Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro mac os#
Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro pro#
Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro windows 7#
Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro series#

More heat is produced (although not to critical levels), the battery life is considerably shorter, the transfer rates of ports are reduced and the various benchmark scores are lower when compared performance in Mac OS X.

Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro windows 7#

Some crucial differences come to light when running Windows 7 via Bootcamp. Nevertheless, most tasks can be handled just fine, only current games and 3D-intensive programs don't run too well. In return, you have to take a hit in the area of 3D graphics, which stems from the switch from the more powerful Nvidia GeForce 320M to the CPU-integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000.

Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro pro#

Among other highlights are the comfortable and conviently backlit keyboard as well as the high-quality screen, which does however reflect bright surroundings and for which the choice does not exist be replaced with a matte screen.ĭespite its status as an entry-level laptop, the new MacBook Pro 13 impresses with its performance, coming equipped with a powerful CPU-especially when compared to the Core 2 Duo CPU of the previous generation. While the quality of the case serves as an example, the high price to pay for this premium quality should come as no surprise. The high-quality case and price have not changed. The model we're reviewing here trumps the more powerful version of the MBP13 with an 11-16% longer battery life in all test scenarios (note: wifi test results not comparable).

In the battery life test under heavy use, the disparity between the two operating systems nearly disappears-since the hardware is being pushed to the max. Windows falls short in this test, managing a mere 2.5 hours. With realistic conditions like when browsing the internet via wifi with decent screen brightness, we measured a battery life of over 6 hours in Mac OS X, a more than decent battery life. Still, the longest battery life measured under each operating system is not very realistic because the screen brightness has to be at the lowest setting and the wifi/bluetooth turned off in order to achieve such a long battery life. In Windows, the laptop can keep huffing and puffing away on battery power anywhere from 77 minutes to 275 minutes, considerably less time than is possible in Mac OS X: 84 minutes to 619 minutes. The battery life measured under various conditions likewise tends to vary between the two operating systems. And on the other hand, the Intel GPU can easily manage playing back full-HD videos smoothly. The Geforce 320M was hardly fit for resource-demanding 3D tasks like animation. How the reduced 3D-rendering performance actually affects overall quality of use really depends on your individual needs. The previously built-in Nvidia Geforce 320M was definitely more powerful.

To sum things up, buying the new MacBook Pro 13 means better CPU performance at the expense of graphics rendering power. This translates to a decrease in performance of 13 – 46% depending on the benchmark at hand. The difference becomes still more pronounced in the 3D Mark '06 Benchmark, where the new on-board GPU is behind at a mere 2550 points, compared to the 4707 points of the GeForce at a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The Intel HD Graphics 3000 in the new MBP 13 isn't quite up to muster, working at a slower 10.94 Bps. The Nvidia GeForce 320M from last year's MBP 13 managed 12.61 Bps in the Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL test. The level of graphics card performance isn't quite as exciting. In the Apple Store, its priced starting at 1150 Euro, but other retailers are offering it starting at under 1100 Euro. The basic configuration of the MBP 13 reviewed here is equipped with an Intel Core i5-2415 CPU, Intel HD Graphics 3000, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive and the brand new Thunderbolt port. Now, Apple has finally made the leap to a new set of processors, since on the one hand the Intel HD Graphics 3000 comes much closer to satisfying Apple's high standards and-on the other hand-it would truly be astounding if Apple still stayed with an older generation of processors. Choosing to replace the graphics card instead, Apple chose to house the Nvidia GeForce 320M in the MBP 13 in mid 2010 rather than switching to Core i5 processors (since the included Intel HD on-board graphics card didn't jive with Apple's preferences)-our review of that model was aptly tagged graphics update.

Best mac osx for early 2011 macbook pro series#

Apple fans have anxiously been awaiting the current revision of the small MacBook Pro, having to make due with the antiquated Core 2 Duo series processors until now.