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15-inch MacBook Pro/2.33GHz

Apple swapped out the processors on its MacBook Pro line, exchanging the original Core Duo chip for a next-generation Core 2 Duo processor. In addition to boosting performance while mantaining battery life, the Core 2 Duo also doubles the amount of L2 cache to 4MB. What's more, Apple bumped the processor speeds on the MacBook Pros; this 15-inch model features the fastest 2.33GHz chip that's also available in the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Also, Apple added a FireWire 800 port to all MacBook Pro models; previously, only the 17-inch offering had the FW 800 port. This model ships with more memory (2GB) than its fellow 15-inch offering.

 Reviewed Full Review

Apple's latest update has made great laptops even better. Even if you make heavy use of Adobe's Creative Suite or other applications that still don't take full advantage of Intel processors), you will benefit from buying the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro.

Pros: Fast performance; classic design; gorgeous screen; ample RAM and hard drive capacity; FireWire 800 added; faster SuperDrive supports double-layer burning.

Cons: No internal modem option; no PC Card slot; few cards available for ExpressCard/34 slot; pricey.

Basics

Reviewed Price: $2,499

Processor: 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Information about this system on Apple's website

Lab Tests

Speedmark 4.5 Score226
Cinema 4D XL 9.5.210:57
iMovie 6.0.20:51
iTunes 6.0.40:58
Photoshop CS21:10
Compressor2:07
Unreal Tournament 200472.9fps
Tested ConfigurationMac OS X 10.4.8 with 2GB of RAM

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