What most people associate with computer performance is actually GUI performance, and that's where Apple has always excelled. MacBook Pro has a desktop-grade GPU, an Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of dedicated VRAM (video RAM). It's wickedly fast and unexpectedly power efficient. You cannot get the MacBook Pro to drop a frame while playing HD video from disk. Final Cut Studio, which is extremely GPU-intensive, runs beautifully without pushing the CPU to its limits. Unique to OS X, as well as the applications written to use Apple's Acceleration Framework, is the offloading of selected non-graphics-related math to the GPU. Nvidia is pursuing GPU as coprocessor technology on its own.

The Bottom Line Apple MacBook Pro Apple, apple.com Excellent  8.9 criteria score weight Configuration 9 25% Ease-of-use 9 25% Battery life 8 15% Build quality 9 15% Performance 9 10% Value 9 10% Cost: Starts at $1,999 with 2.2GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 120GB (5,400-rpm) hard drive, and 15-inch display; $4,049 fully loaded with 2.6GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, 200GB (7,200-rpm) hard drive, and 17-inch glossy widescreen display. Platforms: OS X Tiger release 10.4.4 or later Bottom Line: The Santa Rosa MacBook Pro surpasses all notebooks in both usability and build quality. The glossy LED screen is a revelation. A dedicated graphics processor ensures that the system is always responsive. The sole blemish, inflexible power management, should not deter any power user -- even a power Windows user -- from adopting this notebook as his or her everyday machine. About our Reviews and Scoring Methodology

Power perks
Running time on battery is the last measure of notebook design excellence, and here, MacBook Pro turns in a top-tier performance compared to most PC notebooks. I judge the average running time, with a productivity workload and Wi-Fi turned off, to be right at four hours. With some careful pruning of unnecessary background processes such that the CPU is effectively zero percent utilized between keystrokes, I can eke out five hours of typing and reading. Fortunately, with icons right on the menu bar, shutting down wireless to save power is easy. I would like more user control over device power profiles beyond manually enabling and disabling wireless.

The reach of AirPort Extreme, especially running in draft-n mode and paired with Apple's current AirPort Extreme base station, is exceptional. A problem I had early on with nearby base stations dropping in and out of sight was fixed by an automatic software update.

One last testament to the Santa Rosa MacBook Pro's excellence is that, short of tablet models, this MacBook Pro is the best Windows carry-on I've got. If Dell made this machine, the MacBook Pro would be that vendor's flagship Vista notebook. Power users who buy PC notebooks ought to look at the MacBook Pro even if they're dead set against OS X because it runs Windows XP and Vista natively, with no compromises, and even with backlit keyboard, special hot keys, a frame-mounted Web cam, and gaming-grade GPU. I invite you to buy the Santa Rosa MacBook Pro (get the optional 3GB or 4GB of RAM), and get a copy of XP or Vista. Once you boot Windows the first time, your MacBook Pro can boot it by default. If you get into trouble, you can flip over to the OS X partition to diagnose it.

The MacBook Pro is competitively priced even when the additional cost of Windows is factored in. No matter what software you run on it, the MacBook Pro is a notebook that you'll take with you everywhere.