Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M5)AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2025May 2006
Display
Screen size14.2″17″
Resolution3024 × 1964 (better)1680 × 1050
PanelMini-LED–
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness1,000 nits (better)300 nits
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayWidescreen TFT display; matte at launch, with glossy option added later in May 2006 with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.
Pixel density254 ppi–
Colour rangeWide colour (P3); 1 billion colours–
Screen finishStandard, or nano-texture as an option–
Display features1,000,000:1 contrast; 1,000 nits sustained full-screen XDR brightness; ProMotion up to 120 Hz, with fixed 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 and 60 Hz rates; True Tone–
Performance
ProcessorApple M5Intel Core Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2006)
CPU cores102
Graphics10-core GPUATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)1 GB or 2 GB
Storage1 TB to 4 TB (better)100 GB to 120 GB
CPU10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency coresDual-core Intel Core Duo at 2.16 GHz, with 2 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus. The record retains the maker’s clock and model rather than copying an unverified retail-chip specification.
GPUNeural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decodeATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 1 GB standard, configurable to 2 GB.
Memory bandwidth153 GB/s–
Storage typeSSD, configurable up to 4 TB120 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 100 GB at 7200 rpm. 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× double-layer DVD+R writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity72.4 Wh (better)68 Wh
Weight1.55 kg (better)3.1 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)25.9 mm
Width × depth312.6 × 221.2 mm392 × 265 mm
Battery life detailUp to 16 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer batteryRemovable 68 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5.5 hours in Apple’s test. Maker reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
ChargerSold separately in the UK (70 W or 96 W Apple USB-C adapters offered); needs at least 60 W over USB PD85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Fast chargingWith a 96 W or higher USB PD power source–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 45% recycled content overallAluminium enclosure
ColoursSpace Black, SilverSilver
Connections
Ports3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EAirPort Extreme 802.11g
Bluetooth5.32.0 + EDR
Webcam12MP Center StageBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detail3 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40 Gb/s); HDMI with multichannel audio output; SDXC card slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support3 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, dual-link DVI, ExpressCard/34, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output, and Kensington lock slot. VGA adapter included; composite/S-video adapter optional.
External displaysUp to two over any mix of Thunderbolt and HDMI at 6K 60 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, or one at up to 8K 60 Hz, 5K 120 Hz or 4K 240 Hz, alongside the built-in displayOne external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keysFull-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypad
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadScrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.
SpeakersSix-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; Spatial Audio with Dolby AtmosBuilt-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modesBuilt-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box14-inch MacBook Pro, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m), polishing cloth (nano-texture display only); power adapter sold separatelyMacBook Pro, removable battery, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Apple Remote and DVI-to-VGA adapter included. Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger and iLife ’06. Apple’s 24 April 2006 notice states shipping the following week, supporting May month precision without an exact delivery day. The optional glossy screen was introduced later in May and is not treated as an original launch configuration.

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