I wouldn't call it "crappy" but I guess if you really look at it, it's use to distinguish the line. Base MacBook Pro (I'm not considering 13") only 9400M, middle MacBook Pro 9400M + 9600M GT 256MB and high-end MacBook Pro 9400M + 9600M GT 512RAM. You basically get the low, mid and high-end to it, makes sense I guess.