Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo

The MacBook Pro is Apple's top of the line laptop computer meant for the power user who needs the more capable hardware. These laptops contain faster processors, larger hard drives, and more RAM than the regular mainstream MacBooks. The MacBook Pros are also larger coming in at 15" and 17" varieties, along with the brushed steel casing, where the regular MacBooks are constructed out of hard plastic.

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macbook pro top view
MSRP $1,999.00
Release date June, 2007
Brand Apple
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Pros & Cons24
Reviews14
Details
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Competitors1
Comments3
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
13 reviews
82
negative
mixed
positive
11 positive
1 mixed
1 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
+12agreedisagree

•
Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
+9agreedisagree

•
Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
+7agreedisagree

•
Very nice display
+7agreedisagree

•
Lightweight and small size (15.4"=5.4 lbs, 17"=6lbs)
+6agreedisagree

•
Firewire 800 support
+3agreedisagree

•
Great wireless range and pick up
+2agreedisagree

•
Backlit keyboard, automatic backlight
+2agreedisagree

•
Magnetic power cable
+2agreedisagree

•
IEEE 802.11n support
+2agreedisagree

•
Can burn dual-layer DVDs
+1agreedisagree

•
Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
+1agreedisagree

•
Runs Mac OS X
-1agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Fairly poor batterly life (~3 hrs of wireless productivity)
+2agreedisagree

•
ExpressCard34 slot instead of PC Card slot
+1agreedisagree

•
has the uncommon Mini DisplayPort instead of HDMI or DVI
+1agreedisagree

•
glossy display (reflections bother). just unnecessary styling. decreases productivity.
+1agreedisagree

•
no integrated 3G WWAN available
+1agreedisagree

•
display adapters (DVI, VGA etc) are expensive! (and your only option for connection an external display)
+1agreedisagree

•
no integrated memory card reader for SD/xD/MS/CF cards etc. (17" model)
+1agreedisagree

•
only 2 USB ports (15" and smaller models)
+1agreedisagree

•
no Blu-Ray drives available, not even external ones
+1agreedisagree

•
MacOS X doesn't support Blu-Ray playback, and can burn Blu-Ray only with 3rd party software
+1agreedisagree

•
Battery doesn't last too long after fully charged
0agreedisagree


16 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

On June 5th 2007, Apple upgraded the MacBook Pros to make use of Intel's new Santa Rosa platform. Santa Rosa is the latest generation of Intel's Centrino lineup which is the moniker that Intel has given a suite of technologies for laptops that use its chips. Santa Rosa indicates the use of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a new chipset that includes a faster and more dynamic front side bust to increase speed and lower power consumption, and a new wireless network adapter that can communicate on the A/B/G/N protocols. The most recent wireless N protocol increases speed over the previous G standard by up to five times, while increasing connection area by two times.

Many Centrino based notebooks make use of Intel's own graphics processing technology which is less powerful than a dedicated solution. However, the MacBook Pros use the nVidia GeForce 8600 graphics processor which is capable of playing any modern game and even graphic intensive production software. For the 15" model Apple is also introducing an LED backlight for the first time in an Apple laptop. Using an LED system Apple claims that battery life is extended by 30 minutes to an hour depending on the context, and startup time is improved. The overall brightness of the display, and the viewing angle remain the same as the conventional lighting system used on the older models, and the current 17".

Specifications

Almost every attribute of the MacBook Pro can be upgraded when making the purchase, these are the base specs the systems ship with listed on Apple's store website.

MacBook Pro 15"

  • 15.4" display at 1440x900 resolution
  • 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 120GB Hard drive (160GB on 2.4GHz version)
  • 128MB nVidia GeForce 8600 GT graphics card (256MB on 2.4GHz version)
  • 5.4 pounds
  • 8x SuperDrive
  • 1 FireWire 400 port
  • 1 FireWire 800 port
  • 2 USB 2.0 ports

MacBook Pro 17"

  • 17" display at 1680x1050 resolution (1920x1200 available as an option)
  • 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
  • and the rest of the specs the same as the 15" 2.4GHz model

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This report was started June 5, 2007 at 1:51 pm by Omar
with the last edit occurring Yesterday, 6:59 PM by dom
This page has been viewed 3604 times, with 127 edits by 20 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

Apple Macbook Pro 4th Gen

Apple Macbook Pro 4th Gen

MSRP  $2,799.00    Released  February, 2008
Pros
  • LED option available on top of the line 17" version
  • Macbook Air inspired multi-touch trackpad
  • Faster Penryn Core 2 Duo Processor
Cons
  • GeForce 8600M GT is showing its age; some newer games run slowly at high resolutions
  • no Blu-Ray drives available, not even external ones
  • MacOS X doesn't support Blu-Ray playback, and can burn Blu-Ray only with 3rd party software
ProSCORE
7 reviews
65
Vote! (0 votes)
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Comments

21 taps
show more
1.  avatar Erik said:

If you're going to get a laptop. I say go Mac in some way because of the dual-boot situation. The Macbook Pro is a great choice for performance in a small, sleek package. I would run Windows, since I don't like OS X. When I watch Leo Laporte on G4 Tech TV, every single tech nerd has a mac running window Vista. I think it confuses people.
Jul 11, 2007 11:21am
2.  avatar GT-D said:

thumbed down the Core2Duo point considering Intel's quietly admitting that there ar some fatal flaws in the CPU. Otherwise, these are great laptops, the limited use of metal in them means they get amazing wireless pick up
Jul 13, 2007 11:38am
3.  avatar adrian said:

I have the MacBook Pro 15-inch (pre-LED display model) with all the extras (2Gb RAM, 256 X1600). Having come from a stout Windows background I decided to buy a MacBook Pro having used Macs at work where many colleagues are Mac fans. I still have an Asus W3V that I use at work, though its become the ugly cousin that I use only if I have to. I've managed to migrate all my everyday software to a equivalent Mac OS X versions, but I run the latest version of Parallels with Windows XP just in case. After six months of use I've come from being negative towards Macs to someone who now would only ever consider buying a Mac running Mac OS X in future. Mac OS X comes with lots of applications out of box and I love the fact that it 'just works', no fiddling or tweaking. But its not without its cons. Its not the best value for money considering that I could by two MacBooks for similar cost, but its one beautiful looking machine. Entering and exiting sleep with the Intel chips is sometimes problematic as compared to the PowerPC chips (I know my wife runs an iBook 12 inch). Also Mac OS X networking layer isn't as tolerant as Windows, sometimes I am connected by cable but then I switch over to WiFi. It takes Mac OS X a while to figure out what's going on so I sit there watching the beach ball spin for a while.
Jul 16, 2007 6:18pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

fractalhorizon

avatar
October 20, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
92
negative
mixed
positive
11 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
love itlove it
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Very nice display
  • Lightweight and small size (15.4"=5.4 lbs, 17"=6lbs)
  • Firewire 800 support
  • Backlit keyboard, automatic backlight
  • Magnetic power cable
  • IEEE 802.11n support
  • Can burn dual-layer DVDs
  • Runs Mac OS X

Cons

  • ExpressCard34 slot instead of PC Card slot

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Erik

avatar
July 11, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
88
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
want itwant it
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Very nice display
  • Lightweight and small size (15.4"=5.4 lbs, 17"=6lbs)
  • Firewire 800 support
  • Can burn dual-layer DVDs

Cons

  • Fairly poor batterly life (~3 hrs of wireless productivity)

Comments

"If you're going to get a laptop. I say go Mac in some way because of the dual-boot situation. The Macbook Pro is a great choice for performance in a small, sleek package. I would run Windows, since I don't like OS X. When I watch Leo Laporte on G4 Tech TV, every single tech nerd has a mac running window Vista. I think it confuses people."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

GT-D

avatar
July 13, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons
trustedtrusted
want itwant it
love itlove it
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Very nice display
  • Lightweight and small size (15.4"=5.4 lbs, 17"=6lbs)
  • Great wireless range and pick up

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"thumbed down the Core2Duo point considering Intel's quietly admitting that there ar some fatal flaws in the CPU. Otherwise, these are great laptops, the limited use of metal in them means they get amazing wireless pick up"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

dom

avatar
Yesterday, 6:58 PM
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
43
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
8 cons
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Firewire 800 support
  • Backlit keyboard, automatic backlight
  • IEEE 802.11n support
  • Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Cons

  • has the uncommon Mini DisplayPort instead of HDMI or DVI
  • glossy display (reflections bother). just unnecessary styling. decreases productivity.
  • no integrated 3G WWAN available
  • display adapters (DVI, VGA etc) are expensive! (and your only option for connection an external display)
  • no integrated memory card reader for SD/xD/MS/CF cards etc. (17" model)
  • only 2 USB ports (15" and smaller models)
  • no Blu-Ray drives available, not even external ones
  • MacOS X doesn't support Blu-Ray playback, and can burn Blu-Ray only with 3rd party software

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Lefty10

avatar
March 13, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
88
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Very nice display
  • Lightweight and small size (15.4"=5.4 lbs, 17"=6lbs)
  • Great wireless range and pick up
  • Magnetic power cable

Cons

  • Fairly poor batterly life (~3 hrs of wireless productivity)

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

adrian

avatar
July 16, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Very nice display
  • Firewire 800 support

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"I have the MacBook Pro 15-inch (pre-LED display model) with all the extras (2Gb RAM, 256 X1600). Having come from a stout Windows background I decided to buy a MacBook Pro having used Macs at work where many colleagues are Mac fans. I still have an Asus W3V that I use at work, though its become the ugly cousin that I use only if I have to. I've managed to migrate all my everyday software to a equivalent Mac OS X versions, but I run the latest version of Parallels with Windows XP just in case. After six months of use I've come from being negative towards Macs to someone who now would only ever consider buying a Mac running Mac OS X in future. Mac OS X comes with lots of applications out of box and I love the fact that it 'just works', no fiddling or tweaking. But its not without its cons. Its not the best value for money considering that I could by two MacBooks for similar cost, but its one beautiful looking machine. Entering and exiting sleep with the Intel chips is sometimes problematic as compared to the PowerPC chips (I know my wife runs an iBook 12 inch). Also Mac OS X networking layer isn't as tolerant as Windows, sometimes I am connected by cable but then I switch over to WiFi. It takes Mac OS X a while to figure out what's going on so I sit there watching the beach ball spin for a while."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

ipayne

avatar
November 6, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
2 cons
have ithave it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • Fairly poor batterly life (~3 hrs of wireless productivity)
  • Battery doesn't last too long after fully charged

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

timon

avatar
October 16, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
86
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
1 con
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Very nice display
  • Lightweight and small size (15.4"=5.4 lbs, 17"=6lbs)
  • Great wireless range and pick up

Cons

  • Fairly poor batterly life (~3 hrs of wireless productivity)

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

hawks22gk

avatar
October 10, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Very nice display

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Plasmarobo

avatar
May 18, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
  • Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
  • Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Very nice display

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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