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Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) 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

AppleMacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2019February 2009
Display
Screen size16″17″
Resolution3072 × 19201920 × 1200
PanelIPS LCD–
Refresh rate60 Hz–
Brightness500 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeRetina display; LED-backlit IPS; millions of colours17-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 Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.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 density226 ppi–
Colour rangeWide colour (P3)–
Display featuresTrue Tone; selectable refresh rates of 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 and 60 Hz–
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i7-9750H, Intel Core i9-9880H or Intel Core i9-9980HKIntel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2009)
CPU cores6 or 82
CPU threads12 or 16–
GraphicsAMD Radeon Pro 5300M (4 GB GDDR6), AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (4 GB GDDR6), AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (8 GB GDDR6) or AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (8 GB HBM2)NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Memory16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB4 GB or 8 GB
Storage512 GB to 8 TB128 GB to 320 GB
CPUNinth-generation Intel Core i7 at 2.6 GHz (six cores, Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz, 12 MB shared L3 cache), Core i9 at 2.3 GHz (eight cores, up to 4.8 GHz, 16 MB cache) or Core i9 at 2.4 GHz (eight cores, up to 5 GHz, 16 MB cache). Exact i7-9750H, i9-9880H and i9-9980HK identifiers confirmed by RTINGS. Apple T2 Security Chip.Intel 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.
GPUAutomatic switching between Intel UHD Graphics 630 and Radeon Pro 5300M 4 GB GDDR6, Radeon Pro 5500M 4 GB or 8 GB GDDR6, or Radeon Pro 5600M 8 GB HBM2. The 5600M appears in Apple's updated spec sheet and was not a launch graphics option. The 2.3 GHz Core i9 starts with 5500M 4 GB and 1 TB storage; the 2.4 GHz Core i9 can also upgrade the lower base configuration (RTINGS).NVIDIA 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.
Memory type2666 MHz DDR4 onboard memory; 16 GB standard, configurable to 32 GB or 64 GB4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Storage typeSSD; 512 GB standard with the 2.6 GHz Core i7 or 1 TB with the 2.3 GHz Core i9; configurable to 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB as appropriate320 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.
CoolingRedesigned fans and larger vents; Apple states 28% higher airflow and a 35% larger heat sink than the preceding design–
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 11 hoursUp to 8 hours
Battery capacity99.8 Wh95 Wh
Weight2 kg2.99 kg
Thickness16.2 mm25 mm
Width × depth357.9 × 245.9 mm393 × 267 mm
Battery life detailLithium-polymer battery advertised as 100 Wh, with an actual rating of 99.8 Wh in Apple's footnote; up to 11 hours wireless web or Apple TV app movie playback and 30 days standby. Tested with the 2.3 GHz Core i9, 16 GB memory and 1 TB SSD. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.Built-in lithium-polymer battery. Apple reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger96 W USB-C Power Adapter85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
MaterialsAluminium enclosureAluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
ColoursSilver, Space GreySilver
Connections
Ports4 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5AirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth5.02.1 + EDR
Webcam720p FaceTime HDBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailFour Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports supporting charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jackThree 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 displays at 6016 × 3384 and 60 Hz, or four at 4096 × 2304 and 60 Hz, at over a billion colours, alongside the built-in display. Native DisplayPort over USB-C; VGA, HDMI, DVI and Thunderbolt 2 through separate adaptors.Supports 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 with scissor mechanism and 1 mm travel; 65 US or 66 ISO keys, inverted-T arrow keys, physical Escape key, Touch Bar and ambient light sensorBacklit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.
TrackpadForce Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gesturesGlass Multi-Touch trackpad supporting two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
SpeakersSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound and Dolby Atmos playbackBuilt-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesThree-microphone array with directional beamformingOmnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille; supports an Apple Stereo Headset with microphone.
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box16-inch MacBook Pro; 96 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)MacBook 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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