Digital Trends

Apple MacBook Pro 2.33GHz December 17th, 2006 | by Jason Tomczak

Battery Life

I was expecting the battery life to increase once the MacBook Pro was infused with Core 2 Duo power, but I have not noticed any longer uptime. More importantly, I haven't noticed the battery life decreasing. Logically, if one considers a 39% faster processor (according to Apple) with no drop in battery life, it's safe to say something has been improved. Next goal - more processor power AND more battery uptime.

Screen Test

The screen on the MacBook Pro C2D is gorgeous. As I mentioned earlier, the screen is awesome for photo editing. It's also amazing for watching digital TV and DVDs. The glossy screen makes DVD-watching even more fun and engrossing. Blacks are pitch black, whites are brilliant and colors are vibrant and real. Response time is fantastic - no hard stats on the response time, but in real-world tests, the screen is close to perfect.

Best Enhancement after RAM

As an avid photographer, I am often reviewing or editing multiple photos in Photoshop, iPhoto or Aperture. Because I am so accustomed to using an iMac with 1680x1050 screen resolution, I was slightly hampered by moving my entire operation to the MacBook Pro C2D and its 1440x900 screen. It represented a screen res drop of nearly 15%.

The saving grace was the ample 256MB video card in the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo. I knew it would handle an external display without the slightest drop in performance, so I bought a newly released Samsung 20" LCD with 1680x1050 screen res. Now, when I edit photos in Photoshop, or if I want to watch a full-screen TV show while checking email or browsing the net, I do so on two screens.

This is no PR or marketing baloney - I'm literally getting though my projects 20% to 30% faster with an extra screen. Because the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo has a 256MB video card, I know I can shred though my work without stressing my computer or hyperventilating. Of course, the faster Core 2 Duo processor and 3GB of Crucial memory add much to my productivity.

As a side note, the Samsung LCD cost about $289 after a rebate. Not bad when considering all the extra work I can generate now. If you find yourself slightly hampered by a 1440x900 screen like I was, I highly recommend an external LCD for your MacBook Pro.