This morning Apple introduced a refresh to its MacBook Pro laptop computers lineup, boosting CPU speeds, memory capacity and graphics performance. The new systems are also Apple’s first to feature Intel’s “Santa Rosa” chipset, increasing the frontside bus speed from 667MHz to 800MHz.

The new MacBook Pro notebooks offer a slimmer and lighter design and are now shipping with 2GB of DDR2-667 memory as standard, supporting up to 4 gigs. The base model will set you back $1,999 and features a 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo processor, 120GB 5400RPM HDD, GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and the new 15.4" 1400x900 power efficient LED-backlit display which will supposedly extend battery life 30 minutes to an hour.

If you fork over $2,499, you’ll get speed boosts clocking in at 2.4 gigahertz, 160GB HDD, and a 256MB version of the GeForce 8600M GT. A new 17-inch model is also shipping today for an extra $300, lacking LED-backlit display, but offering an optional 1920-by-1200 high-resolution display instead.