X-bit labs

Madman Diaries: Apple MacBook Pro and Microsoft Windows Vista (page 8)

Category: Mobile

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 02/25/2008 | 08:20 AM ]

Performance

Now we’ve got to the point of this review. I’m about to benchmark the performance of the Apple MacBook Pro in Windows Vista. To remind you once again, this notebook has almost the same hardware configuration as the Lamborghini VX2S. The only differences that can affect performance are the availability of an Intel Turbo Memory module in the ASUS notebook, the different amount and type of graphics memory, and different hard disks installed in the notebooks.

Overall Performance

First of all I will run SYSmark 2007 that benchmarks system performance in various real-life applications. Besides the overall score, this test issues four scores for different load types.

As you can see, the Lamborghini VX2S is somewhat faster in ordinary applications than the Apple MacBook Pro, yet the difference is small, less than 4%.

This advantage is ensured by the HDD with a higher spindle rotation speed installed in the ASUS notebook. As for the Intel Turbo Memory technology available in the Lamborghini and missing in the MacBook, our earlier tests showed that it has no effect on performance.

Performance in Specific Applications

Next I’ll perform a few tests in individual applications.

The MacBook Pro delivers good performance in Windows Vista. It is but slightly inferior to the ASUS Lamborghini VX2S according to my tests.

Performance in 3D Applications

The two notebooks have rather advanced discrete graphics cores and can be used as gaming platforms. That’s why I’ll test them in 3D applications, too.

It’s the opposite to the previous tests: the MacBook Pro delivers higher 3D performance because its GeForce 8600M GT uses GDDR3 memory clocked at a higher frequency than the opponent’s DDR2. The gap between the notebooks is quite large, amounting to 35% in 3DMark06. The Lamborghini strikes back in Crysis that needs large amounts of memory (the ASUS has 512MB of graphics memory as opposed to the MacBook’s 256MB).

Battery Life

The battery life time is no less important for a notebook than its performance. I will measure it using MobileMark 2007. This test is performed at the maximum brightness of the screen and when the notebook cannot switch into Standby or Hibernate mode.

MobileMark 2007 can measure the notebook’s battery life under three types of load. The first load scenario emulates the user working in typical office applications. The second scenario is about video playback. To be specific, it measures the battery life when the notebook is playing a DVD movie in the InterVideo WinDVD player. The third scenario emulates a user reading text from the notebook’s screen (in Adobe Reader).

The battery life time is yet another strong point of the Apple notebook. It is as long as 3 hours in some operation scenarios. The ASUS Lamborghini VX2S, with a very similar configuration, can work only for slightly more than 2 hours when powered by its battery. This seems even more fantastic if you recall that the Lamborghini VX2S comes with a larger-capacity battery than the MacBook Pro, but the latter wins the test anyway. It is the LCD panel that is the main power consumer in modern notebooks, so Apple’s victory in this test is largely due to the LED-based backlight of the LCD panel.