Apple's entry-level MacBooks received a minor update alongside their aluminium big brothers.

It's nothing hugely exciting in absolute terms, but helps keep the MacBook line current and competitive. And in those terms, the new line-up is a great success.

Beefed up Macbook

The processors have been bumped up, with the entry-level model using a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and the mid-range and top-end black models toting 2.4GHz versions.

Hard disk capacities have had a welcome increase too - 120GB, 160GB and 250GB for each model respectively - but as is almost always the case with Apple, you are paying a premium for this sort of component, which can be bought and fitted by yourself.

The same goes for RAM. For example, though we welcome the bump - 2GB in the 2.4GHz configurations, 1GB in the entry-level model - we were astonished that Apple wants to charge you £300 to max out the memory to 4GB on the entry-level MacBook. Crucial sells a 4GB kit for sixty quid!

Great value for money

Elsewhere, however, the MacBook range continues to be great value for money. The difference in price between the entry-level MacBook and the entry-level MacBook Pro is £500, and for many people that's money that could be better spent elsewhere.

The only big difference between the MacBooks and the MacBook Pros is that the Pros include a dedicated graphics card, while the MacBooks share resources with the rest of the computer. As a result, Apple's consumer laptops aren't great at gaming.

Sure, the Pro's dedicated graphics card will have an impact on more than just the framerate in Unreal Tournament, but gaming is where consumers notice the difference.

Gaming capabilities

The MacBook will make a decent stab at all but the most demanding games, and will acquit itself well with anything at Sims' level, but bear in mind that if you want all-out gaming, you have to go Pro.

Otherwise, unless you want a bigger screen, have a specific need for FireWire 800 or an ExpressCard slot, or just can't live without the MacBook Pro's pretty backlit keyboard, the MacBook is very competent, with bags of power for almost anyone.

The ability to drive an external monitor up to 1,920x 1,200 pixels means it's a great compromise for portability, and the 4GB RAM ceiling means that only the insanely hardcore users need not apply.

A great performer

This white 2.4GHz model is the best of the bunch. It's £130 more than the base model but has the faster processor and a dual-layer SuperDrive, where the entry-level model only has a Combo drive that can't write DVDs.

It also has double the RAM and 40GB more hard disk space, but as we've mentioned, these could have been easily added yourself; the processor and optical drive can't be upgraded, however.

It does well in our benchmarks, too; Cinebench results for its multi-core 3D graphics test shows that this model is performing almost 50% better than the earlier 1.83GHz MacBook model, and Xbench's CPU test lists almost twice the performance.