Apple has updated its MacBook Pro line of notebooks with new Intel CPUs, new AMD GPUs, and a rebranded version of Intel’s Light Peak technology called Thunderbolt. While the prices and form factors are the same as last year’s models, the under-the-hood changes are pretty significant. Let’s break it down (the Degeneration X theme song should be playing in your head now).
Intel CPUs: MacBook Pros are now armed with Intel Sandy Bridge processors, which are the the true second-generation “Core i” CPUs. These new babies are more powerful and more efficient than their predecessors. The 15-inch and 17-inch models get some quad-core action, while the 13-inch model “only” gets a dual-core update. The new CPUs are blazing. You want one.
AMD GPUs: The 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros are now armed with AMD GPUs, in addition to integrated Intel 3000 chips. The low-end choice is a Radeon 6490M with 256MB of video RAM, while the high-end option is a Radeon 6750M with 1GB of video RAM. The 13-inch model only has integrated graphics. The GPUs are more powerful, but what really interests me is how this will impact Nvidia, as the company struggles with stiff competition on multiple fronts.
Thunderbolt: This is a new i/o port with some fantastic potential. It allows you to connect multiple devices with throughput that exceeds USB 3.0 (in some cases 2x faster). Imagine transferring gigabytes of data in seconds — that’s what Thunderbolt offers. You’ll be able to connect multiple monitors, hard drives, video cameras, etc. on one Thunderbolt connection. There aren’t any Thunderbolt products on the market at the moment, but the space should blow up in 2011. As someone that edits video, the thought of a Thunderbolt external hard drive to use as a Final Cut scratch disk is drool inducing.
Those are the three major updates to the MacBook Pro line. What do you guys and dolls think? Anyone tempted to buy one? Any of you have a rich uncle that could buy me one?!? Ha!
