I upgraded to this model (early 2011 Quad Core i7 17" MacBook Pro) from the first in Apple's series of "unibody" laptops (late 2008 Core 2 duo 15" MacBook Pro). Both have been excellent laptops and have remarkably similar features given the years between them. However, what makes the difference here is pure raw speed.
The i7 processor has four cores each running at 2.2Ghz and the ability to "hyperthread" to operate in a virtual eight core mode. Applications must be written in a specific way to take full advantage of the multiple cores, however the processor has another trick up its sleeve in such cases. If some of the cores are underutilized then the processing speed of the those in use are bumped up. This translates into blazing speed across the board.
Other improvements include automatic switching between the two included (and upgraded) video processors, one for high performance and the other for economic power consumption. A new "Thunderbolt" port is provided, which permits extremely high-speed data transmission to and from external devices (as soon as they become available with this new standard!). This is in addition to the more familiar set of ports, including gigabit ethernet, Firewire 800, USB2.0, digital audio in/out, analog audio in/out, magsafe power, etc.
While this laptop may not physically appear to be a new model, I feel this is an advantage unto itself. This being my second unibody mac, I can attest that Apple has a brilliant case design that needs no modification. One needs only to pick it up to immediately feel the solid build quality and ruggedness despite its thin and relatively lightweight specs. The body is carved from a solid block of aluminum, and save for the back plate there are no visible seams or screws. There is a world of difference between this and most other plastic laptops.
Unfortunately Apple has decided to saddlebag this wicked-fast tank with a relatively pokey 5400rpm hard drive, which ends up being a noticeable bottleneck in performance at startup and other disk-intensive times. I appreciate the capacity of the included 750GB drive, but swapping it out with my existing 500GB solid state hybrid drive provided an additional performance boost well worth the reduced storage space. Incidentally, changing just about any of the internal components appears to be relatively straight forward, as the back plate removes to expose all.
To conclude, this is one speedy machine who's only noticeable flaw is the included large but unimpressive hard drive. Swap it out for a faster drive (especially a SSD) and this is a laptop that cannot be topped.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
INTRODUCTION
Deciding on which size MacBook Pro one "needs" can be a fun and bewildering process. When I went into an Apple Store, I quite literally found myself envisioning a particular niche need for each of their MacBook Air 11", 13", MacBook Pro 13", 15", and 17" models!
In the end, I decided that the MBP 13" screen was too small for my needs and although the i5 and i7 CPUs in the MBP 13" were significantly faster than the previous generation CPUs, they actually underperformed the previous generation in their graphics intensive applications as the integrated Intel GPU was not as robust as the older generation MBP 13" models.
That left the MBP 15" and 17" models with screen sizes suitable for my needs. The MBP 15" is offered in either the 2.0 vs 2.2 gHz i7 speeds and only the 2.2 gHz model comes with the discrete graphics (i.e. AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory).
Considering that the price difference between the MBP 15" with the 2.2 gHz i7 (with AMD 6750M GPU) and the MBP 17" was not as great as I expected, I went with the MBP 17".
PROS
1. Amazingly light for a laptop of its size (i.e. 6.6 lbs). In many ways, it is the perception of weight and size that matters more than the actual measurements. I own a 2008 MBP 15" which is 1.1 lbs lighter, and yet this MBP 17" actually seemed lighter, because of its larger dimensions confined within a thickness of less than 1".
2. Fantastically bright, beautiful LCD. The viewing angles vertically and horizontally are fantastic (and something Apple owners take for granted anyways).
3. Although the sizes of the individual pixels at full resolution (1920 x 1200) do seem smaller than my 2008 MBP 15", they are not too small for me. The text and graphics are sharp and clear.
4. Pure CPU speed with the i7 quad-core Sandy Bridge 2.2 gHz. I haven't benchmarked this personally, but search online and you will find that this generation MBP is significantly faster than the previous generation models.
5. Separate discrete graphics (i.e. AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory).
6. Phenomenal battery life of 7 hours (using more real-world testing specifications to which Apple has recently changed)
7. Quiet (so far) but I anticipate the fans will turn on with heavy GPU intensive use
8. Great chiclet (i.e. island-style) keys that allow for great tactile feedback to touch typers with lit keys
9. Phenomenal glass track pad that Mac users have come to expect. The OS allows for different finger gestures like pinch and zooming (just like on the iPhone)
10. Amazingly simple and fast setup using Apple's built in migration tools. When I first started the MBP, it allowed me to hook up a FireWire cable to the other MBP and it transferred all my applications, documents, and settings automatically. The transfer of data was amazingly fast, > 300 GB of total data over 2-3 hours!
11. Same great Apple cable management system with the small AC adapter with the interchangeable power cord and MagSafe magnetic connector
12. Same great touches that existed on much older MacBook Pros that you expect, photolight sensor, easy ability and detection of external monitors while remembering the individual relative screen positions so swapping multiple monitors is easier, amazing 1 hour backup intervals using Time Machine, incredibly fast startup and sleep/awake even without a solid state drive, FaceTime camera
13. Mac OS X Snow Leopard with its rock stable UNIX heritage
14. No need for virus check software (so far)
15. New Thunderbolt (i.e. Light Peak) interface via mini-DisplayPort which allows bidirectional 10 Gb/s bandwidth
16. Phenomenal resale value of Apple MBPs when you do need to sell to upgrade later
CONS
1. Before update 10.6.7, there have been reports that when all 4 cores with 8 threads are running, the MBP i7's have been freezing for some users. Supposedly after 10.6.7, most of these issues were solved. I have not yet tested this but there hasn't been any freezing in the short time that I've been using this MBP 17". (Those who have experienced this have reported using a 3rd party utility to select either the discrete or integrated GPU seems to solve the problem.)
2. There have been reports that some models of external LCD displays have had problems as being recognized as TV's rather than computer monitors when attached to the mini-display Thunderbolt connector. It may be more pronounced when using a mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable (than when using a mini-DP to DVI or mini-DP to HDMI cable).
3. Although Thunderbolt (i.e. Light Peak) seems amazing and is far more revolutionary than USB3 or eSATA, there are no devices that take advantage of this yet. I expect that these devices will also cost a premium for all of us early adopters. Thankfully, there is still a dedicated FireWire 800 port.
4. The MBP in the 17" model does not come with a SecureDigital memory card slot. While the 17" MBP lacks this feature found in the other MBPs, there is an ExpressCard/34 slot as well as a third USB 2.0 port.
CONCLUSION
The MBP 17" has exceeded my expectations and is indeed, like most Apple products, far greater than the sum of its amazing parts.
Best Deals for Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)
The new MacBook Pro (released in 2011) is one of the best computers you can currently buy. The recent hardware improvements have made it a top notch computer.
PROS: VERY fast, up to 8gb of RAM, execellent design, great battery life, great for photo and video editing
CONS: Price is too high, Soild state drives should be default at this price point, warrenty is below the indrustry standard
My only major complaints are the price (which is no shock it's a Mac) and the overall package. For what Apple is charging you should really get at least a 256gb (if not 512) SS Drive included. That would make this one of the best computers available anywhere.
The hardware in this model doesn't just beat the previous versions is crushes them. In under 60 seconds you will be online. I've never owned a PC (or Mac) that loads that fast. The wireless connection is very fast as well. It seems like everything about this Mac is faster. One comparrison I can draw is the time it takes to rip a DVD to the hard drive. With my last MacBook Pro it normally took about 60 minutes to rip a full length movie. With this Mac it takes about 20 minutes.
Some computers have amazing specs. Some computers are sleek and sexy. No computer combines form and function like Apple does.
Honest reviews on Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)
Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop
I waited for Quad core(SandyBridge) based MacbookPro for more than an year. My primary use was for Photo & Video editing and for that, yes dual core system from 2010 would have done the job. But I wanted a powerful machine which could handle future load also so that it lasts longer.
This system is really very powerful. So far it handles all the types of load I could throw at it. If you want to use this system for Video / Photo editing, the first thing I would suggest is to upgrade to a decent SSD(along with 8gb RAM upgrade if you can afford). That really changes things under the hood and its very much visible to you also. Startup, shutdown & Application launch times are significantly improved.
Just to test the drive difference, I imported AVCHD video files & photos combined worth of ~30gb in size from my external hard disk (connected via USB 2.0) into iMovie and iPhoto simultaneously with Chrome playing an YouTube video in the background. I also opened other applications like iTunes,Safari etc to see how far the system can handle the whole load. This test I repeated with both the original 5400rpm hard disk & with my new SSD.
Result? You could really choke the system with the above load, if you have only 5400rpm hard drive installed. Often times when I move the mouse, the mouse pointer actually moved with a noticeable delay. With the SSD installed,I could see the difference through the speed with which the whole thing finished. Not only that, the processor was free to handle few more tasks as well.
One thing that I have to mention here is the noise & heat. With the powerful processor & a Graphics card that comes bundled in this system, under heavy load, the heat could really reach a level where you cant keep the system in your lap any longer. I could not keep it in my laptop, under certain load. To control the heat, the fans are kicking in quite frequently resulting in higher noise. If you are into recording your own voice to mix them with videos, don't sit near the macbook else you can be sure to expect to hear the fan noise as well :) I think some of this can be fine-tuned with software(MacOS X Lion may be??). Till that happens, we cant have everything with this system :(
Overall I am happy with my purchase.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)
The 17-inch 2011 MBP has a hefty price tag, but for those looking to replace a desktop or in dire need of a true mobile workstation -look no further. The performance beats my BTO 2.93 GHZ i7 27-inch iMac (late 2010), and the high resolution 1920x1200 display is worth the added cost over the high-end 15-inch MBP.
Prior to biting the bullet I was on the fence over whether to get the entry-level or high-end 15-inch model. Unfortunately unless you order from Apple there's no way to add the high-res display (1680x1050). If you are a Final Cut Pro user, this could be important since Color requires the high-res display. Of course you could connect to an auxiliary monitor, but that's another $999 (27-inch Cinema display) -or $399 for a 24-inch IPS HP display.
At the end of the day the difference in price between the 15-inch high-end and the 17-inch was just over $200 (1959 vs 2163 open box 'like-new' Warehouse Deals). In everyday use I would have no problem using the 1440x900 resolution of the 15-inch model, but I really wanted the hig-res option. Ordering the 15-inch top model + high-res option from Apple with a student discount still ended up being more expensive than the 17-inch MBP through Amazon.
I was hesitant about the size and weight. In the store I felt like the 17-inch model would be overkill, but now that I've handled and transported it for a few days I'm not bothered by the size. With that being said, if Amazon was to offer the high-res 15 inch model I would probably opt for that instead since there's little benefit of going from 1680x1050 to 1920x1200 in terms of application compatibility.
On a side note, if you are considering a Warehouse deal via Amazon, I highly recommend it -just make sure you choose the 'like-new' model. These things are sealed, brand new with just some minor cosmetic damage to the retail packaging (or possibly none). $2163.99 for the 17-inch MBP is a deal.
