14 DAY TRIAL // For Apple, everything it does is yet another quantum leap. Snow Leopard is a quantum leap. The latest is the aluminum MacBook, with its integrated graphics processor, Apple says. All this power comes from the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, which helps MacBook “reach new levels of gaming performance, without sacrificing battery life.”
“Many notebooks skimp on graphics performance in favor of a smaller design,” says the company. Not Apple. “...the new MacBook uses a graphics processor that economizes space in a whole new way,” according to the Cupertino-based Mac maker. A traditional computer logic board containing the CPU, two chips that control communication throughout the computer, and the graphics processor enable owners to “play faster.” Up to 5 times faster than before, Apple says.
The logic board in the new MacBook, comprised of the CPU and a graphics processor, with all of the core logic built into a single chip, helps MacBook reach levels of gaming performance of “up to a 5x performance boost... Power your way through the 3D environments of Quake, Call of Duty, and Spore. Enjoy faster, smoother, more responsive gameplay. And marvel at how great those game graphics look: They’re crisper, they’re more finely detailed, and they make the most of the brilliant LED-backlit display.”
Testing conducted by Apple in October 2008 using pre-production 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-based MacBooks with NVIDIA's 9400M have revealed some impressive results with some of the most popular games today:
Call of Duty 4 – 6.2x faster graphics performance with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M Quake 4 – 5x faster graphics performance with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M Doom 3 – 4x faster graphics performance with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M Unreal Tournament (Apple doesn't say which one) – 2.5x faster graphics performance with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M
So, Apple clearly takes gaming more seriously this time around. But users of the iLife suite also have a lot of reasons to enjoy using their new aluminum MacBook. As do iWork users, who can now make bigger keynote presentations, play transitions and slides more smoothly, without delays, and ultimately render faster.
But you know what they say, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Thus, Apple felt that a new Display was in order to output all the great graphics, which “positively begs for more pixels.” Apple's new Cinema Display is the first display designed specifically for the new MacBook. You connect it to your new MacBook through Apple's new (and somewhat controversial) Mini DisplayPort.
What games do you run on your new MacBook? How do they work?
