2.4GHz Aluminum Macbook Review (Lots of pics)

Colton · 12-26-2008, 08:04 PM

The new Aluminum MacBook is a trendy new replacement for the older, White MacBook , which is sometimes referred to as the “WhiteBook.” The Aluminum MacBook sports a fast, efficient Core 2 Duo processor, and has the integrated NVIDIA 9400M graphics card. The GPU is plenty fast for mid-to-older games, but also has enough juice for modern games as well.

http://www.apple.com/macbook/

My Aluminum MacBook has the following specifications:

Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4GHz, 1066MHz frontside bus, 3MB L2 Cache)
13.3-inch Glossy 1280x800 Main Display
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Integrated Graphics with 256MB shared video RAM
2GB DDR3-1066 RAM
250GB HDD
Airport Wireless N card
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.5
I-Sight Camera

The price that it was bought at was $1599 from the Apple Store.

The notebook came with the following:

Aluminum MacBook
MagSafe Connector (Charger)
Everything Mac(TM)
Everything Else(TM)
Microfiber cleaning cloth
and Applications and backup disks

Design

The design for Apple computers are amazing! The sleek aluminum delivers a stunning feel, and the Uni-Body makes this notebook a 10/10 on the design of the overall machine. Although many people think that the design of the new Apple notebooks are bland, I completely disagree. The notebook is very thin, making the MacBook Air have a run for it’s money. The thickness of the notebook is only 0.95 inches thin. The width of the machine is 12.78 inches. The weight is moderate for a 13 inch notebook at 4.5 pounds, but there is no complaining coming from me! The enclosure is fantastic, although it’s all based on personal opinion.

The whole machine is Aluminum, with the Bezel being a black, glass-like material, and the trackpad being made of glass. It has one hinge, which is very strong. The screen is very glossy, but hasn’t been a problem for me at all. At full brightness, this thing can ward off any glare you throw at it.

It has a small power button, in the upper right-hand corner of the keyboard. The keyboard is fantastic. The back-lighting really stands out at night. The display has a built in light detector, which senses when to turn on the back-lighting in the keyboard, or you can manually set the backlighting, just as you would with the screen brightness.

Keyboard at full brightness

Build Quality

This thing is amazing, with the brushed Aluminum Enclosure and Uni-body. It really stands out. Need I say more?

Amazing build quality, isn’t it?

Screen

The screen is fantastic! The LED-Backlighting really beats the traditional CCFL screen in every category! The colors are vivid, brightness is unbelievable, contrast is great! The screen is a 1280x800, which is pretty good for a 13.3 inch notebook. The colors really stand out on this LED screen. This has to be one of my favorite notebook screens i have seen in a long time. The colors really stand out.

Full Brightness

Lowest Brightness

Speakers

The speakers are a great improvement. They really have a louder sound, and have to be one of the loudest notebook speakers i have heard personally. The bass is acceptable, but nothing to rave about, not that I’m expecting a mobile 5.1 surround sound by no means.

Webcam

The I-Sight camera is a mainstay in all of the Apple notebooks. It’s pretty good quality, but nothing like a $100 Logitech webcam. I like it, and I am satisfied with it’s performance.

Heat and Noise

The heat on this thing is getting hot. I hit 65-C while surfing the web, and immediately downloaded smcfancontrol. The heat isn’t too bad, but it can get hot. I can’t imagine what it will be like when I play Call of Duty 5. (Yes, I know, the 9400M really wasn’t made for COD5, but I figure I’ll try it anyways) The temperature threshold for the Core 2 Duo is around 104 degrees Celsius, so I am still safe. The fans are located in the back, under the screen, so it wouldn’t hurt to raise the back up to improve air-flow. I also got a chill mat for this, and it lowered the temperature about 5-7 degrees Celsius. The fans are extremely quite up untill 4700 rpm’s, then you can start to hear them rev up.

Trackpad

The trackpad is enormous, and it’s very nice to use also. It is bigger than my Ipod Touch, and has plenty of room to stretch your fingers out. The 3-finger gestures are a blessing, making my work that much easier. The click can get annoying, but you get used to it after the first day of use. The material is made of glass, but the feeling is similar to a worn-out previous generation MB. It’s very easy to get the hang of, but is a nuisance to some people. I tend to like it a lot!

Ports

The ports included on this computer on the left side are the following:

MagSafe Charger
Ethernet port
USB port #1
USB port #2
Mini-Displayport
Audio in
Audio out
Kensington Lock Slot

On the right side: The Slot-Loading SuperDrive

Many people were disappointed because Apple dropped the FireWire 400, but that wasn’t a big deal for me, as I only have one thing that is FireWire powered.

Conclusion:

Pro’s:

It’s an Apple
Mac OS X
Fantastic Design and Build
LED-Backlight screen
Multi-touch trackpad gestures
Good speakers for a notebook
MagSafe
Backlight keyboard
High-end Integrated GFX

Cons

It's an Apple
Pricey
Lack of some crucial ports
Oh, did I say PRICEY?
Runs a bit warm
Glossy Screen can be a nuisance for some people who use it outdoors

EDIT: If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask!

72hundred · 12-26-2008, 08:21 PM

Nice review!

I was wondering about this laptop recently, and this is really informative. Especially the pictures.

Colton · 12-26-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 72hundred

Nice review!

I was wondering about this laptop recently, and this is really informative. Especially the pictures.

Thank you!

jjahshik32 · 12-26-2008, 09:49 PM

Kool~ Durrrhnnn~!

CanadianDude · 12-26-2008, 10:09 PM

Wow really, you hit 60 degrees C?? I have never hit that high with my MBP, especially with more than just internet surfing.

My MBP has been on for 5 days so far and running safari, itunes, and msn messenger. It's only at 42 degrees C. Maybe it's because there is more room in MBP?

Colton · 12-26-2008, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToshibaDude

Wow really, you hit 60 degrees C?? I have never hit that high with my MBP, especially with more than just internet surfing.

My MBP has been on for 5 days so far and running safari, itunes, and msn messenger. It's only at 42 degrees C. Maybe it's because there is more room in MBP?

Well let me rephrase that

. I was watching multiple movies on YouTube, and
had the fans at 2000rpm, so there was quite a bit of downloading going on for it to be 60C. Right now I am at 70C while on NBR, YouTube, and ripping a movie with HandBrake with fans at 6200rpm and a notebook cooler.