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I had the Apple series laptop, Core 2 duo 15-inch MBP that I got back in 2008, and upgraded to Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop that was released early this year.The older and newer MacBook Pro have nearly all the same features, both are decent laptops I have ever had, but what stands out is the incredible performance difference.This is what I am going to write in this Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL A 17-Inch Laptop review.My only one complain about this computer, Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL A 17-Inch Laptop still has a large but unimpressive 5400rpm 750GB Hard-Drive (startup performance letdown), instead of a 500GB solid state Hybrid drive.MC725LL A Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop – Old MBP vs New MBPApple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop runs i7 chip processor that employs 4 chip cores, one core runs at 2.2GHz, furthermore, this i7 chip can perform in a mode which is a virtual 8 core because it has hyperthread function.Every applications that are run on Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL A 17-Inch Laptop will take speed benefit from those multiple cores, it will result in a blazing lightning speed on the new Mac.Additionally, there is one big difference with this new Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL A 17-Inch Laptop, the automatic Graphic Switching feature.It adds improved video processors, the AMD Radeon 6750M for the high-speed performance, and for saving power consumption, it includes the Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphic processor.The next generation new Thunderbolt port technology is included too, which will allow us to have incredibly high speed data transfer and transmission either from or to any external devices, but we have to wait until it is available which from what I read, the next year MBP will be utilized with Thunderbolt.For now, it is useless to me, but at least I will not need to buy another new mac because I can use my Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL A 17-Inch Laptop too for Thunderbolt data transfer.The Thunderbolt port comes with the older ports set, which are the USB 2.0 port, digital and analog audio in/out, FW 800, MagSafe power port, Gigabit Ethernet, and so forth.Physically, the 2008 and 2011 Apple laptops does not have appearance changes, which I find, this is good on itsway.Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop is my 2nd mac, I must say, Steve Jobs has really brilliant design on the unibody casing, because it is just the best laptop unibody out there.In comparison to another laptops that you have ever had, or that are available on the market is definitely the quality of how solid it is built, and the lightweight specification, it is very thin.The huge difference between Apple laptops and any other platic made laptop is the unibody of Apple laptops are built from an aluminium solid block, there isn’t any single screws or seams that appear in the back plate. It is just “better”.MC725LL A Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL/A 17-Inch Laptop VerdictSummary, Apple laptops are definitely speedy machines and much better than Windows.If you want to use Apple laptop for school work, MS office works, internet surfing, then MC700LL/A is decent enough with the less price than this one.But if you work alot with designing work, or video editing the bigger screen of 15-inch MC721LL/A or MC723LL/A even the better, Apple MacBook Pro MC725LL A 17-Inch Laptop will really take an effect.
Product Description
The new MacBook Pro notebooks have several major new features: Intel Core i5 and i7 Processors with Turbo Boost Technology, Thunderbolt the next generation of I/O, new AMD Radeon Graphics, and FaceTime HD camera. The 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro now feature quad-core Intel Core i7 processors. And the 13-inch models jump to dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. New Thunderbolt technology lets you connect high-performance peripherals and high-resolution displays to one port - with data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps. Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort. And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, the video standard for high-resolution displays, any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port. To connect a DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA display, just use an existing optional adapter. AMD Radeon graphics on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro are up to 3x faster than those in previous models, so you can take everything from games to CAD to HD video projects anywhere. FaceTime makes full-screen HD video calls that are astonishingly crisp. And thanks to the new widescreen format, you can get your friends in the picture, too. And with Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11, you're sure to get a great Mac notebook - all in a precision aluminum unibody enclosure that's less than an inch thin. 17.0-inch (diagonal) high-resolution LED-backlit glossy display, 1920-by-1200 resolution Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor and AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1TB GDDR5 dedicated memory) with automatic graphics switching Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+-R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW) AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi Wireless (based on IEEE 802.11n specification) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 10/100/1000 Gigabit BASE-T Ethernet FaceTime HD Camera Audio Stereo speakers with subwoofer, omnidirectional microphone ExpressCard/34 slot Expansions - 3 x USB 2
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #277 in Personal Computers
- Brand: Apple
- Model: MC725LL/A
- Dimensions: .98" h x 10.51" w x 15.47" l, 6.61 pounds
- CPU: Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz
- Memory: 4GB SODIMM
- Hard Disk: 750GB
- Processors: 4
- Display size: 17
Features
- 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor
- 4 GB DDR3 RAM
- 750 GB Hard Drive, 8x DVD/CD SuperDrive
- 17 inch LED-backlit display, 1920-by-1200 resolutionm, AMD Radeon HD 6750M
- Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard, 7 Hour Battery Life
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Product Description
Introducing the new 17.3-inch MacBook Pro. The state-of-the-art quad-core Intel i7 processor delivers up to 2x faster performance (over the previous generation of MacBook Pro). New Thunderbolt technology lets you connect high-performance peripherals and high-resolution displays to a single port, and transfer files at lightning speeds. And with the new built-in FaceTime HD camera, you can make astonishingly crisp HD video calls.
With the revolutionary Thunderbolt technology, you'll be able to achieve bi-directional channels with transfer speeds to peripherals like external hard drives and servers up to an amazing 10 Gbps--while also connecting to a DisplayPort-compatible high-resolution display.
As with previous models, the MacBook Pro features a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, creating a thin and light mobile computing workhorse (less than 1 inch thin and just 6.6 pounds) that's also highly durable. It includes a 17.3-inch, LED-backlit glass display as well as a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) that features Apple's Multi-Touch technology. And it comes standard with automatic graphics switching that provides performance when you need it and energy efficiency when you don't. You'll also get up to 7 hours of battery life while on the go.
This version of the 17.3-inch MacBook Pro (model MC725LL/A) features a 2.2 GHz Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" quad-core processor, 750 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of installed RAM. Other features include ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, an ExpressCard/34 slot, three USB 2.0 ports, and a FireWire 800 port (see full specifications below). It also comes with the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system as well as the iLife software suite, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.
 | Free Upgrade to OS X LionThis Mac comes pre-installed with OS X Snow Leopard, but you can order a free upgrade to OS X Lion via Apple's OS X Lion Up-To-Date program for a limited time (depending on the date of your purchase).
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Key Features
Revolutionary Thunderbolt Technology
Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O (input/output) technology delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second of transfer speeds in both directions. Built into the MacBook Pro, the Thunderbolt port allows you to connect to new Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals as well as existing USB and FireWire peripherals using simple adapters. You'll be able to move data up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800, and you can daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices without using a hub.
And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, you'll be able to connect to a high-resolution display from the same port. Any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port, and you can also connect displays that use DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA connections with an existing adapter. You'll also be able to include your display into a daisy-chained set of peripherals.
Next-Generation Quad-Core Intel Processor
This MacBook Pro is powered by a second-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor (dubbed "Sandy Bridge"), which provides breakthrough digital media management, content creation, and 3D gaming capabilities. With updated Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, the latest Core i7 increases speed automatically for whatever you're doing, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload.
Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking. And you'll enjoy a rich set of new features for a stunning and seamless visual experience with no additional hardware. The "Sandy Bridge" Core i7 processor also provides faster access to the installed RAM, with an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333 MHz memory directly to the processor.
With new microarchitecture, the graphics processor resides on the same chip as the central processor and has direct access to the 6 MB of shared L3 cache--helping your applications run at peak performance. And an integrated video encoder enables HD video calls with FaceTime, while an efficient decoder gives you long battery life when you're watching DVDs or iTunes movies.
Automatic Graphics Switching
The MacBook Pro offers excellent graphics flexibility with two video processors--the discrete AMD Radeon HD 6750M processor (with 1 GB of GDDR5 video memory) for heavier workloads and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor for better battery life on the go. When gaming or using processor-intensive applications like Aperture or Final Cut Pro, you'll appreciate the power of the AMD Radeon HD 6750M, which lets you see more frames per second and experience better responsiveness. And the automatic graphics switching feature determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between the processors.
Buttonless Multi-Touch Trackpad
With no button on the glass trackpad, there's more room to track and click--left, right, center, and everywhere in between. Without a separate button, the trackpad gives your hands plenty of room to move on the large, silky glass surface. It also incorporates Multi-Touch gestures--including swipe, pinch, rotate, and four-finger swipe. And it also now supports inertial scrolling, an intuitive way to scroll through large photo libraries, lengthy documents and long web sites.
Key Specifications
- 17.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass (1920 x 1200-pixel resolution).
- 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor ("Sandy Bridge") with 6 MB shared L3 cache for excellent multitasking.
- Dual graphics processors with automatic switching between AMD Radeon HD 6750M (with 1 GB of GDDR5 video memory) for demanding applications and integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 (with 384 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory) for power savings.
- 750 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
- 4 GB installed RAM (1333 MHz DDR3; supports up to 8 GB)
- 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer DVD support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Built-in FaceTime HD camera for video chatting
- Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible)
- Gigabit Ethernet wired networking (10/100/1000)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and cell phones
- Three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port
- ExpressCard/34 slot
- Thunderbolt port with native Mini DisplayPort output plus support for DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI (requires adapters, sold separately)
- Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control with support for inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
- Full-size backlit keyboard
- Stereo speakers with subwoofers
- Dimensions: 15.47 x 10.51 x 0.98 inches (WxDxH)
- Weight: 6.6 pounds
- Up to 7 hours of battery life
- Meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements
- Rated EPEAT Gold
What's in the Box
17.3-inch MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, software DVDs, printed and electronic documentation
Limited Warranty And Service
The MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a 1-year limited warranty, which can be extended to 3 years with the AppleCare Protection Plan.
Installed software
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is an even more powerful and refined version of the world's most advanced operating system. In ways big and small, it gets faster, more reliable, and easier to use. New core technologies unleash the power of today's advanced hardware technology and prepare Mac OS X for future innovation.
- Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard (includes iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools, and more)
iLife helps you do more with photos, movies, and music than you ever thought possible. In iPhoto, you can browse, edit, and share your photos in stunning new full-screen views. Create epic Hollywood-style movie trailers from your home video in iMovie. And GarageBand gives you everything you need to make a great-sounding song--including tools for keeping your song in perfect rhythm and guitar and piano lessons.
- iLife (includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD)
AppleCare Protection Plan
Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, the Mac is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call. Extend the complimentary service and support on your Mac to 3 years from the original Mac purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct telephone access to Apple experts for technical questions, and you get global repair coverage--including both parts and labor--for your Mac and select Apple peripherals.
Optional Accessories and Related Products
 | 85W MagSafe Power Adapter |
 | MagSafe Airline Adapter |
 | Apple World Travel Adapter Kit |
 | Time Capsule |
 | AirPort Extreme Base Station |
 | 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display |
 | Apple Magic Mouse |
 | Apple Wireless Keyboard |
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
66 of 68 people found the following review helpful.
Big Performance Leap
By djsteve
I upgraded to this model (early 2011 Quad Core i7 17" MacBook Pro) from the first in Apple's series of "unibody" laptops (late 2008 Core 2 duo 15" MacBook Pro). Both have been excellent laptops and have remarkably similar features given the years between them. However, what makes the difference here is pure raw speed.
The i7 processor has four cores each running at 2.2Ghz and the ability to "hyperthread" to operate in a virtual eight core mode. Applications must be written in a specific way to take full advantage of the multiple cores, however the processor has another trick up its sleeve in such cases. If some of the cores are underutilized then the processing speed of the those in use are bumped up. This translates into blazing speed across the board.
Other improvements include automatic switching between the two included (and upgraded) video processors, one for high performance and the other for economic power consumption. A new "Thunderbolt" port is provided, which permits extremely high-speed data transmission to and from external devices (as soon as they become available with this new standard!). This is in addition to the more familiar set of ports, including gigabit ethernet, Firewire 800, USB2.0, digital audio in/out, analog audio in/out, magsafe power, etc.
While this laptop may not physically appear to be a new model, I feel this is an advantage unto itself. This being my second unibody mac, I can attest that Apple has a brilliant case design that needs no modification. One needs only to pick it up to immediately feel the solid build quality and ruggedness despite its thin and relatively lightweight specs. The body is carved from a solid block of aluminum, and save for the back plate there are no visible seams or screws. There is a world of difference between this and most other plastic laptops.
Unfortunately Apple has decided to saddlebag this wicked-fast tank with a relatively pokey 5400rpm hard drive, which ends up being a noticeable bottleneck in performance at startup and other disk-intensive times. I appreciate the capacity of the included 750GB drive, but swapping it out with my existing 500GB solid state hybrid drive provided an additional performance boost well worth the reduced storage space. Incidentally, changing just about any of the internal components appears to be relatively straight forward, as the back plate removes to expose all.
To conclude, this is one speedy machine who's only noticeable flaw is the included large but unimpressive hard drive. Swap it out for a faster drive (especially a SSD) and this is a laptop that cannot be topped.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
Uncompromisingly good design and function
By E. Kim
INTRODUCTION
Deciding on which size MacBook Pro one "needs" can be a fun and bewildering process. When I went into an Apple Store, I quite literally found myself envisioning a particular niche need for each of their MacBook Air 11", 13", MacBook Pro 13", 15", and 17" models!
In the end, I decided that the MBP 13" screen was too small for my needs and although the i5 and i7 CPUs in the MBP 13" were significantly faster than the previous generation CPUs, they actually underperformed the previous generation in their graphics intensive applications as the integrated Intel GPU was not as robust as the older generation MBP 13" models.
That left the MBP 15" and 17" models with screen sizes suitable for my needs. The MBP 15" is offered in either the 2.0 vs 2.2 gHz i7 speeds and only the 2.2 gHz model comes with the discrete graphics (i.e. AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory).
Considering that the price difference between the MBP 15" with the 2.2 gHz i7 (with AMD 6750M GPU) and the MBP 17" was not as great as I expected, I went with the MBP 17".
PROS
1. Amazingly light for a laptop of its size (i.e. 6.6 lbs). In many ways, it is the perception of weight and size that matters more than the actual measurements. I own a 2008 MBP 15" which is 1.1 lbs lighter, and yet this MBP 17" actually seemed lighter, because of its larger dimensions confined within a thickness of less than 1".
2. Fantastically bright, beautiful LCD. The viewing angles vertically and horizontally are fantastic (and something Apple owners take for granted anyways).
3. Although the sizes of the individual pixels at full resolution (1920 x 1200) do seem smaller than my 2008 MBP 15", they are not too small for me. The text and graphics are sharp and clear.
4. Pure CPU speed with the i7 quad-core Sandy Bridge 2.2 gHz. I haven't benchmarked this personally, but search online and you will find that this generation MBP is significantly faster than the previous generation models.
5. Separate discrete graphics (i.e. AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory).
6. Phenomenal battery life of 7 hours (using more real-world testing specifications to which Apple has recently changed)
7. Quiet (so far) but I anticipate the fans will turn on with heavy GPU intensive use
8. Great chiclet (i.e. island-style) keys that allow for great tactile feedback to touch typers with lit keys
9. Phenomenal glass track pad that Mac users have come to expect. The OS allows for different finger gestures like pinch and zooming (just like on the iPhone)
10. Amazingly simple and fast setup using Apple's built in migration tools. When I first started the MBP, it allowed me to hook up a FireWire cable to the other MBP and it transferred all my applications, documents, and settings automatically. The transfer of data was amazingly fast, > 300 GB of total data over 2-3 hours!
11. Same great Apple cable management system with the small AC adapter with the interchangeable power cord and MagSafe magnetic connector
12. Same great touches that existed on much older MacBook Pros that you expect, photolight sensor, easy ability and detection of external monitors while remembering the individual relative screen positions so swapping multiple monitors is easier, amazing 1 hour backup intervals using Time Machine, incredibly fast startup and sleep/awake even without a solid state drive, FaceTime camera
13. Mac OS X Snow Leopard with its rock stable UNIX heritage
14. No need for virus check software (so far)
15. New Thunderbolt (i.e. Light Peak) interface via mini-DisplayPort which allows bidirectional 10 Gb/s bandwidth
16. Phenomenal resale value of Apple MBPs when you do need to sell to upgrade later
CONS
1. Before update 10.6.7, there have been reports that when all 4 cores with 8 threads are running, the MBP i7's have been freezing for some users. Supposedly after 10.6.7, most of these issues were solved. I have not yet tested this but there hasn't been any freezing in the short time that I've been using this MBP 17". (Those who have experienced this have reported using a 3rd party utility to select either the discrete or integrated GPU seems to solve the problem.)
2. There have been reports that some models of external LCD displays have had problems as being recognized as TV's rather than computer monitors when attached to the mini-display Thunderbolt connector. It may be more pronounced when using a mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable (than when using a mini-DP to DVI or mini-DP to HDMI cable).
3. Although Thunderbolt (i.e. Light Peak) seems amazing and is far more revolutionary than USB3 or eSATA, there are no devices that take advantage of this yet. I expect that these devices will also cost a premium for all of us early adopters. Thankfully, there is still a dedicated FireWire 800 port.
4. The MBP in the 17" model does not come with a SecureDigital memory card slot. While the 17" MBP lacks this feature found in the other MBPs, there is an ExpressCard/34 slot as well as a third USB 2.0 port.
CONCLUSION
The MBP 17" has exceeded my expectations and is indeed, like most Apple products, far greater than the sum of its amazing parts.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful.Great Jump From Previous Models
By Brett A. Ward
The new MacBook Pro (released in 2011) is one of the best computers you can currently buy. The recent hardware improvements have made it a top notch computer.
PROS: VERY fast, up to 8gb of RAM, execellent design, great battery life, great for photo and video editing
CONS: Price is too high, Soild state drives should be default at this price point, warrenty is below the indrustry standard
My only major complaints are the price (which is no shock - it's a Mac) and the overall package. For what Apple is charging you should really get at least a 256gb (if not 512) SS Drive included. That would make this one of the best computers available anywhere.
The hardware in this model doesn't just beat the previous versions is crushes them. In under 60 seconds you will be online. I've never owned a PC (or Mac) that loads that fast. The wireless connection is very fast as well. It seems like everything about this Mac is faster. One comparrison I can draw is the time it takes to rip a DVD to the hard drive. With my last MacBook Pro it normally took about 60 minutes to rip a full length movie. With this Mac it takes about 20 minutes.
Some computers have amazing specs. Some computers are sleek and sexy. No computer combines form and function like Apple does.
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