Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)

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MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)

	AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2008	May 2006
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.4″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1680 × 1050 (better)
Brightness
Brightness	–	300 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.	Widescreen 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 Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008), Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)	Intel Core Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2006)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M or NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB (better)	1 GB or 2 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 320 GB (better)	100 GB to 120 GB
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz with 3 MB shared L2 cache or 2.53 GHz with 6 MB; 2.8 GHz with 6 MB is configurable only from the upper base, as confirmed by Ars Technica and SlashGear. 1066 MHz frontside bus; clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions.	Dual-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.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M; NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M. GPU memory varies with processor configuration. The integrated GeForce 9400M and discrete GeForce 9600M GT are selectable alternatives; changing GPU requires logout, as confirmed by Ars Technica and SlashGear.	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory type
Memory type	1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots, up to 4 GB. Lower base starts with 2 GB; higher has 4 GB.	667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 1 GB standard, configurable to 2 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	Lower base has a 250 GB and higher a 320 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive. Maker configurable options include 250 GB or 320 GB 7200-rpm drives, or a 128 GB SSD. All 128 GB rows are SSD configurations; higher-base 250 GB rows represent the faster configurable hard drive. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.	120 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)
Battery life (maker's claim)	–	Up to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	68 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.49 kg (better)	3.1 kg
Thickness
Thickness	–	25.9 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	–	392 × 265 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable lithium-polymer battery; capacity and battery-life hours omitted because the surviving maker sources read do not publish them. Apple lists 5.5 lb; the main 2.49 kg reference weight is explicitly published by Ars Technica. Ars lists enclosure dimensions 14.35 × 9.82 × 0.95 inches; metric dimensions omitted.	Removable 68 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5.5 hours in Apple’s test. Maker reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	AirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	AirPort Extreme 802.11g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.0 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	Built-in iSight camera	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	2 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini DisplayPort, ExpressCard/34, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output, and Kensington lock slot. Display adapters sold separately.	3 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 displays
External displays	Mini DisplayPort supports an external display up to 30 inches; separate DVI, VGA or dual-link DVI adapters required. A numeric external resolution is omitted because it is not stated in the surviving maker sources read.	One external display up to 2560 × 1600 alongside the built-in screen through dual-link DVI; included VGA adapter, optional composite/S-video adapter.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys	Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; embedded numeric keypad
Trackpad
Trackpad	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with integrated button; scrolling, pinch, rotate and three-finger/four-finger swipes.	Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone above the Escape key	Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
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. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife ’08; Apple Remote and display adapters sold separately. The former SP499 specification URL is no longer available; maker launch notice and exact user guide supply core facts.	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 10.4.6 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.