Apple Unleashes the New Macbook Pro with Intel Core i5 and i7 Processors

April 13, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke

This morning, as is customary when a new product launches, the Apple Store was down. Apple fanatics knew it was simply a matter of time, until something new and great appeared. In this case, they were not disappointed. Apple has unveiled the latest generation Macbook Pro for immediate sale. While the unibody packaging remains the same, it’s what inside that really counts. In a move that will please processing intensive users and the graphic-obsessed, the 15″ and 17″ models are equipped with Intel Core i5 (15″) and i7 (17″) processors. The performance of these laptops are sure to rival anything else currently on the market. The rest of the specs, though, are equally impressive to any user who truly appreciates performance.

So what do the new and improved Macbook Pro specs mean for me?

New Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors: Apple lists an improvement performance of 50% over the previous Macbook Pro line, thanks to the integration of 32-nanometer, dual-core processing technology from Intel.

Turbo Boost: The Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors ensure processor-reliant software not only moves fast, but also receives a “Turbo Boost” when necessary.

Hyper-Threading: While hyper-threading itself isn’t new, the new Macbook Pro virtually sees four cores, instead of two, which allows for better distribution of processing requirements and prevents hang-ups normally associated with process-intensive applications.

Integrated memory controller: The models are equipped with an integrated memory controller that allows faster access to the memory and lets each core work more efficiently and faster.

Next-generation graphics: With Intel HD Graphics, everything looks better than ever before on the latest generation. Why? It’s equipped with the all-new NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, the computer takes advantage of 48 processing cores and up to 512MB of dedicated video memory. On top of that, it is up to 30% more efficient than previous graphics cards.

What about the actual hardware specs?

The base 15″ Macbook Pro offers a 320GB hard drive. The next two 15″ models and the 17″ model come with a 500GB hard drive. All four models come standard with 4GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 256MB, Intel HD Graphics, and an SD card slot. In this generation, the focus is definitely on the graphics and memory performance, which should satisfy even the most demanding computer users.

How expensive are these latest and greatest Macbooks Pro?

Well, for normal, everyday computer users, they won’t seem cheap. For those who run process-intensive and graphics-intensive applications, games, or other traditional memory hogging software and applications, they promise to provide smooth performance, through the toughest of operations. Prices range from $1,799.00, for the 2.4GHz, 15″ model, up to $2,299.00, for the top-of-the-line, 2.53GHz, 17″ model. A full list of detailed specs can be found on the official Apple Store website.

Source: The Apple Store Online