MacBook Pro 2.66GHz, 17in review

Verdict:

Review Date: 9 Apr 2009

Price when reviewed: (£1695 ex VAT for 4GB DDR3 memory, 512MB video memory, 320GB hard drive, Intel Core 2 Duo, GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics)

Reviewed By: Alan Stonebridge

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

One of the best new features is the glass trackpad that's a button in itself, and there's support for four-fingered gestures that instigate Expos?©. All Pro models have a backlit keyboard.

Connectivity options are good, with a Gigabit Ethernet port and draft-n wireless networking and Bluetooth. Cabled peripherals can be hooked up using one of the two USB ports on the 15in model (three on the 17in), but having a single FireWire 800 port is a little frustrating; more can be added through the ExpressCard/34 slot, offering the chance to make use of Serial ATA disks that can achieve greater throughput than FireWire 800.

Each Pro model is well positioned: the entry level brings better graphics and FireWire, while the mid-range model offers a genuinely different processor to the consumer models and a well-rounded specification. The 17in model's size limits it to the most demanding of users, but it's hard not to appreciate the scope for a tremendous amount of Ram and its suitability for heavy-duty tasks.

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