C2D MacBook Pro - Faster and Cooler

After long awaited MacBook Pro’s upgrade to Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom), the first tests show boost in its performance compared to older Core Duo (Yonah)-powered models. According to the Mac World, when comparing the 15-inch 2.16GHz MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo to its comparable Core Duo counterpart, the Speedmark improvement is 10 percent. We have posted earlier Geek Patrol’s benchmark test result (Geekbench 2006) which indicates that moving from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo means 32-bit MacBook Pro performance is up 10% without an increase in processor clock speed. Also, the Core 2 Duo is 20% faster (when executing 64-bit code) than the Core Duo (when executing 32-bit code), the Geek Patrol reported.

There is also temperature improvement in Apple’s Core 2 Duo-powered MacBook Pro line. “I’ve been using a new Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro 2.33GHz for over four hours straight (10+ hours on and off) and the temperature hasn’t gone higher than 122° Fahrenheit (average is around 115° F) according to CoreDuoTemp - a drop of more than 40° Fahrenheit without using software like Fan Control,” says Jason D. O’Grady in his blog at ZDNet. However, Brian’s C2D Macbook Pro 2.33GHz 15-inch review shows an image of the reported 123.8° F processor’s temperature.

Brian claims his new MacBook Pro seems to have the same display as previous Core Duo model. He also reported that C2D MacBook Pro runs quietly, without experiencing any noise problems of the older MacBook Pro’s.

As soon as new C2D MBP test results and reviews arrive, we will publish them on this page.