Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

OWC: We Make DIY Upgrading Easy! Maximize your Apple MacBook / MacBook Pro. Up to 8.0GB Memory, up to 1.0TB HD & More. Easy Guide + Free, Detailed Installation Videos. Click here

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Mac Musings

The June 2007 MacBook Pro Value Equation: Some Surprises

Dan Knight - 2007.06.06, revised 2007.06.07 - Tip Jar

del.icio.us Bookmark in del.icio.us

If you only took a quick glance at CPU speed, you might wonder why Apple even bothered to introduced new MacBook Pro models yesterday. Going from 2.16 GHz to 2.2 GHz is a 2% speed gain, and jumping from 2.33 GHz to 2.4 GHz isn't much better - a gain of 3%.

A New CPU

But there's a lot more to the June 2007 MacBook Pro models than meets the eye (yes, they still look the same). The new speed comes about because Apple has adopted Intel's latest notebook Core 2 CPU, part of the 'Santa Rosa' platform (a.k.a. Centrino Pro in the Windows world). This second generation Merom CPU runs on an 800 MHz bus, up from 667 MHz for earlier MacBook Pro models. That means the CPU can receive data from system memory more quickly. Better yet, to save energy, the CPU can dynamically slow down the system bus, providing better battery life. There's also an Enhanced Deep Sleep mode.

The Santa Rosa chipset integrates 802.11n WiFi, which means less chips inside the MacBook Pro - and less power draw. The Santa Rosa platform also supports flash memory, although there is no indication Apple is using it in the new MacBooks.

New Displays

The 15" MacBook Pro is especially notable as the first "green" notebook computer. The display is mercury-free and uses LED backlighting. Dell is expected to follow with its own 13.3" LED-backlit model.

The 17" MacBook Pro uses tried-and-true fluorescent backlighting, but it gains a higher resolution option. Those who want more than 1680 x 1050 on the screen can pay US$100 more for a 1920 x 1200 display.

Other Changes

Driving these screens you'll find an nVidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor with 256 MB of memory (128 MB on the low-end 15" model). You'll also find an 8x dual-layer SuperDrive as a standard feature, along with 2 GB of RAM (the old 2.16 GHz MacBook Pro had 1 GB). And Apple has raised the memory ceiling from 3 GB to 4 GB.

The base 15" MacBook Pro has a 120 GB hard drive, and the 2.4 GHz models each have 160 GB drives. 200 GB and 250 GB drives are build-to-order options.

Value

With all of these changes, the new MacBook Pro models retail for exactly the same price, but the old models are being blown out at reduced prices. Here are prices at Club Mac and MacMall:

  • 15" 2.16 GHz, 1 GB/120, $1,649 after mail-in rebate
  • 15" 2.2 GHz, 2 GB/120, $1,844 a/r
  • 15" 2.33 GHz, 2 GB/120, $2,149 a/r
  • 15" 2.4 GHz, 2 GB/160, $2,344 a/r
  • 17" 2.33 GHz, 2 GB/160, $2,549 a/r
  • 17" 2.4 GHz, 2 GB, 160, $2,644 a/r

What do you get for the extra money?

2.2 GHz 15" MacBook Pro

You get 1 GB additional memory (worth $40), a bigger hard drive (worth about $50), and a faster SuperDrive (unknown value). You gain 2% more speed, which may be worth $40 (2% of retail), and you get 802.11n WiFi with higher speed and greater reach (unknown value). I'd peg all of that as worth $150-175.

Harder to quantify are the value of better battery life from the LED backlight and the ability to dynamically reduce bus speed. Also the value of the nVidia GPU, which should matter mostly to gamers.

With the discontinued 2.16 GHz Core 2 model selling for $195 less, it's the better value for most users.

2.4 GHz 15" MacBook Pro

There's a bit more of a speed gain with the 2.4 GHz model, and 3% of retail is $75 - a rough approximation of what the additional CPU speed could be worth. You once again have a bigger hard drive, which we'll also value at $40. Overall, I'm estimating the added value at $125-150 not counting intangibles like increased battery life.

At $195 less, most users should find the 2.33 GHz model a better value.

2.4 GHz 17" MacBook Pro

The differences between the new 17" MacBook Pro and the old one are a better graphics processor, 802.11n WiFi, and a 3% faster CPU on a faster system bus. All relatively intangible, but we could ballpark the value of the addition CPU speed at $85 (3% of retail).

With the old 2.33 GHz model selling for $95 less, I think we've found one case where the new model is a better value than the close-out one. Better WiFi, nVidia graphics, a bit more CPU speed, and a faster bus make it worth the difference.

What About Refurbished?

We're huge fans of refurbished Macs here at Low End Mac. I've only bought one new Mac that wasn't refurbished in the past decade. Refurbs are returned to the factory, verified as up to spec, and sold with the same one-year warranty as new Macs.

Apple is clearing out the 15" 2.16 GHz Core 2 refurbs for $1,599 including ground shipping - and no rebates necessary. Unless you absolutely have to have a new-in-box computer, this is the way to go on the low end.

The 2.33 GHz 15" MacBook Pro is selling for $1,999 - $150 less than the "after rebate" price of a new one. That makes it a very hot value. In fact, it's the same price as the new 2.2 GHz model - you gain 6% in CPU speed but lose the nVidia graphics and LED-backlit display. All in all, a very tempting alternative at $1,999 to the new 2.2 GHz MacBook Pro.

And at the top, the old 17" Core 2 model is being cleared out at $2,299 refurbished. That's $250 less than the post-rebate price - and $350 less than the post-rebate price on the new 2.4 GHz model. The value is unmistakable.

Wrapping Up

In brief, the refurbished Core 2 MacBook Pro models are the best deals going. For those who insist on buying new rather than refurb, close-out prices on the 15" models make them a slightly better value than the new 15" ones, but at 17", the new model has enough small advantages to justify the small difference in price. LEM

Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

Recent Mac Musings

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

Custom Search

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.