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Macbook Pro Unibody 17 2G Review
12.11.09 09:35 PM Filed in: Apple Reviews
The Macbook. A decade ago laptops were something you associated with the lovable, pimple-faced Dungeons and Dragons players that nervously asked you out. Now, they are as essential to a modern gal’s life as oxygen. A modern Carrie Bradshaw relies on her Macbook as the nexus of her life - her music, her Facebook, her photos. The right Macbook is not an optional accessory - and finding the right one is highly personal.
This is the second generation in the Macbook Pro unibody line, a critically praised evolution to the Macbook. The laptop is milled from a single piece of aluminum, resulting in a machine with a rocksteady feel. The design is stunning Apple minimalism. Whereas many Windows machines have buttons and ports jammed into every possible corner, the MBP has just a keyboard, a trackpad, and a few inconspicuous ports on one side. It is a truly beautiful machine, one as stylish as it is functional.
If the $999 white Macbook is an everyday sedan, the $2599 Macbook Pro 17 inch is a powerful Humvee - expensive, capable, and able to handle anything. The truth is, it’s too much laptop for many Mac users. It’s about two pounds heavier than the white Macbook, and significantly larger. As a result, Apple sells fewer of the 17 inchers than the rest of the line.
The trackpad is one of the biggest advancements of the unibody line. It is buttonless - to click you simply push down on the luxuriously large trackpad surface. A guy friend of mine said the trackpad was like “sex on glass.” It’s a crude analogy, but an apt one.
It features multitouch technology. One of the head Apple engineers of multitouch got the idea while playing the piano. He wanted to incorporate fluid, artistic gestures into the trackpad. The results are an amazing leap forward in user interface. Touch the trackpad with two fingers, and you can scroll up and down a webpage. Swipe sideways with three fingers, and you can go forwards and backwards while surfing. Swipe down with four fingers and you’re shown all of your open applications. It sounds complicated, but quickly becomes second nature. Prepared to be spoiled, because you won’t want to use a normal trackpad again.
This laptop actually has two graphics cards built in. One is for battery conservation, the other is for power. I use the less powerful one most of the time, and it works just fine for iTunes, email, surfing and light gaming like Peggle. I only use the more powerful mode for Photoshop and video editing. Unfortunately, you have to close all your applications and log out to switch between modes - highly inconvenient.
The Good -
The main reason this machine kicks so much badonkadonk is the display. The screen is the biggest that Apple makes in a laptop, and it is utterly gorgeous. It has a 1920 by 1200 resolution.
To be honest, I sold my Macbook Air after using this screen for a while. It was hard to go back to such cramped real estate after having the freedom of such a large canvas. Yes, the OSX Spaces feature is nice for creating the illusion of more screen space, but GeekGal prefers the real thing. I like to surf in several Windows, use iTunes and see my email as it comes in. It’s heavier to carry than my Macbook Air, but it’s much nicer to use.
The other great feature of the MBP 17 2G is the very fast processor, a 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo is the standard. It’s the fastest Macbook that Apple makes, and benchmarks have shown it running 8 to 9 percent faster than its 15-inch cousin. It has 4 gigs of very fast DDR3 ram in it standard, and can be upgraded to 8 gigs - a sweet spot for graphic artists like GeekGal.
I have used this laptop for many hours of Photoshop work, Illustrator work, and video editing work with the entire Final Cut 4.0 suite. It’s been a real champ. GeekGal would have no qualms recommending this to a creative professional as their main machine.
The other feature of note is the integrated battery. The MBP 17 2G has an integrated battery - meaning it’s built in and can’t be swapped out by the user. Apple claims that you’ll get 1000s of recharge cycles and up to 8 hours of use with this battery. Though GeekGal hasn’t gotten that much, she has survived a 6-hour flight with this laptop.
Apple says the reason for the integrated battery is it lets them pack more power cells into the area, because they don’t have to build structure for the user to easily remove the battery. GeekGal had strong reservations about this, but has come to be a true believer. It’s true that when simultaneous using my Wacom tablet, the machine in full-performance mode, and the display at full brightness, I only get two and a half hours of use from the machine. It’s good, but it’s not infinite.
When this battery does go bad, it will cost you $179 and an afternoon trip to Apple to replace it. Like a designer bag - a battery is not a part meant to last forever, it’s meant to be enjoyed. Going through 1000s of recharge cycles will take you years, even with everyday use. Chances are, f you’ve used up one of these batteries, you’ve gotten your money’s worth.
The Bad -
The most troubling problem I had with the MBP was a periodic tendency of it to beachball while using Safari. Occasionally, I would get the Spinning Beachball of Death every three minutes or so while surfing. It was quite puzzling behavior. I reinstalled my entire system, and it went away for a while - only to come back several weeks later.
Digging deeper, I found out this was a problem with this model MBP and several others. To make a long story short, it’s an issue with the hard drive interface, which Apple tweaked since the last model. Apple put out a patch, and I have had no problems since installing it. You can find that patch here.
The second problem was less serious, but the graphics would sometimes distort while using Mail - the colors would shift over several bands. Apple put out a patch for this as well. Although it now happens much less frequently, it does still happen.
The weight of the machine is also a giant negative. It’s 6.6 pounds, a full pound heavier than its 15-inch cousin. To be honest, it’s heavy enough that GeekGal gives it to her dude to carry whenever possible. Don’t get her wrong - she’s spent many an hour walking around Boston carrying it with her. It’s not difficult to carry, but it’s not lightweight either.
GeekGal compromised by minimizing the weight in her bag. Rather than going with the usual Speck clear case to protect it from scratches, she skipped it. It may be clear, but it almost weighs a pound! I went with a nearly-weightless Zagg Invisible Shield instead. It was difficult to install - but it works well.
I prefer a leather laptop bag, even though it’s heavy - so I went with the minimalist MacCase Flight Jacket. It looks good, and it’s not a lot of weight for what you get. I have no worries about a little Boston drizzle hurting my precious Macbook when it’s inside.
Speaking of bags, be prepared to have a sparse selection of them for the 17 inch. The GeekGal doesn’t do cheap nylon bags, so most of the ones at the Apple store were unacceptable. Even online, there are few bags specifically made for this machine. I found that many of the high-quality Kenneth Cole laptop bags fit the machine well.
The Technobabble -
Despite the problems with the hard drive EFI, Apple did finally make the interface fast enough to support a high quality SSD. GeekGal has two in a RAID array on her MacPro, and it is insanely fast - the best improvement she’s ever had from upgrading a single component. It’s impossible to consider going back to a normal SATA drive after getting used to the speed.
An SSD is really appealing in a laptop because they are much more resistant to shock damage than an traditional hard drive, which is a very important feature in a laptop you carry day-to-day. There are also minor gains in battery-life that are possible. The main limitation is the space. The stock drive is 500 gigs, and a the $300 Intel SDD is only 80 gigs. That’s a huge limitation for a graphic artist.
Several companies put out mods that allow you to sacrifice the optical drive bay for a second hard drive. GeekGal is very tempted to do this - but also watches quite a few movies on her Macbook while running on her home treadmill. It’s not an experiment she’s willing to try yet. Stay tuned though.
This computer has some real room for expansion. Snow Leopard technology can take advantage of Open CL, meaning that future programs can use the second graphics chip for extra horsepower. It doesn’t mean much for the current generation of programs, but this computer has the capability to get faster in time - always a plus.
I’m really eager to expand this computer to 8 gigs of RAM. Photoshop CS4 can use up all 4 gigs of it, so with the expansion I’ll be able to leave iTunes and Safari open without guilt. The main problem is compatible memory is so expensive right now, because it uses relatively new DDR3 ram. The cool thing is, it’s the same RAM that the iMac line uses, so there’s a lot of demand for it. Prices should drop soon.
I installed a Windows partition on this box with Boot Camp and it ran fine. I was very impressed with the gaming capability. The included boot camp drivers are excellent, and with a 500 gig hard drive there was plenty of room.
Summary -
If you’re the kind of gal that mainly Facebooks, uses iTunes, and does light email - this is probably way too much laptop for you. But, if you’re looking for a laptop that is sexy and powerful as hell, this is the droid you’re looking for. This could easily be your only machine, especially if you pair it with the excellent 24-inch Apple display.
The Dude’s Take -
NGD here, staring over GeekGal’s shoulder at her shiny Macbook Pro. I’m kind of jealous, because it’s a lot more powerful that the last gen Macbook she gave me when she bought this one. The huge screen is really cool - but it’s good and bad. All the acreage is great, but it makes the computer a lot heavier - so I end up carrying it around for her. I suppose that’s okay because it makes me feel useful. It also means that I have to spend a lot of time waiting, because she’s always looking at bags for her laptop, and none of them fit
Geekgal’s Humvee metaphor is really accurate. I see her doing a lot of work in Photoshop at a really high 800 DPI resolution and there’s no lag time. I’m also jealous of the really long battery life. I have to charge my computer all the time, which sucks because I keep forgetting to bring the charger.
I hate the trackpad, though to be fair I hate all trackpads. The multitouch thing that GeekGal goes on and on about frightens and confuses me. I wish there were a way to turn it off permanently, but I don’t know how. I wish it came with a mouse the size of a small brick like the 1984 Macintosh did. That, I could get on board with.
I’m really eager for the next generation of Macbook to come out, so I can inherit this awesome one, that is - if she’s ever done playing with it.
The trackpad is one of the biggest advancements of the unibody line. It is buttonless - to click you simply push down on the luxuriously large trackpad surface. A guy friend of mine said the trackpad was like “sex on glass.” It’s a crude analogy, but an apt one.
It features multitouch technology. One of the head Apple engineers of multitouch got the idea while playing the piano. He wanted to incorporate fluid, artistic gestures into the trackpad. The results are an amazing leap forward in user interface. Touch the trackpad with two fingers, and you can scroll up and down a webpage. Swipe sideways with three fingers, and you can go forwards and backwards while surfing. Swipe down with four fingers and you’re shown all of your open applications. It sounds complicated, but quickly becomes second nature. Prepared to be spoiled, because you won’t want to use a normal trackpad again.
This laptop actually has two graphics cards built in. One is for battery conservation, the other is for power. I use the less powerful one most of the time, and it works just fine for iTunes, email, surfing and light gaming like Peggle. I only use the more powerful mode for Photoshop and video editing. Unfortunately, you have to close all your applications and log out to switch between modes - highly inconvenient.
The Good -
The main reason this machine kicks so much badonkadonk is the display. The screen is the biggest that Apple makes in a laptop, and it is utterly gorgeous. It has a 1920 by 1200 resolution.
To be honest, I sold my Macbook Air after using this screen for a while. It was hard to go back to such cramped real estate after having the freedom of such a large canvas. Yes, the OSX Spaces feature is nice for creating the illusion of more screen space, but GeekGal prefers the real thing. I like to surf in several Windows, use iTunes and see my email as it comes in. It’s heavier to carry than my Macbook Air, but it’s much nicer to use.
The other great feature of the MBP 17 2G is the very fast processor, a 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo is the standard. It’s the fastest Macbook that Apple makes, and benchmarks have shown it running 8 to 9 percent faster than its 15-inch cousin. It has 4 gigs of very fast DDR3 ram in it standard, and can be upgraded to 8 gigs - a sweet spot for graphic artists like GeekGal.
I have used this laptop for many hours of Photoshop work, Illustrator work, and video editing work with the entire Final Cut 4.0 suite. It’s been a real champ. GeekGal would have no qualms recommending this to a creative professional as their main machine.
The other feature of note is the integrated battery. The MBP 17 2G has an integrated battery - meaning it’s built in and can’t be swapped out by the user. Apple claims that you’ll get 1000s of recharge cycles and up to 8 hours of use with this battery. Though GeekGal hasn’t gotten that much, she has survived a 6-hour flight with this laptop.
Apple says the reason for the integrated battery is it lets them pack more power cells into the area, because they don’t have to build structure for the user to easily remove the battery. GeekGal had strong reservations about this, but has come to be a true believer. It’s true that when simultaneous using my Wacom tablet, the machine in full-performance mode, and the display at full brightness, I only get two and a half hours of use from the machine. It’s good, but it’s not infinite.
When this battery does go bad, it will cost you $179 and an afternoon trip to Apple to replace it. Like a designer bag - a battery is not a part meant to last forever, it’s meant to be enjoyed. Going through 1000s of recharge cycles will take you years, even with everyday use. Chances are, f you’ve used up one of these batteries, you’ve gotten your money’s worth.
The Bad -
The most troubling problem I had with the MBP was a periodic tendency of it to beachball while using Safari. Occasionally, I would get the Spinning Beachball of Death every three minutes or so while surfing. It was quite puzzling behavior. I reinstalled my entire system, and it went away for a while - only to come back several weeks later.
Digging deeper, I found out this was a problem with this model MBP and several others. To make a long story short, it’s an issue with the hard drive interface, which Apple tweaked since the last model. Apple put out a patch, and I have had no problems since installing it. You can find that patch here.
The second problem was less serious, but the graphics would sometimes distort while using Mail - the colors would shift over several bands. Apple put out a patch for this as well. Although it now happens much less frequently, it does still happen.
The weight of the machine is also a giant negative. It’s 6.6 pounds, a full pound heavier than its 15-inch cousin. To be honest, it’s heavy enough that GeekGal gives it to her dude to carry whenever possible. Don’t get her wrong - she’s spent many an hour walking around Boston carrying it with her. It’s not difficult to carry, but it’s not lightweight either.
GeekGal compromised by minimizing the weight in her bag. Rather than going with the usual Speck clear case to protect it from scratches, she skipped it. It may be clear, but it almost weighs a pound! I went with a nearly-weightless Zagg Invisible Shield instead. It was difficult to install - but it works well.
I prefer a leather laptop bag, even though it’s heavy - so I went with the minimalist MacCase Flight Jacket. It looks good, and it’s not a lot of weight for what you get. I have no worries about a little Boston drizzle hurting my precious Macbook when it’s inside.
Speaking of bags, be prepared to have a sparse selection of them for the 17 inch. The GeekGal doesn’t do cheap nylon bags, so most of the ones at the Apple store were unacceptable. Even online, there are few bags specifically made for this machine. I found that many of the high-quality Kenneth Cole laptop bags fit the machine well.
The Technobabble -
Despite the problems with the hard drive EFI, Apple did finally make the interface fast enough to support a high quality SSD. GeekGal has two in a RAID array on her MacPro, and it is insanely fast - the best improvement she’s ever had from upgrading a single component. It’s impossible to consider going back to a normal SATA drive after getting used to the speed.
An SSD is really appealing in a laptop because they are much more resistant to shock damage than an traditional hard drive, which is a very important feature in a laptop you carry day-to-day. There are also minor gains in battery-life that are possible. The main limitation is the space. The stock drive is 500 gigs, and a the $300 Intel SDD is only 80 gigs. That’s a huge limitation for a graphic artist.
Several companies put out mods that allow you to sacrifice the optical drive bay for a second hard drive. GeekGal is very tempted to do this - but also watches quite a few movies on her Macbook while running on her home treadmill. It’s not an experiment she’s willing to try yet. Stay tuned though.
This computer has some real room for expansion. Snow Leopard technology can take advantage of Open CL, meaning that future programs can use the second graphics chip for extra horsepower. It doesn’t mean much for the current generation of programs, but this computer has the capability to get faster in time - always a plus.
I’m really eager to expand this computer to 8 gigs of RAM. Photoshop CS4 can use up all 4 gigs of it, so with the expansion I’ll be able to leave iTunes and Safari open without guilt. The main problem is compatible memory is so expensive right now, because it uses relatively new DDR3 ram. The cool thing is, it’s the same RAM that the iMac line uses, so there’s a lot of demand for it. Prices should drop soon.
I installed a Windows partition on this box with Boot Camp and it ran fine. I was very impressed with the gaming capability. The included boot camp drivers are excellent, and with a 500 gig hard drive there was plenty of room.
Summary -
If you’re the kind of gal that mainly Facebooks, uses iTunes, and does light email - this is probably way too much laptop for you. But, if you’re looking for a laptop that is sexy and powerful as hell, this is the droid you’re looking for. This could easily be your only machine, especially if you pair it with the excellent 24-inch Apple display.
The Dude’s Take -
NGD here, staring over GeekGal’s shoulder at her shiny Macbook Pro. I’m kind of jealous, because it’s a lot more powerful that the last gen Macbook she gave me when she bought this one. The huge screen is really cool - but it’s good and bad. All the acreage is great, but it makes the computer a lot heavier - so I end up carrying it around for her. I suppose that’s okay because it makes me feel useful. It also means that I have to spend a lot of time waiting, because she’s always looking at bags for her laptop, and none of them fit
Geekgal’s Humvee metaphor is really accurate. I see her doing a lot of work in Photoshop at a really high 800 DPI resolution and there’s no lag time. I’m also jealous of the really long battery life. I have to charge my computer all the time, which sucks because I keep forgetting to bring the charger.
I hate the trackpad, though to be fair I hate all trackpads. The multitouch thing that GeekGal goes on and on about frightens and confuses me. I wish there were a way to turn it off permanently, but I don’t know how. I wish it came with a mouse the size of a small brick like the 1984 Macintosh did. That, I could get on board with.
I’m really eager for the next generation of Macbook to come out, so I can inherit this awesome one, that is - if she’s ever done playing with it.