Last week I purchased my third Mac and my first “Pro” model Macintosh. I went with the standard configuration of 2.26 GHz and 2 GB of RAM. I upgraded from my white MacBook 2.0 GHz and 2 GB of RAM, so all I was really upgrading to was a larger hard drive, better casing, and a significantly better video card.

Better Video Performance

The video card was the biggest reason I upgraded. My old white MacBook featured the Intel x3100 integrated graphics card and the new MacBook Pro has the new GeForce 9400m card. While neither card is ideal for gaming, you can certainly see and feel the difference with the new GeForce card. On the old MacBook I could barely run The Sims 3 and the new computer plays it just fine with no slowdown. Also editing inside iMovie 09 is noticeably faster and cover flow in iTunes seems snappier than on the old MacBook.

Amazing Design and Features

Second, the laptop’s casing is just stunning. The look and feel of the new MacBook Pro makes it impossible for me to use the standard MacBook. The first thing I noticed was the large trackpad, which is now a button. Like the MacBook Air, this trackpad features up to four-finger gestures that let you rotate photos in Preview and even activate Expose. The case is made out of aluminum and it feels very solid. This laptop seems a lot more sturdier then the previews my previous MacBook. Probably the best new feature of this computer is the screen. This thing is just stunning to look at and it renders colors perfectly, this is by far the best laptop display I have ever seen, I can only imagine what the 17″ model looks like.

A few other things have been upgraded in the new MacBook Pro as well. First off the battery is now built in and is not removable, for the common user. Apple promises 7 hours of battery life, but I get around 4 1/2 with iTunes on and Wi-Fi running. Also the speakers have been greatly improved. Before you could barely hear anything in the Macbooks, now I can actually hear them in a crowed room or while a box fan is running, yes the other ones were that low. One nice little addition is the new SD card slot. This makes it easier to import photos for me while my iPhone and external drive are plugged into the two USB slots.

Worth Every Penny

Overall this is a solid upgrade over the old MacBooks. If you are thinking of upgrading, make no mistake that this is the best laptop Apple has ever made and should last you for years. If you have any questions about the new MacBook Pros, feel free to ask via a comment and I will try to answer your question.