Request a product

Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2016February 2008
Display
Screen size15.4″15.4″
Resolution2880 × 18001440 × 900
PanelIPS LCD–
Brightness500 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeRetina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of coloursLED-backlit widescreen TFT display, matte with optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.
Pixel density220 ppi–
Colour rangeWide colour (P3)–
Display featuresScaled resolutions of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640–
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i7-6700HQ, Intel Core i7-6820HQ or Intel Core i7-6920HQIntel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008), Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008)
CPU cores42
CPU threads8–
GraphicsAMD Radeon Pro 450, AMD Radeon Pro 460 or AMD Radeon Pro 455NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) or NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3)
Memory16 GB2 GB or 4 GB
Storage256 GB to 2 TB200 GB to 300 GB
CPUQuad-core Intel Core i7 at 2.6 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz and 6 MB shared L3 cache, or at 2.7 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz and 8 MB cache; both configurable to 2.9 GHz with up to 3.8 GHz and 8 MB cache. Ars confirms the i7-6700HQ, i7-6820HQ and i7-6920HQ identifiers.Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz with 3 MB shared L2 cache, or 2.5 GHz with 6 MB; 2.6 GHz with 6 MB is configurable from the 2.5 GHz base, as confirmed by Macworld. All use an 800 MHz frontside bus. Maker-described clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions.
GPUIntel HD Graphics 530 with automatic switching to discrete Radeon graphics. The 2.6 GHz base has Radeon Pro 450 with 2 GB GDDR5; the 2.7 GHz base has Radeon Pro 455 with 2 GB GDDR5; each is configurable to Radeon Pro 460 with 4 GB GDDR5.NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3); NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3). GPU memory varies with processor configuration.
Memory type16 GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory. Apple publishes this system speed; Intel lists LPDDR3-1866 in its generic processor specifications.667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB.
Storage typePCIe-based onboard SSD; 256 GB base with 2.6 GHz processor configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB; 512 GB base with 2.7 GHz processor configurable to 1 TB or 2 TB. The optional 2.9 GHz processor retains its base configuration's graphics and storage choices.200 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive at 2.4 GHz or 250 GB 5400-rpm at 2.5 GHz. Maker build-to-order options are 200 GB at 7200 rpm, 250 GB at 5400 rpm or 300 GB at 4200 rpm; 200 GB rows on higher CPUs represent the optional faster drive. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 10 hours–
Battery capacity76 Wh–
Weight1.83 kg–
Thickness15.5 mm26 mm
Width × depth349.3 × 240.7 mm357 × 243 mm
Battery life detailLithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web or iTunes movie playback and 30 days standby. Apple's October 2016 tests used the 2.6 GHz Core i7, 16 GB memory and 256 GB SSD. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.Removable lithium-polymer battery; capacity and battery-life hours omitted because the surviving maker sources read do not publish them. Macworld lists 5.4 lb; metric weight omitted. Dimensions 357 × 243 × 26 mm are published by Notebookcheck’s exact-model review.
Charger87 W USB-C Power Adapter85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
MaterialsAluminium enclosureAluminium enclosure
ColoursSilver; Space GreySilver
Connections
Ports4 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5AirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth4.22.1 + EDR
Webcam720p FaceTime HDBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailFour Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports support charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack. VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 output require separate adaptors.2 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 displaysBuilt-in screen plus two 5120 × 2880 displays at 60 Hz with over a billion colours, or four 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with over a billion coloursOne external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with 64 US or 65 ISO keys, four arrow keys, Touch Bar and ambient light sensor; second-generation butterfly mechanismFull-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys
TrackpadForce Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gesturesMulti-Touch trackpad with separate button; scrolling, pinch, rotate and three-finger swipe.
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeBuilt-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesThree microphonesBuilt-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
BiometricsTouch ID fingerprint sensor; Apple T1 chip–
In the box15-inch MacBook Pro; 87 W USB-C Power Adapter; 2 m USB-C Charge CableMacBook Pro, removable battery, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife ’08. Apple Remote sold separately. The former SP4 specification URL is no longer available; surviving maker launch notice and exact user guide provide core specifications.

More comparisons