2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 MAC OS X
2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 DRIVER
2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 PRO
2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 PLUS

2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 PLUS

The excellent input devices, the quiet system noise, the long battery life and the very good display are also major plus points of the 17 inch notebook. The Unibody case is still fascinating and hasn't yet been reached by the competition. The known advantages of the slim and light 17 incher remain. So much to the improvements in comparison to the 2009 model. You gain a bit of battery life on average with the now automatic switching between integrated and dedicated graphic card.

2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 PRO

The 17' MacBook Pro is faster and also a bit more economic, due to the new Core i processors and the GeForce GT 330M.

But this is the case in many Optimus notebooks, too. The Mini DisplayPort is apparently directly connected to the GeForce GT 330M without multiplexers. The only application case that always has to run with GT 330M is the presentation of content on an external screen. Even Cinebench R11.5 aborts the OpenGL test because of the too great difference to the reference rendering (see screenshot). If you set the Intel graphic card with gfxCardStatus, you'll notice a few graphic errors, e.g. The lack of possibility to switch manually to the GMA HD could also be due to the not yet perfectly adapted Intel OpenGL driver. Normally, every 3D application is automatically switched to the GeForce 330M. This even worked during Half Life 2 (from Intel to Nvidia) without flickering or problems in the test. However, you can also switch manually with the Open Source tool gfxCardStatus.

2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 MAC OS X

Mac OS X however only allows two modes: Nvidia graphics always enabled or automatic switching. There is no flickering or latencies despite the utilization of multiplexers. One innovation of the updated MacBook Pro 17 is the automatic graphic switching between the GeForce GT 330M and the integrated Intel HD Graphics graphic card. Incidentally, the GeForce 320M in the new MacBook achieved 4465 points.

2010 MACBOOK PRO 17 DRIVER

That can only be explained by the different driver versions. The 9600M GT reaches even a lot more with 5100-6200. By the way, the old 9400M achieves almost the same rates as the GT 330M with 4000-4900 points. In comparison to the white MacBook, the GT330M, with 15.08 points, can place itself in front of the GT 320M with 11.24 points.Ĭompared to XBench, the Intel HD Graphics, with 3454 points, doesn't lag quite as clearly behind the GT 330M (5140 points) in the Cinebench 10 Shading test. The OpenGL didn't provide any rates in the Intel HD Graphics due to a too great difference to the reference rendering (graphic errors, see screenshots with red pixels). We unfortunately couldn't execute a comparison between both graphic solutions in Cinebench R11.5. It's 3.3 times as fast in OpenGL, and even still 23% faster in the User Interface test. The GT 330M can place itself clearly in front of the integrated Intel graphics in the graphic subtests of the highly fluctuating XBench 1.3. However, it only works under Mac OS X and switches back to the Intel HD graphics implemented in the processor without graphic load. The MBP 17's theoretical performance is overall significantly above that of the predecessor model, but not quite on the level that the GT330M would allow.Ī feature of the new 17' MBP is the automatic graphics switching. GT330M graphic cards with a the reference clock rate (as in Samsung's NP-R780) achieve a 6-8% higher score in 3DMark06, and 15% more in the 3DMark Vantage GPU test. The power consumption is on a similar level due to the 40nm manufacturing. It is 15% faster in 3DMark06, and also 15% in front of the 9600M GT in the old MBP in the 3DMark Vantage test. The downclocked Nvidia GeForce GT 330M in the MBP17 reaches a noticeable performance boost compared to the old Geforce 9600M GT. The problem is kept within limits due to the case's low height, though. Merely the fairly sharp front edge is a bit unpleasant at longer typing. The feel of the utilized materials is excellent. The broad display hinge opens far enough, but is perhaps a bit to smooth.

Merely the base plate can be dented marginally with strong pressure.

The gaps are Apple-typically even and the display lid also closes absolutely flush. The aluminum case has virtually been manufactured without flaw. Nevertheless, the 17' MacBook Pro is likely still the most beautiful 17' notebook on the market even after a year. Still it doesn't look as attuned as the small MacBook's due to the large gaps between the keyboard and case's limits. The design is practically identical to the smaller MacBook, or rather the 15' MacBook Pro models - just simply bigger. The unibody case is still milled from one single aluminum piece and pleases with its plain, timeless design. Thus, the following parts of the test are partly based on the review of the 17' Unibody MBP of 2009. The case of Apple's biggest notebook remains untouched in the new model.

2010 macbook pro 17