My MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo
February 7th, 2007 by jamesI’ve had my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.16Ghz since a few days after they were released last October. As I was upgrading from a G3 700Mhz iBook this new laptop was a huge step up. After three months using this machine daily for most of the day it is without a doubt the best computer I have ever used.
Both my iBook and my MacBook Pro run the exact same version of Mac OS X 10.4.8. Obviously the G3 is using the PowerPC version and the MacBook Pro is using the Intel version. Surprisingly the iBook, even without enough video capabilities to use OS X’s graphical eye-candy features to its fullest, compares surprisingly well to the MacBook Pro. While the iBook is overall a lot slower, once the OS is loaded it feels nearly as fast as the MacBook Pro. I think this is a great testament to the software engineers at Apple.
I use my MacBook Pro every single day. I use it at home as my main PC, and I bring it to work and use it as my main work PC as well. It has become my main computer, despite the fact I have a powerful desktop with a 19″ LCD sitting on my desk as well. At work, I use the 17″ LCD that is (was) connected to my Linux desktop as a second monitor for my MacBook Pro and use monitor spanning.
The main reason I prefer the MacBook Pro is Mac OS X. I have used dozens of different operating systems and Mac OS X is, by far, my favorite. My MacBook Pro takes the place of my Windows XP / Linux desktop because I can do everything in it that I needed those previous two OS’s for. I really like the fact that I can turn on my laptop, have it boot up in a few seconds, and immediately get to work without any hassle. The entire OS is well put together, in my opinion, and rarely do I ever have a problem with it that I need to fix.
The MacBook Pro is very sleek. It’s thin, light, and looks really cool. The wide screen 15″ LCD is perfect for me. I was debating getting the 17″ model, but I didn’t want to pay the price, nor did I want to lug around a laptop that big. With monitor spanning, a larger screen isn’t even a second thought to me. I like the fact the MacBook Pro has a DVI output so I can directly plug my monitor in without any converters and get a digital connection.
In addition to monitor spanning I also use an external mouse and keyboard. The MacBook Pro keyboard is very nice and quiet but I prefer my buckling spring keyboard for most typing. Sure my keyboard is loud, but it is the kind of keyboard I learned to type on and there’s just something to be said about typing almost 100 WPM on one of these things. I use an external mouse because I like having a scroll wheel and dedicated right button. Also, using an external keyboard makes using the built-in track pad difficult. That being said, the track pad is very nice. You can scroll up and down, left and right, simply by using two fingers instead of one. Also, right-clicking is easily accomplished by tapping with two fingers.
The built-in keyboard, other than being quiet to type on, has a good feel to my fingers. Even so, it still seems to have a problem sometimes when I’m typing and use two letters (i.e. the ‘t’ in “letters”) in a row. Sometimes the second letter doesn’t get recognized. I don’t know if that’s an issue with my particular MacBook Pro or if other people have noticed the same problem. It could be I type too fast for the built-in keyboard. I never have a problem when using my external keyboard. I really like the back-lit keyboard. It’s another one of those features that don’t seem that useful until you realize you use it almost every day.
I really like the break-away power supply plug. It makes a much bigger difference than I expected it would. My iBook power connector got bent up after about two years and I ended up replacing the power supply because of it. Other than protecting the connectors, I like being able to unplug the power supply by just yanking the cord from the laptop. Before, I would have to be careful to pull it out at the right angle, but no more.
The built-in iSight camera is another feature that I didn’t think I would use very much, but it has come in handy a few times. Video conferencing with iChat is very cool. Now, if more of my friends would get web cams (or an Apple computer!) then I could use it much more.
The performance of my MacBook Pro is very good. For general use (i.e. Word, Firefox, some open xterms, an IM client, an email client, and iTunes) applications load quickly, and I can quickly and easily switch between them without any lag. The ATI Radeon X1600 128MB video card it comes with is also adequate at playing games. The only game I’ve played that really put the card to the test is World of Warcraft. At the highest settings at 1440×900 resolution the game slowed down too much to be playable. Scaling it back (but same resolution) a little made it play without any problems, even in high traffic areas such as in front of the Auction House. By comparison, my desktop’s GeForce 7800GT 256MB card could play the game flawlessly without any slowdown even in high traffic areas using 1440×900 resolution and full graphics settings.
The MacBook Pro is very quiet, except when playing a game that taxes the video card. When the fan comes on, it is pretty loud, but it keeps the MacBook Pro sufficiently cool. I have never had any lockups while playing any games or compiling any software that resulted in the MacBook Pro’s fan coming on. In regards to the laptop getting hot, it does get quite warm to the touch, but it never got too hot that it felt like it would burn me, or my lap (if I was using it on my lap).
The battery life on the computer is really good. I haven’t actually timed the full amount of time you get from using up a full charge, but it is definitely over 3 hours with the LCD brightness turned down about halfway. I have never felt too constrained by the battery life on my MacBook Pro, but I’m almost always near a power outlet.
The 6x dual-layer DVD burner is also very fast, and nice. I regularly burn downloaded divx movies to DVD to watch on my divx-capable DVD player. The speed of the DVD burner also greatly reduces the amount of time needed to backup my important files to DVD.
My main gripe with the MacBook Pro is that, at least on my 15″ model, there are only two USB ports. Both of them are used up when I’m using my mouse and keyboard. This leaves my iPod nano yearning for a USB port to sync and charge to when I’m at work. At home this isn’t a big deal since I don’t typically use my keyboard and mouse at home, or on the road.
I feel that my MacBook Pro, combined with Mac OS X, is an excellent computer to use full-time. It is there for me when I work, and play. There aren’t many expensive things that I have purchased and felt that I completely got my money’s worth on, but this computer definitely is one of them.
For more information, check out Apple’s MacBook Pro page.
