Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)

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 2009)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M5)AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2025February 2009
Display
Screen size14.2″17″
Resolution3024 × 1964 (better)1920 × 1200
PanelMini-LED–
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness1,000 nits–
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR display17-inch LED-backlit widescreen display at 1920 × 1200, glossy or optional antiglare. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.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 2 Duo 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2009)
CPU cores102
Graphics10-core GPUNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)4 GB or 8 GB
Storage1 TB to 4 TB (better)128 GB to 320 GB
CPU10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency coresIntel Core 2 Duo at 2.66 GHz or optional 2.93 GHz, with 6 MB shared L2 cache and a 1066 MHz frontside bus. Maker-clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions.
GPUNeural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decodeNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 plus GeForce 9400M with 256 MB shared system memory. Switching between the discrete and integrated graphics requires logout, as reported by LaptopMag.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Memory bandwidth153 GB/s–
Storage typeSSD, configurable up to 4 TB320 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 320 GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128 GB or 256 GB SSD with either processor. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 8 hours
Battery capacity72.4 Wh95 Wh (better)
Weight1.55 kg (better)2.99 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)25 mm
Width × depth312.6 × 221.2 mm393 × 267 mm
Battery life detailUp to 16 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer batteryBuilt-in lithium-polymer battery. Apple 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 unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
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 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth5.32.1 + 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 supportThree USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini DisplayPort, ExpressCard/34, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and optical digital audio output/headphone output. No SD card slot.
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 displaySupports an external display up to 2560 × 1600 pixels alongside the built-in display. Mini DisplayPort to DVI, dual-link DVI or VGA adapters are sold separately.
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keysBacklit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadGlass Multi-Touch trackpad supporting two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
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 modesOmnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille; supports an Apple Stereo Headset with microphone.
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, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, display cleaning cloth, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09; Apple Remote and display adapters sold separately.

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