Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)

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MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006) compared with MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)

	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2006	June 2012
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.4″	15.4″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1440 × 900 or 1680 × 1050 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	TN LCD
Brightness
Brightness	300 nits	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Widescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.	15.4-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, millions of colours; TN technology identified in Macworld's comparison test of its Mid-2012 non-Retina unit. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Screen finish
Screen finish	–	Standard glossy screen; configurable to a 1680 × 1050 higher-resolution glossy or antiglare screen
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006)	Intel Core i7-3615QM, Intel Core i7-3720QM or Intel Core i7-3820QM
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	8
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3) or ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (512 MB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (1 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB	4 GB or 8 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	120 GB to 200 GB	128 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.16 GHz or 2.33 GHz, with 4 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus.	Quad-core Intel Core i7-3615QM at 2.3 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz and 6 MB L3 cache, or Core i7-3720QM at 2.6 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz and 6 MB cache; the higher base is configurable to Core i7-3820QM at 2.7 GHz with up to 3.7 GHz and 8 MB cache. Exact identities documented by EveryMac.
GPU
GPU	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3); ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3). GPU memory varies with processor configuration.	Intel HD Graphics 4000 plus NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with automatic graphics switching; 512 MB GDDR5 on the 2.3 GHz base or 1 GB GDDR5 on the 2.6 GHz base and its 2.7 GHz upgrade
Memory type
Memory type	667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots, up to 3 GB. Lower base starts with 1 GB and higher with 2 GB.	1600 MHz DDR3 memory; 4 GB on the 2.3 GHz base, configurable to 8 GB as two 4 GB modules; 8 GB on the 2.6 GHz base. Configurations retain the maker-supported 8 GB ceiling, excluding larger aftermarket upgrades.
Storage type
Storage type	Launch notice confirms a 120 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive for both bases. The retained specification table instead lists 160 GB for the higher base; both maker-confirmed capacities are represented. Optional 160 GB 5400-rpm or 200 GB 4200-rpm drives. Slot-loading 6× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.	2.3 GHz base has a 500 GB 5400 rpm hard drive; 2.6 GHz base has 750 GB at 5400 rpm. Either offers 750 GB at 7200 rpm, 1 TB at 5400 rpm or 128/256/512 GB SSD; the lower base also offers 750 GB at 5400 rpm. Configurations list the distinct capacities; the two 750 GB rotational-speed options remain explicit here. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	60 Wh	77.5 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	–	2.56 kg
Thickness
Thickness	–	24.1 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	–	364 × 249 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable 60 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5 hours in Apple’s test. Apple publishes a reference weight of 5.6 lb and enclosure measuring 14.1 × 9.6 × 1.0 inches; weight varies by configuration. Unpublished metric fields omitted.	Built-in 77.5 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium unibody enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, Ethernet, headphone jack, SD card slot
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	AirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enabler	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.0 + EDR	4.0
Webcam
Webcam	Built-in iSight camera	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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.	Two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, SDXC, MagSafe and separate digital/analogue audio line input and output; Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone supported. Kensington lock slot and built-in SuperDrive; no HDMI port.
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI or HDMI audio/video through separate Mini DisplayPort adapters
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypad	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Stereo speakers with subwoofer
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook 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 10.4.8 Tiger and iLife ’06; Apple confirms 15-inch shipping on 24 October 2006.	MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord and documentation; OS X Lion and iLife, with a free Mountain Lion upgrade offered to eligible launch buyers