As for the multitouch trackpad, which is the other marquee new feature of the February, 2008, MacBook Pro revision, it will appeal mainly to folks who use their 'Books in mobile mode a lot and especially for graphics editing. For me, it's not much of a draw, as I keep my workhorse 'Book connected to an external keyboard and mouse most of the time, and rarely do anything with graphics on the road. While having the trick trackpad is no hardship, and I am perfectly happy with trackpads for general computing, using a laptop computer in literal laptop mode or even at a table or desk for extended grades of time is ergonomically rough on your body. Better to get the screen up to a more comfortable elevation by using a laptop stand and external keyboard.

It will be up to one's particular set of priorities and tastes whether the Penryn chip's cooler running and extended battery life, multitouch trackpad, an extra 200 megabytes of power, and a larger hard drive justify spending 33 percent more for the latest revision over a refurbished previous model.

In my own system upgrade deliberations, a new incidental factor has entered the equation, in that the corporate owners of the daily newspaper that has been my largest source of income for the past six years stopped the presses three weeks ago and laid off all but a handful of staff without prior warning, putting some 100 people out of work, not counting a bunch more free-lance contributors like me. The paper will be replaced by what amounts to a glorified advertising flyer with minimal editorial content, which I guess is the way the wind is blowing in the newspaper business these days.

Anyway, while I remain hopeful, writing gigs with city dailies are not exactly plentiful, so I've been obliged to adjust my budget fairly substantially, and in that context the entry-level MacBook is looking a lot more attractive than it did a month ago.

Yes, the Basic $1,099 ($1,149 here in Canada) model. Here's how I see it from a budget-conscious perspective. The base MacBook sells for two hundred dollars less than the middle-range white model. Now, for your 200 dollars you get a 300 MHz faster processor, a 40 gigabyte larger capacity hard drive, a DVD-burning SuperDrive instead of a combo drive, and two gigabytes of RAM instead of one gigabyte. All in all, not a shabby value for the extra outlay, and I recommend going that route unless you're strapped for cash.

On the other hand, I'm sure that 2.1 GHz of Penryn power will be more than enough to keep me happy, although it bears noting that Primate Labs has run Geekbench benchmakking tests comparing all of the new Penryn 'Books against their Santa Rosa predecessors, and reports that in overall performance the 2.1 GHz newbie scores 2617 while the older 2.9 GHz base model was actually faster aat 2668. Primate Labs says that despite having a slightly faster processor, the smaller L2 cache of the Penryn processors results in the slightly slower performance on the base MAcBook, although the increased clock speed of the new 2.4 GHz unit helps it beat out the 2.2 Ghz Santa Rosa even with the smaller L2 cache disadvantage. If speed is of the essence, that's something to conisder.

As for me, like I said, I expect the 2.1 Ghz model would be plenty fast enough, I already have SuperDrives in three other computers if I want to burn DVD is, which I don't do whole lot of, it will take a while for me to "grow" into even a 120 gigabyte drive, and one area where I don't plan to scrimp his on RAM - I'm going to install a 4 gigabyte upgrade, (not Apple's absurdly-priced, $500 in Canada BTO option, but probably Other World Computing's kit for $95, so the extra RAM in the middle MacBook would be wasted in my case. It's still not a slam-dunk easy choice, but there is a reasonable case for the budget - constrained buyer to opt for the low-end version.

***

The revised model and specification lineups are as follows:


The 2.1 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,099 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch black MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the MacBook include the ability to upgrade to up to 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, a 160GB or 250GB hard drive, Apple USB Modem, Apple Mini-DVI to DVI adapter, Apple Mini-DVI to VGA adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 LCD display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 200GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.5 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 LCD display;
* 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.5 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:

* 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display;
* 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to up to 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, a 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 200GB (7200 rpm), 250GB (5400 rpm) or a 300GB (4200 rpm) hard drive, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple USB Modem, glossy widescreen display, 17-inch LED-backlit 1920 x 1200 high-resolution display and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Additional build-to-order options for both MacBook and MacBook Pro include pre-installed copies of iWork '08, Logic Express 8, Final Cut Express 4 and Aperture 2.




cmoore@macopinion.com


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