Mac Product Guide: 13-inch MacBook/2.4GHz

13-inch MacBook/2.4GHz

In October 2008, Apple introduced a new MacBook design that housed the company's consumer-friendly laptop into a MacBook Pro-like aluminum enclosure with a large glass trackpad. Graphics have improved with the addition of an Nvidia GeForce 9400m chip. While the integrated graphics continue to share memory with the system RAM, there's more shared (256MB as opposed to 144MB) and it's the faster DDR3 SDRAM. Like the MacBook Air, the MacBook no longer ships with FireWire ports -- just two USB 2.0 ports. This 2.4GHz model does feature a backlit keyboard, which is not available in the other MacBook configurations.

	Reviewed	Full Review

The latest MacBooks are a big improvement over the previous models--as long as you can live without a FireWire port. While battery life wasn't as strong as the previous model, the sleek new case design, major graphics improvements, power-sipping LED display, and Multi-Touch glass trackpad make the MacBook a very strong upgrade.

Pros: Sleek new design; greatly improved graphics power; Multi-Touch glass trackpad; bright LED display; backlit keyboard.

Cons: Price for top model higher than before; no FireWire port; battery life shorter than previous MacBook model; no video adapters or Apple Remote in the box.

Basics

Reviewed Price: $1,599

Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Lab Tests

Speedmark 5 Score	212
Cinema 4D XL XL 10.5	0:54
iMovie HD 6	0:49
iTunes 7.7	1:03
Photoshop CS3	1:05
Compressor	1:52
Unreal Tournament 2004	64.8fps
Tested Configuration	Mac OS X 10.5.5 with 2GB of RAM

Tested Configuration	Mac OS X 10.5.5 with 2GB of RAM
Display	flat panel (glossy); 13.3 inches; 1,2800-by-800
Processor	2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Cache	3MB shared L2
Frontside Bus Speed	1,066MHz
Memory	2GB of DDR3 SDRAM ; 4GB maximum - 1,066MHz
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM (shared with main memory); Maximum resolution:2,560-by-1,600; Port(s):Mini DisplayPort port
Hard Drive	250GB Serial ATA, 5,400-rpm
Optical Drive	8x SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW)
Ethernet	10/100/1000BASE-T
Wireless	AirPort Extreme built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR built-in
Peripheral Ports	Firewire: None; USB: 2 USB 2.0 ports
Audio	Inputs: Combined optical digital input/audio line in;Outputs: Combined optical digital output/headphone out
Expansion Slots	None
Dimensions	12.78 x 0.95 x 8.94 inches
Weight	4.5 pounds
Battery Life	5 hours