Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Which CPU exactly does new unibody MBP use?

T

TheCakeIsALie

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 14, 2008
119
1
There's no question with the 2.4Ghz and 2.8Ghz model but I was wondering which CPU the new unibody MBP uses in the 2.53Ghz model. Intel has two Penryns at this frequency with exactly the same specs except for TDP, the T9400 at 35W and the P9500 at 25W. Performance-wise P9500 is slightly better and because of the lower TDP, is more energy efficient. So which one does the new MBP use? Anybody knows/mind doing a CPU-Z check?

Also, are the 9400m and 9600m GT made using the newer 55nm technology? I'm just afraid that if it's still the old 65nm/80nm tech, the same packaging fault will come back. Does anybody know (with GPU-Z check)?

Thanks a lot in advance.
 
1. No one knows yet, they're not in stores until tomorrow. But I am very curious too. I thought the exact same thing. Apple's battery life advertisement would be very misleading if the midrange with the 2.53 is less efficient than the 2.4 because it has 35w draw vs 25w.

2. The 8600 used 80nm while the new 9600 uses 65nm (not the same tech as the 8600). I wouldn't be worried about it, but unfortunately it's not as good as the 9650 that uses the 55nm.
 
i'm curious as well because i'm trying to decide between the 2.53ghz and 2.8ghz CPU. The 2.8Ghz is going to be a 35W CPU, the 2.53 could be either 25W or 35W.

If the 2.53Ghz CPU is the P9500(25W) and not the P9400(35W) then i'm sticking with 2.53Ghz. If it's a P9400, then i'm upgrading to 2.8Ghz. It's a hard and complex decision, this is just 1 of my deciding factors.
 
Unfortunately for Barefeets. In reality land where I live, the 9600GT and 8600GT are basically THE EXACT SAME PART.
 
Here's some news on this matter. Notebookcheck seems to know that the 2.53 Ghz CPU is indeed the P9500 (the more energy efficient one). Although they claim the source for this info is the Apple website despite the fact that it's not true. Check it out here.

I hope it's true though, because I already ordered the 2.53 Ghz model.
 
Personally I'm guessing it is, given the price of the system and how thin it is.
 
I am intrigued by the possible performance/battery usage/heat issues with the different processor options. PCMag posts some benchmarks including that the 2.53 option is in fact the T9400. This would push me somewhat to the 2.8 gHz model simply for the added, albeit minimal, performance increase... Of course, there statement of the T9400 has not been verified...

Any thoughts, any hands on comments with additional info.
 
chachat said:
I am intrigued by the possible performance/battery usage/heat issues with the different processor options. PCMag posts some benchmarks including that the 2.53 option is in fact the T9400. This would push me somewhat to the 2.8 gHz model simply for the added, albeit minimal, performance increase... Of course, there statement of the T9400 has not been verified...

Any thoughts, any hands on comments with additional info.
Click to expand...

Hopefully someone will get one and run CPU-Z on it in Windows (assuming there's not an OS X version of that). I'm saying I'm 60% sure it's the lower power draw model :D
 
yea hopefully someone can run a CPU-z today and let us all know.

As for all the guessing and 'considering price & heat...' blah blah...
Those considerations aren't relevant cause
1) Apple would be happy to charge you more for a cheaper part
2) More importantly, the case was designed to handle a 2.8Ghz CPU as proven by the option, so from a business stand point, if I knew I could get away with putting the cheaper, higher Wattage CPU in, instead of the more expensive lower wattage one, why wouldn't I ?

note - the 2.8Ghz option & the P9400 are both 35W, the P9500 is 25W, all the same size

So at this point I'm assuming for the worst, yet hoping for the best. Can anyone give us a confirmation on either or?
 
That's a good point about the 2.8GHz chip.

Of course, I really want a 9800GTX and the quad core, which has a 45 watt TDP (which is actually astoundingly low when you think about it!)
 
update, while no concrete facts have been given, cause this place doesn't say how they get their information....

notebookcheck.net claims the 2.53Ghz CPU is a P9500

I just wish they'd cite where they found this information, or put up a screenshot as proof.
 
To philamac:

Here's my thought on why it should be the P9500. Because the battery life specs for both the 2.4 Ghz and 2.53 Ghz MBPs are the same, I think the 2.53 model is the P-series chip (because the 2.4 model is the P-series with 25W TDP). Otherwise the battery life performance for the 2.53 model would be worse since the CPU would be drawing 10W more. And Apple doesn't have to take into account the 2.8 Ghz model in their battery life specs because it is BTO and not stock.

And also to those fortunate people who's actually got their hands on the new MBP 2.53 Ghz:

If possible, please do a CPU-Z check and tell us whether exactly which chip it uses. Thanks
 
TheCakeIsALie said:
To philamac:

Here's my thought on why it should be the P9500. Because the battery life specs for both the 2.4 Ghz and 2.53 Ghz MBPs are the same, I think the 2.53 model is the P-series chip (because the 2.4 model is the P-series with 25W TDP). Otherwise the battery life performance for the 2.53 model would be worse since the CPU would be drawing 10W more. And Apple doesn't have to take into account the 2.8 Ghz model in their battery life specs because it is BTO and not stock.

And also to those fortunate people who's actually got their hands on the new MBP 2.53 Ghz:

If possible, please do a CPU-Z check and tell us whether exactly which chip it uses. Thanks
Click to expand...

You make a very good point. If battery life is in fact the same for both, then yes, I'd have to agree that they must both be 25W CPUs and jumping for joy.

However, in the fine print, Apple states,
"Testing conducted by Apple in October 2008 using preproduction 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo–based MacBook Pro units with a Better Battery Life setting. Battery life depends on configuration and use"
But nonetheless, you've given my cloud a silver lining.

Now I know someone out there has the laptop already, please do a CPU check and put this thread out of its misery!!!
 
Profiler Doesn't Specify

I am going with 99.9% certain that it uses the P9500. As you can see, it doesn't specifically say which processor it's using.

profile.jpg


Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to check :)
 
If you happen to have Windows on it you can find out for sure.

EDIT: Not sure if there's an OS X program that tells you or not...probably is, but...
 
ThinkBrilliant said:
I am going with 99.9% certain that it uses the P9500. As you can see, it doesn't specifically say which processor it's using.

profile.jpg


Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to check :)
Click to expand...

Thanks ThinkBrilliant. Is there anyway you could get some sort of CPUID identification program to get the details about the processors (I know CPU-Z for Windows but don't know if it works for OS X)?
 
Give me a few hours

If you give me a few hours I'll look more into it. I'm sure I'll be able to find out for sure. I haven't completely set it up yet, which is what I'm doing tonight.

If anything, I can do a manual scan and figure it out. Or clock it and see if it lines up with what Intel says about the P9500.

Of course, it is a mac, so cross running some applications that would give me specific information like that may not work. But, I'll do my best.
 
Fellows at PC Magazine says that the CPU is T9400. Here's their benchmark chart. Can anybody confirm this (hopefully with a CPU-Z screenshot)?
 
Anybody able to bootcamp windows and look in system properties? I don't know how to do the equivalent in OSX.

Please, help us out! Is the CPU a T9400 or P9500?

HERE is a link to a CPU info tool for OSX. I'm not sure how well it works cause I don't have a mac yet.
 
Hopefully it's going to be the P9500 instead of T9400.

It's amazing that it have been so 2 days since its announcement, yet no one knows yet which 2.53Ghz CPU it is using.

Mine is coming on the 22nd. =)
 
Whether rational or not, I am delaying my decision on purchasing a 2.53 vs 2.8 based the nature of the 2.53 gHz processor, as heat generated as well as the use of the fan could be influenced depending on power consumption. So it will be interesting to see what the final verdict is from some further investigation. Til then, waiting in the wings...
 
chachat said:
Whether rational or not, I am delaying my decision on purchasing a 2.53 vs 2.8 based the nature of the 2.53 gHz processor, as heat generated as well as the use of the fan could be influenced depending on power consumption. So it will be interesting to see what the final verdict is from some further investigation. Til then, waiting in the wings...
Click to expand...

Remember that regardless of the thermal envelope, EITHER 2.53GHz CPU is going to draw less than the 2.8GHz CPU at full blast.
 
Power consumption

I've ordered a 2.8GHz yesterday although now having a few doubts about its power consumption after this discussion...

Assuming that the 2.53GHz is the 25W version, when comparing it to the 2.8GHz under 'normal' to 'low' conditions, will there be much of a difference in its power consumption? What I'm keen to avoid is a hot noisy notebook! :D

Does anyone have any experiences with previous Apple notebooks with BTO larger processors?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back