At a Glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Larger hard drive than previous model
- Performance comparable to previous high-end model
Cons
- Only 1GB of RAM
- No video adapters or Apple Remote in the box
- No SuperDrive
Our Verdict
The next-generation of the Core 2 Duo processor — code-named Penryn — highlights this round of MacBook updates. The processor upgrade delivers faster speeds than the previous generation, but less shared L2 cache (3MB, compared to 4MB in the previous generation). Hard-drive capacities have also jumped — this entry-level model now offers 120GB of storage, up from 80GB. However, this model only ships with 1GB of RAM installed; the other MacBooks now offer 2GB.
The 2.1GHz MacBook is a capable system, but for $200 more you can get a faster processor, bigger hard drive, SuperDrive, and–perhaps most important–an extra 1GB of RAM. That money is well worth it considering all the upgrades.