#Apple snow leopard computer book windows#
When performing the same test in Windows 7, the time rose to 6:50, which is closer to, but still bests, the category average.
When transcoding a 114MB MPEG4 to AVI using HandBrake in Snow Leopard, the MacBook took 2 minutes and 12 seconds that's over 5 minutes faster than the category average, and just 9 seconds slower than the 2009 13-inch MacBook Pro. The drive booted to Snow Leopard in a speedy 26 seconds. In Snow Leopard, it duplicated a 4.97GB folder of multimedia files at a rate of 27.8MBps that's 7MBps faster than the thin and light average (in Windows 7, it was a much more pedestrian 14.9MBps). Anecdotally, we were able to have numerous tabs open in Safari 4, type this review in Google Docs while listening to music via Slacker, and watch episodes of "30 Rock" streamed from Hulu without a hitch.Ĭlick to enlargeThe 250GB, 5400 rpm drive proved very fast, too. Interestingly, the MacBook's score was about 500 points higher than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which has the same processor and RAM. The MacBook scored 3691 in PCMark Vantage in Boot Camp mode that's almost 600 points above the thin and light notebook average, 270 points below to the Dell Studio XPS 13 (which has 4GB of RAM), and about 100 points below the Samsung Q320 (which has a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 and 4GB of RAM). In Boot Camp mode (running Windows 7), the MacBook's Geekbench score dropped to 2,597, placing it between the Dell Studio XPS 13 (2,596) and the Samsung Q320 (2,834). The MacBook's 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7550 processor is the same as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is to say it has less power than the previous MacBook we reviewed (2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 CPU and 2GB of RAM) in Geekbench, the 2009 MacBook (with 2GB of RAM) scored 3,464, which is about 50 points less than the 2008 MacBook. If you can live without these amenities, the new MacBook is a strong choice.
The main question for consumers is whether they spend the extra $200 on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which has an SD Card slot, backlit keyboard, and a sleeker aluminum chassis. This notebook costs nearly the same as Windows-based competitors (like Dell Studio XPS 13) but offers longer endurance. Thanks to its stellar industrial design, superior ergonomics, and above-average performance and battery life, 13-inch MacBook ($999) is a compelling buy. To see how Apple fared on our Tech Support Showdown. The AppleCare Protection Plan, which includes three years each of parts-and-labor coverage and phone support, costs $249).
While we're glad it doesn't have any trialware on it, we would have liked to seen a word processor a little less rudimentary than Notepad.Īpple's standard warranty remains: one-year limited parts-and-labor and 90 days of toll-free, 24/7 phone support (Apple consistently aces our annual tech support showdown).
#Apple snow leopard computer book upgrade#
Unlike MacBook Pros, which let you choose different processors and screens, the only options Apple provides to consumers is to upgrade the RAM to 4GB for an additional $100 a 320GB, 5,400rpm hard drive costs $50 more, and a 500GB, 5,400rpm drive adds $150.Īside from its excellent Snow Leopard operating system, the MacBook comes loaded with Apple's iLife '09 creativity suite (iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, and GarageBand), and its Time Machine backup software.