Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (Late 2011) Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on November 17, 2011 5:10 PM EST- Posted in
- Mac
- Apple
- Intel
- MacBook Pro
- Sandy Bridge
- Laptops
Final Words
While I had a hard time recommending the base 15-inch MacBook Pro to users earlier this year, with the GPU upgrade I'm pretty happy with the $1799 configuration. It is pricey for sure, but if you can only have one Mac in your life and you like performance, it is probably the one to get.
The MacBook Air is nice but for demanding workloads it's not enough. The iMac is fast, but I'm not a fan of lugging around a 27-inch display with me wherever I go. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is honestly the best of both worlds. Obviously there are cheaper PC alternatives if you just need affordable compute, I'm speaking only to those users who have their sights set on something running OS X.
The only changes I'd make to the system are an upgrade in display resolution and the addition of an SSD. Both are options that Apple offers, and with the latter you can always handle that upgrade on your own.
At some point Apple will have to outfit these things with SSDs standard, similar to the MacBook Air. There's such a huge difference in user experience that it only makes sense to, the question is when?
For a while now we've heard rumors of a thinner, redesigned MacBook Pro without an optical drive. Removing the optical drive alone isn't enough to significantly decrease the thickness of the machine, Apple would have to move away from the 2.5" HDD form factor as well. Given that there are no reasonable performing HDDs in a smaller form factor, one would assume that if and when Apple removes the optical drive from the MacBook Pro, it will also remove the hard drive.
Ivy Bridge would be an interesting time to make such a drastic move, as Intel's 22nm process should be able to significantly reduce power consumption. Although the time may be right from a processor perspective, I wonder whether the MacBook Pro audience would be fine with only 128GB or 256GB of storage.
There is of course another option: expand the MacBook Air line with a larger (thicker?) 15-inch model. The trick here would be cramming a 35W quad-core chip into the system, otherwise it just becomes a 13-inch MBA with a bigger screen. That's where the thicker comment comes into play. Currently the MacBook Air only has to worry about dissipating 17W from the CPU, which includes the GPU. The 15-inch MacBook Pro however has a 45W quad-core CPU and a discrete GPU. Ivy Bridge will significantly increase integrated graphics performance, but not enough to truly eliminate the need for a discrete GPU. I suspect for Apple to do the ultra thin 15-inch MacBook Pro the right way it would have to wait until Haswell, where integrated graphics performance is supposed to be much better.
Of course all of this is speculating out loud, anything (or nothing) could happen. If you need a system today, the upgraded MacBook Pro line makes an an already great system a better value. If you can wait, Ivy Bridge will likely be very good for notebook users in about 6 - 8 months.
That's the downside to Intel's tick-tock cadence. When the ticks and tocks are major, there's almost never a good time to buy. Ivy Bridge will significantly reduce power consumption and improve GPU performance and then there's Haswell...
The next two years aren't going to be easy on anyone's wallet.
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ananduser - Sunday, November 20, 2011 - link
You don't dismiss my point. "Obnoxious" SC2 players REACT to their Apple branded brethren. Being the veteran gamers that they are, they remember always being falsely told how crappy windows on their beige boxes was :).The Mac userbase, small part of it nowadays but nonetheless significant, is "cultured". So the obnoxious part of it is also "cultured". OSX SC2 users should ask questions on the mac support part of gaming forums and not in "broad daylight" :).
KoolAidMan1 - Sunday, November 20, 2011 - link
"OSX SC2 users should ask questions on the mac support part of gaming forums and not in "broad daylight" :)"What a garbage fanboy apartheid attitude you have.
My main desktop is a PC, but I wouldn't hesitate for a second to help someone on a Mac if they wanted a hand. Hell, one of my Mac friends is Masters league, the last thing he needs from me is advice.
I bet you're also a bronze/silver/gold league scrub. ;)
ananduser - Sunday, November 20, 2011 - link
Never did I point at you in my ramblings. Present persons are always excluded. Think of it, how can the majority of SC2 players which are PC gamers can possibly know OSX related issues.Good luck in your SC2 matches...for me SC2 was a disappointment(personal opinion).
KoolAidMan1 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
It isn't about Windows users not knowing how to help, its about them going out of their way to be negative for no reason. I know it's the internet and you should expect people to be jerks, but meh.Also, SC2 is the best game presently out there. Spent a lot of the weekend watching MLG Providence (AMAZING) and will soon break from Skyrim to get back on the ladder. :D
MacTheSpoon - Thursday, November 17, 2011 - link
This is very good to know! I know some people actually resorted to filing down their laptops. Thanks for the info.zsero - Friday, November 18, 2011 - link
Anand, please review the Sony SE!It is the most interesting laptop for me in 2011 and no one is talking about it!
- 15 inch matte 1920x1080 IPS-like display
- 2.0 kg
- dedicated graphics 6670M
- OK, not quad core
- quiet
- slice battery for 12 hours
- around 1000 dollar for i5 + 6670M
I believe it could be one of the most interesting laptops to be reviewed on Anandtech in 2011!
ananduser - Friday, November 18, 2011 - link
Anand does not get Vaios for review.zsero - Friday, November 18, 2011 - link
Google: vaio site:anandtech.comananduser - Friday, November 18, 2011 - link
Did not search thoroughly enough. I remember that Anand was denied a review unit of the 2010 VaioZ.kevith - Friday, November 18, 2011 - link
It's always depressing to read the comments when ever there has been a Mac review in these pages.Almost every post is so filled with HATE.
Why? Every other review has lots and lots of interesting and clever comments, sometimes ranging to expert analysis. Lots of good points are made, even the reviewers sometimes get enlightened with points they didn't think of during the review. And all of it is kept in a civil and friendly tone.
But when it comes to Mac reviews, it's quite the opposite: Sarcastic remarks, only trying to make the reviewer or other commentators look idiotic. Ironically ending up being pretty idiotic themselves. Remarks like "I don give a s... about your opinion", "bug off, fanboy,.. you make me laugh", "you spew crap", "nice trollin'", "wow, so mad!", "I am sure all the pathetic apple cultboys, like Anand,..." are all a disgrace to all of you who posted them.
OF COURSE you care about others opinion, otherwise you wouldn't read them! Or answer for that matter.
Please drop it, it's not welcome in serious sites like this, it doesn't do ANYONE any good.
Thanks