14 DAY TRIAL // Prince McLean from AppleInsider has taken a closer look at the new MacBook Pro that uses the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor. He reports that the new 15-inch and 17-inch models utilize the new Core 2 Duo (Merom) dual-core processors with 4MB of Level2 cache and makes a little comparison to its predecessor that used the Core Duo (Yonah) chips which featured 2Mb of Level2 cache.
The comparison between the new and the older model is made by categories that saw some notable changes.
The processor Apparently, the larger L2 cache means that the transistor count in the new MacBook Pro model has been expanded from 151 million to 291 million, Prince reports. The direct result of this expansion is the increase in cache-to-processor data transfers. Also, this maximizes main memory-to-processor bandwith and reduces latency.
The Merom model of the processor also supports a deeper pipeline than its predecessor Yonah. The increase is represented by two stages, from 12 to 14, and this helps to increase clock speeds.
Heat dissipation The Thermal Design Point (TDP) supported by the new MacBook Pro is reported to be of 34 watts, while in the older model, it was at 31 watts. This is not such a significant increase if you view it against the increased performance. In this case, the new MacBook is more power efficient than its predecessor.
Apart from the computational enhancements that came along with the new processor, Apple has made some alterations to the design of its professional notebook line. These alterations have been made so that the new MacBook will be more "easy-to-live with" and some might like to know that Apple patched some issues so that the new product can be more user-friendly.
Take the Hard disk noise dampener for example The new MacBook Pro's hard drive comes with a metal disk attached to the top cover that is meant to dampen hard drive noise. The problem comes if one wants to replace the drive, as it is not removable. Any replacement drives will need to be ordered directly from Apple... at least for now.
AirPort and Bluetooth changes The newly designed Apple AirPort Extreme wireless card utilizes a color-coded three-wire antenna solution, McLean reports. The card is an Atheros AR5008 that features an 802.11n chip-set and supports the draft 802.11n wireless protocol.
The Bluetooth has been relocated from the bottom case near the hard drive to a position underneath the top case and - as in the previous model - the implementation continues to be handled by a separate component card.
Audio alterations A significant design change has been made to the notebook's right audio speaker module, according to Prince. In the previous Macbook Pro, the speaker housing was mounted below the main logic board and the right speaker driver was mounted through the board into the housing with its wire running over the top of the board.
Well, the change in the new model regarding this issue is that the right audio speaker module has been made a single piece of hardware. With this new single piece design, the entire right speaker is installed first and the logic board mounted on top of it.
New connectors for fans and thermal sensors Apple has utilized the same JST wire bundle connectors used in the 13-inch MacBook. This type of connectors makes for an easy plug/unplug operation.
System software Both 15-inch MacBook Pro models, as well as the new 17-inch model, are shipping out of China pre-loaded with Mac OS X 10.4.8 build 8N1037, BootROM version 00A5.00, SMC firmware version 1.12f5 and infrared firmware version 110 software. They also include Trackpad v13 and Camera v184, McLean reports.
User-installable parts There are none. Well... except for the memory. One should be careful, though, if installing new memory, as even if the notebooks will accept up to a 2 GB SO-DIMM in each of its two memory slots, the system will only recognize 3 GB of total memory.
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