MacBook Pro 2011 Refresh: Specs and Details
by Andrew Cunningham on February 24, 2011 4:40 PM ESTAs expected, Apple today unveiled a range of speed and functionality improvements for its MacBook Pro lineup. The update was unusually quiet for Apple. There was no scheduled press event and nothing more than a press release announcing the specs and availability. Apple retail stores received stock prior to today and began selling product immediately. The Apple online store also has immediate availability.
No mere speed bump, these new MacBooks bring Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors chipsets to the entire line, replacing the previous Arrandale processors and finally retiring the aging Core 2 Duo from service in the 13-inch model.
Contrary to earlier reports, there are no default SSD configurations although the solid state offerings are still optional. The big new feature (outside of Sandy Bridge) is support for the first incarnation of Intel’s Light Peak interface technology, now called Thunderbolt.
The Facts
2011 MacBook Pro Lineup | |||||||
13-inch (low end) | 13-inch (high end) | 15-inch (low end) | 15-inch (high end) | 17-inch | |||
Dimensions | 0.95 H x 12.78 W x 8.94 D | 0.95 H x 12.78 W x 8.94 D | 0.95 H x 14.35 W x 9.82 D | 0.95 H x 14.35 W x 9.82 D | 0.98 H x 15.47 W x 10.51 D | ||
Weight | 4.5 lbs (2.04 kg) | 4.5 lbs (2.04 kg) | 5.6 lbs (2.54 kg) | 5.6 lbs (2.54 kg) | 6.6 lbs (2.99 kg) | ||
CPU | 2.3 GHz dual-core Core i5 | 2.7 GHz dual-core Core i7 | 2.0 GHz quad-core Core i7 | 2.2 GHz quad-core Core i7 | 2.2 GHz quad-core Core i7 | ||
GPU | Intel HD 3000 Graphics | Intel HD 3000 Graphics | Intel HD 3000 + AMD Radeon HD 6490M (256MB) | Intel HD 3000 + AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1GB) | Intel HD 3000 + AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1GB) | ||
RAM | 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 (8GB max) | 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 (8GB max) | 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 (8GB max) | 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 (8GB max) | 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 (8GB max) | ||
HDD | 320GB 5400 RPM | 500GB 5400 RPM | 500GB 5400 RPM | 750GB 5400 RPM | 750GB 5400 RPM | ||
Display Resolution | 1280x800 | 1280x800 | 1440x900 (1680x1050 optional) | 1440x900 (1680x1050 optional) | 1920x1200 | ||
Ports | Gigabit LAN, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, 2x USB 2.0, SDHC slot, combined audio in/out jack | Gigabit LAN, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, 2x USB 2.0, SDHC slot, combined audio in/out jack | Gigabit LAN, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, 2x USB 2.0, SDHC slot, separate audio in/out jacks | Gigabit LAN, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, 2x USB 2.0, SDHC slot, separate audio in/out jacks | Gigabit LAN, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, 3x USB 2.0, separate audio in/out jacks, ExpressCard 34 slot | ||
Price | $1,199 | $1,499 | $1,799 | $2,199 | $2,499 |
When Apple moved its MacBook Pro lineup to Arrandale, the poor 13-inch model lost out - it remained with an older Core 2 Duo CPU. The move to Sandy Bridge is different - all models got an upgrade.
Sandy Bridge is used across the board and interestingly enough only the 13-inch model uses a dual-core CPU. Both the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros now feature quad-core CPUs. This makes these two MacBook Pros ripe for a desktop replacement usage model, particularly if paired with an SSD.
Sandy Bridge obviously integrates Intel’s HD 3000 graphics on die, which is used by all of the new MBPs by default. The 15-inch model and 17-inch model add switchable dedicated graphics from AMD, ousting the NVIDIA chips that powered the previous lineup. I wouldn’t read too much into this – Apple is always going back and forth between NVIDIA and AMD graphics, usually based on whoever happens to be offering the best or most efficient chip at the time of refresh.
Per usual, this refresh sees Apple offering customers more computer for the same money, rather than giving out any substantial price cuts. This is nothing specific to Apple but rather a benefit of buying in an industry driven by Moore's Law.
One number on this spec sheet sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest, and that is Apple's decision to offer 5400RPM SATA hard drives as the default storage option across the line. The price differential between 5400 RPM drives and 7200 RPM drives is negligible these days, and for these prices, the company could certainly afford to address this performance bottleneck. I would hope that Apple would at least consider Seagate’s hybrid drive as an alternative until we get Intel enabled SSD caching.
Upgrades to 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB solid state drives available but predictably costly ($250, $650, and a whopping $1,250, respectively). It is worth noting that at $250 for a 128GB SSD, Apple’s upgrade pricing isn’t too far off what the market value is for the lowest end SSD. The 256GB pricing is a bit insane.
Apple has finally standardized on 4GB of memory across the board, although I would’ve liked to have seen 8GB offered on the higher end configurations.
Also new is what Apple calls a "FaceTime HD camera," which looks to be a high definition version of Apple's standard webcam - not much more that's noteworthy about this, except that the iSight moniker is continuing its slow disappearance from Apple's spec sheet one model at a time.
It is disappointing that Apple makes no mention of QuickSync in its announcement. The hardware video transcoding engine is a key part of Sandy Bridge, however it looks like OS X support for the technology may not be ready quite yet.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s new laptops were apparently not delayed much by the SATA bug discovered in the 6-series chipsets last month – this likely means that Apple is shipping the affected B2 stepping parts but only using the 6Gbps ports.
There’s no change in chassis size or weight with the new MacBook Pros, this is an internal upgrade. Well, mostly...
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softdrinkviking - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
i think they were using the samsung stuff with the toshiba controllers if my memory serves.they're okay, but i also seem to remember that there was some performance degradation issues with those drives.
here's the 2009 macbook pro review where anand talks about the ssd. (remove the space between the www and the .anandtechect, ect.
http://www .anandtech.com/show/2783/apple-s-2009-macbook-pro-battery-life-to-die-for/6
it'd be interesting to know if they stopped using the samsung ssd's, but i think it'll get mentioned in a full review if they do one.
Wizzdo - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
This is a non-issue. Check the Apple site and you'll see that you can choose 7200rpm drives(albeit not as big) for no price increase. I think they listed the 5400 option first because of the larger sizes available.tipoo - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
Where do you see them for no price increase?secretanchitman - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
if you configure the high end 15" mbp and 17" mbp! :)tipoo - Friday, February 25, 2011 - link
Ah, I see it now. Its not there for the 13 inch, and you have to pay extra for the base 15.ImSpartacus - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
Mr. Cunningham, I am seeing a blank second page with an equally blank title. Either I am missing some interesting commentary or we have one too many pages.Aside from that, good to see Anandtech's perspective on the refresh. For next year, we'll probably get a MBA-esque redesign. That liquid metal stuff has to pay off eventually, right?
zorxd - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
What is even worse than the 5400 rpm drive on such expensive hardware is the 4GB RAM. If I paid $2500 for a laptop, I would expect to have at least 8GB.Oh yes and lightpeak is a joke. I guess less than 0,1% of Mac users will use this feature before buying a new laptop.
BSMonitor - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
Point taken, however it is also the display port for this generation of MBP. So, a lot more people will use it than .1%.. Just not it's potential. Remember AMD64? Wonder how many people actually ran a functional OS in 64-bit on those original Athlon 64's.Sttm - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
Even more silly is moving from 4gb to 8gb of ram costs $200. While retail that ram should only cost around $100.Though the store page only shows a $100 cost for moving to the 128 gb SSD. While retail that drive should be around $220.
So I guess they have at least one decent deal.
dagamer34 - Thursday, February 24, 2011 - link
Yep, it's the only reason I got it. Even if you considered the default hard drive to be worth $100, it's well worth the upgrade.