When we first got our hands on the MacBook Pro back in October, we brought you some of the details straight away, but now it's time for the full test.

Handling
We can start this test on the outside of the MacBook Pro without spending too much time on how it looks. Once again, Apple's engineers have produced an incredibly good-looking computer. It really is an attractive object, but wit that to one side, let's look at how it performs.

The keyboard is nice and spacious, and very comfortable to use, with large, quiet buttons.


In front of the keyboard is a touchpad that's remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, it's very big and takes up almost all of the space available. The second interesting change is that it's a single flat panel that you can click in, as if it were a giant mouse button, rather than tapping if with a finger. If you're used to traditional trackpads, you might find it a little disconcerting a first, but you soon get used to it.

Unfortunately, Apple has taken the minimalist look of the case and applied the same philosophy to the outputs and inputs it offers: there are just two USB ports, one FireWire 800 a mini DisplayPort for graphics and pair of mini-jacks.

If you're not lucky enough to have a DisplayPort screen, then don't worry--Apple will be happy to sell you adapters for either VGA or DVI. You won't have to throw your 'old' 24'' DVI-based Cinema Display that you paid a fortune for at the Apple Store just last year.

In addition, there's also an Express Card port, allowing you to add your choice of accessory, but HDMI, e-SATA and a memory card reader are all notable by the absence.

The power cable connects magnetically, meaning that you don't run the risk of dragging the MacBook Pro on to the floor if you accidentally step on its cable--it just pops loose and your computer remains intact.

All of the ports are on one side ...	... while the DVD drive is on the other
LEDs indicate battery level	Very large trackpad

The built-in speakers are high-quality, and do a decent job of bass notes even at quite high volumes. The maximum volume is loud enough for several people to watch a film, but be careful, because the glossy screen is susceptible to catching reflections when you look at it from the side.

Processor Power
When we test Windows-based computers, we use the FutureMark suite, whose equivalent for Macs is XBench. We used it to compare the results of the new MacBook Pro to other recent Apple models.


Compared to the 13'' white MacBook, the 15'' MacBook Pro only really distinguishes itself when it comes to handling 3D graphics.  It finished just ahead of the smaller model on every other test but not by any great margin.  

Games
The chipset and graphics card built in to this laptop are too very good signs that gaming performance will be high.  As we've discussed previously, the Nvidia chipset brings a real performance boost that promises to bring 3D gaming to computers without separate graphics cards.  

We didn't get a chance to test that claim out here, though, as an Nvidia 9600 M GT is altso included, and it has enough oomph to allow you to enjoy the latest 3D games in their native resolution, although you won't be able to turn all of the graphics options up to their most demanding settings.

If you'd like to know which games are available for Mac, you can consult a list at the Apple Store.

Portability & Battery Life
We've already praised the MacBook Pro's good battery life, especially under Mac OS X, where it lasted for 3 hours 19 minutes, an excellent time for a notebook.

Nevertheless, it's difficult not to look over at the achievements of netbooks in this regard.

The Samsung NC10, for instance, has a battery life of 4 hours 49 minutes and is 1.2 kg lighter, too.  Granted, the keyboard and screen are both smaller, but, it's still worth thinking about.