best ssd for macbook pro early 2011 13 inch

In fact, the only element really holding the new MacBook Pro back was the hard-drive, its 5,400rpm speed proving underwhelming.

Graphics, too, were comprehensively higher, with the 2011 MacBook Pro scoring on average 37-percent higher across xbench's various GPU tests. Again, the quadcore processor and fast RAM made short work of the 2010 notebook, with xbench's CPU, thread and memory tests coming out 14-percent, 68-percent and 71-percent higher respectively. A microphone is hidden under the left speaker grille, and there's a new, 720p FaceTime HD webcam above the screen, more on which later.įinally, we looked to xbench, a combination of CPU, GPU, memory and drive testing. Wireless options include WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR there's still no integrated 3G option. The slot-loading 8x SuperDrive is still present, while ports include gigabit ethernet, FireWire 800, audio in, audio out, an SDXC memory card slot, MagSafe power and, of course, Thunderbolt. Faster, 7,200rpm HDDs are optional, as are SSDs up to 512GB. Storage begins with 320/500/750GB hard-drives, depending on size and SKU, all running at a somewhat disappointing 5,400rpm. There's no need to log out and back in again to switch, as with earlier dual-GPU configurations. For basic web browsing and document editing, then, the MacBook Pro will default to the low-power, energy-frugal Intel HD Graphics 3000 chipset start gaming, or doing video processing in iMovie, and the AMD Radeon GPU will kick in. Apple has obviously deemed Intel's integrated GPU sufficient for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the 15- and 17-inch models have a choice of the AMD Radeon HD 6490M (with 256GB of GDDR5 memory) on the entry-level MacBook Pro 15 or the Radeon HD 6750M (with 1GB of GDDR5 memory) on the higher-spec 15-inch and as standard on the 17-inch.Īs in the 2010 range, OS X automatically switches between integrated and discrete graphics depending on your activity. Graphics have undergone a significant change as well, with NVIDIA's discrete GPUs replaced by AMD's Radeon 6000 Series paired with Intel HD Graphics 3000.

Best ssd for macbook pro early 2011 13 inch