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White & Black MacBook Q&A - Updated June 5, 2009
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What type of video processor is provided by the MacBook? Is it upgradable?
There are three different video processors provided by the MacBook models -- the Intel GMA 950 graphics processor in systems released prior to November 1, 2007, the Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor in the "Late 2007" and "Early 2008", and the NVIDIA GeForcee 9400M in the "Early 2009" and "Mid-2009".
All three video processors are "integrated" -- meaning that system memory is "borrowed" for video function -- and cannot be upgraded in any of the MacBook models.
The specific capabilities of each system are included on the specifications page of each model, but also are included below for your convenience.
MacBook |
Video Processor |
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA 950 |
|
Intel GMA X3100 |
|
Intel GMA X3100 |
|
Intel GMA X3100 |
|
Intel GMA X3100 |
|
Intel GMA X3100 |
|
Intel GMA X3100 |
|
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M |
|
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M |
Please note that the Intel GMA 950 borrows 80 MB of system memory (to provide 64 MB of VRAM), the Intel GMA X3100 borrows 144 MB of system memory (and uses an additional 16 MB when connected to an external display), and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M borrows 256 MB of system memory. However, Apple also reports that "memory available to Mac OS X may vary depending on graphics needs" in all of these systems.
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