The New MacBook Pro: The Last Notebook You’ll Ever Need

The New MacBook Pro: The Last Notebook You’ll Ever Need

All-new quad-core processors. Thunderbolt technology. The FaceTime HD camera. MacBook Pro has more than its share of innovations.

New Intel Core i5 and i7 processors.

Up to 2x faster at the core.

New quad-core Intel Core i7 processors are standard on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro. And the 13-inch models feature the new dual-core Intel Core i5 processor or the fastest dual-core processor available — the Intel Core i7. All the models use Intel’s recently refined chipsets. So what does all that mean for the new MacBook Pro models? Bottom line: They perform up to twice as fast as the previous generation,¹ breezing through demanding tasks like editing HD video, compiling audio, or rendering a multilayered image file. And since Mac OS X Snow Leopard is designed to take advantage of every processor core, it captures every last bit of performance from the processor.

Faster single-chip microarchitecture.

Whether you’re watching a movie, updating your blog, or editing photos, data has to travel from place to place to be processed. The latest Intel Core architecture puts the processor, cache, memory controller, and graphics engine on a single chip. Since data doesn’t have as far to travel, you get faster performance and greater efficiency.

Turbo Boost 2.0.

Say you’re using a processor-intensive application like Aperture 3 or Final Cut Pro that benefits from extra power. Turbo Boost is a dynamic performance technology that automatically increases the speed of the active cores — up to 3.4GHz. Turbo Boost 2.0 is even more dynamic and efficient. By shifting core frequency in smaller increments than before, it allows the processor to manage performance without sacrificing efficiency. All this takes place behind the scenes, so your work just goes smoother and faster.

Hyper-Threading.

Hyper-Threading is now standard on every MacBook Pro. This technology allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core, so Mac OS X recognizes eight virtual cores on a quad-core processor and four on a dual-core processor. When you’re running multiple applications at once, the processor spreads tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores.

Integrated memory controller.

With faster access to memory, each core can get right to work on your data, rather than waiting for it to arrive. That’s why the new Intel Core architecture uses an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333MHz memory directly to the processor. Together with up to 8MB of shared L3 cache, the integrated memory controller helps your applications run at peak performance.

Energy-efficient graphics.

Thanks to the new microarchitecture, the graphics processor is on the same chip as the central processor and has direct access to L3 cache. That proximity translates into performance. The graphics processor also automatically increases clock speeds for higher workloads. An integrated video encoder enables HD video calls with FaceTime, while an efficient decoder gives you long battery life when you’re watching DVDs or iTunes movies.

Up to 3x quicker on the draw. And the render.

When you need more performance for things like playing 3D games, editing HD video, or even running CAD software, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models automatically switch to discrete AMD Radeon graphics that let you see more frames per second and experience better responsiveness. With up to 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory, these processors provide up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation.

Powerful technology from a powerful collaboration.

Thunderbolt began at Intel Labs with a simple concept: create an incredibly fast input/output technology that just about anything can plug into. After close technical collaboration between Intel and Apple, Thunderbolt emerged from the lab to make its first appearance in MacBook Pro.
Intel co-invented USB and PCI Express, which have become widely adopted technologies for data transfer. Apple invented FireWire and was instrumental in popularizing USB. Their collective experience has made Thunderbolt the most powerful, most flexible I/O technology ever in a personal computer.

One small port. One giant leap in possibilities.

MacBook Pro now gives you access to a world of high-resolution displays and high-speed peripherals with one compact port. That’s because Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort.
PCI Express is the technology that links all the high-performance components in a Mac. And it’s built into Thunderbolt. Which means you can connect external devices like RAID arrays and video capture solutions directly to MacBook Pro — and get PCI Express performance. That’s a first for notebooks. Thunderbolt also provides 10 watts of power to peripherals, so you can tackle workstation-class projects on the go. With PCI Express technology, you can use existing USB and FireWire peripherals — even connect to Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks — using simple adapters.
And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, the video standard for high-resolution displays, any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port. To connect a DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA display, just use an existing adapter.

Performance and expansion never seen on a notebook before.

Thunderbolt I/O technology gives you two channels on the same connector with 10 Gbps of throughput in both directions. That makes it ultrafast, and ultraflexible. You can move data to and from peripherals up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800. You also have more than enough bandwidth to daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices, without using a hub or switch. For example, you can connect several high-performance external disks, a video capture device, and even a Mini DisplayPort display to a single Thunderbolt chain while maintaining maximum throughput.

High performance on display.

Thunderbolt I/O technology provides native support for Mini DisplayPort displays. It also supports DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, and VGA displays through the use of existing adapters. So you can connect your Apple LED Cinema Display or other existing display, along with multiple high-speed devices, all from a single port.

No project is too massive.

Now you can create a professional video setup for your MacBook Pro, just as you would for your Mac Pro. If you’re a video editor, imagine connecting high-performance storage, a high-resolution display, and high-bit-rate video capture devices to handle all the post-production for a feature film — right on your notebook. Thunderbolt I/O technology allows you to daisy-chain up to six new peripherals, such as the Promise Pegasus RAID^* or LaCie Little Big Disk,^* or five peripherals and an Apple LED Cinema Display.