Unannounced Core i7 Apple MacBook Pro benchmarks surface

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
A benchmark report for an unreleased Apple MacBook Pro sporting Intel's upcoming dual-core 2.66GHz Core i7 mobile processor was published online this week, suggesting a refresh to the professional notebook line may be imminent.



The Geekbench report, which can be seen in its entirety here, was submitted on February 4th and subsequently spotted by a MacRumors forum member. It lists the model as a MacBook Pro 6,1 -- a previously unused MacBook Pro identifier -- running an unreleased build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 labeled 10C3067.



More specifically, the chip that registered inside the unreleased MacBook Pro is the Core i7 M 620, which represents the highest-performance chip announced as part of Intel's new Arrandale mobile offerings last month.



Overall, the unannounced system garnered a score of 5260, which compares quite favorably to a high score of roughly 4620 for the existing top-of-the-line 17-inch 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro, and a score of 4260 for the existing 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo model.



If not the result of a custom hack, these findings suggest that the MacBook Pro responsible for the this week's Geekbench score may represent a high-end 15- or 17-inch model that Apple plans to introduce to the market shortly. The Mac Maker has been rumored to adopt Arrandale microprocessors to further its professional notebook line, though previous reports have focused around the machines adopting the Core i5 line of processors.



For instance, Intel last month accidentally issued an email to its Retail Edge program offering partners a chance to win a forthcoming MacBook Pro based around a new Core i5 processor. The world's largest chipmaker later claimed the promotion was an error, though somewhat unconvincingly.







Assuming the aforementioned benchmarks aren't the result of a one-off custom hack, it's reasonable to presume Apple may use a combination of Core i5 and Core i7 chips to power its forthcoming MacBook Pro refresh, starting with the 2.26GHz (430M) or 2.4GHz (520M) Core i5 variants on the low end, stepping up to 2.53GHz (540M) Core i5 on the mid-range model, and maxing out with the 2.66GHz 620M Core i7 on the high-end offerings.











The Core i7 chips include 4MB of Level 3 cache while the Core i5s include 3MB of Level 3 cache. Both processor lines offer 2x DDR3-1066 memory, as can be seen in the charts above.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 124
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,616member
    Maybe its a Hackintosh?



    Wouldn't be the first time we have seen hackintoshes listed as genuine Macs. Heres a link to one of those new 3.5ghz core i7 iMacs http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/209237
  • Reply 2 of 124
    Yay, I'm in. Hopefully they come out soon
  • Reply 3 of 124
    mr. kmr. k Posts: 115member
    Excellent. Tuesday?
  • Reply 4 of 124
    LOL these Geekbench scores are TWICE those of my '06 Core Duo MacBook (2.0 GHz). This will be quite the upgrade for me:



    It's amazing how quickly tech improves.
  • Reply 5 of 124
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by irnchriz View Post


    Maybe its a Hackintosh?



    Wouldn't be the first time we have seen hackintoshes listed as genuine Macs. Heres a link to one of those new 3.5ghz core i7 iMacs http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/209237



    Thought about it, but wouldn't Identify itself as an unknown Mac instead of having an Apple specific I.D.?
  • Reply 6 of 124
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BenRoethig View Post


    Thought about it, but wouldn't Identify itself as an unknown Mac instead of having an Apple specific I.D.?



    That can be spoofed. We can't rule out people trying to pull a lame internet gag.
  • Reply 7 of 124
    tekstudtekstud Posts: 351member
    Bring it. I'm ready - finally. Now or never. Wonder what the 13" will get?
  • Reply 8 of 124
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    since there is no graphics card info, i don't believe it until i see it
  • Reply 9 of 124
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Why do you say it "compares quite favorably?" I guess it's higher, but It's also an entire architectural shift for only 14% improvement.
  • Reply 10 of 124
    If you noticed there started to provide discounts to the present macbook pro line. Not sure about USA, but India there are giving discounts.
  • Reply 11 of 124
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    since there is no graphics card info, i don't believe it until i see it



    Excellent point.
  • Reply 12 of 124
    Of course, the day after I pick up my MacBook Pro. Oh well, this is a great little computer and I have no regrets. Besides, now I wont get a first production round unit that will be more likely to have issues.
  • Reply 13 of 124
    same boat as rogzilla, got my mbp 15 2.66 2 months ago, oh well really needed it and not that much performance loss, and based on imac pricing, i probably couldnt afford core i5 or i7 anyway, dont expect a sub 2500 price tag
  • Reply 14 of 124
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacAdict View Post


    same boat as rogzilla, got my mbp 15 2.66 2 months ago, oh well really needed it and not that much performance loss, and based on imac pricing, i probably couldnt afford core i5 or i7 anyway, dont expect a sub 2500 price tag



    Don't expect prices to increase, as they won't.
  • Reply 15 of 124
    im not saying they will increase, a mbp 15 with 3.06 c2d starts at 2599, im guessing thats the neighborhood for the i7
  • Reply 16 of 124
    Yay!!!!!!
  • Reply 17 of 124
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacAdict View Post


    im not saying they will increase, a mbp 15 with 3.06 c2d starts at 2599, im guessing thats the neighborhood for the i7



    The i7-620M IS the top of the line for Arrandale, but I wouldn't expect it to be the "upgrade" processor - maybe they will have an optional Claksdale 720QM as the upgrade.
  • Reply 18 of 124
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Excellent point.





    i think it's safe to say that the next MBP refresh won't have the 9400M which means an Intel produced motherboard
  • Reply 19 of 124
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    For the folks that have recently purchased a MacBook Pro that may be slightly bummed (or anyone who is considering purchasing any Apple gear), buy all means bookmark this page.



    It tracks the historical frequency of updates against the current interval between updates for all of Apple's stuff, and makes purchasing recommendations based on that.



    Current status of MacBook Pros? "Don't buy, updates soon", based on an average of 200 days between updates and a current count of 243 days since the last one. So the update clock ticked over about a month ago.
  • Reply 20 of 124
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tasslehawf View Post


    The i7-620M IS the top of the line for Arrandale, but I wouldn't expect it to be the "upgrade" processor - maybe they will have an optional Claksdale 720QM as the upgrade.



    Have they ever used a CPU with a 45W TDP in a MBP?
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