Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)

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MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)

	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2008	February 2009
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1680 × 1050	1920 × 1200 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	17-inch TFT widescreen display at 1680 × 1050, matte or glossy. Optional 1920 × 1200 LED-backlit display; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.	17-inch LED-backlit widescreen display at 1920 × 1200, glossy or optional antiglare. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008)	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2009)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3)	NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB	4 GB or 8 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	200 GB to 300 GB	128 GB to 320 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.5 GHz or optional 2.6 GHz, with 6 MB shared L2 cache and an 800 MHz frontside bus.	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.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 video memory	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 type
Memory type	2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, configurable to 4 GB, in two SO-DIMM slots.	4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Storage type
Storage type	250 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 200 GB 7200-rpm or 300 GB 4200-rpm drive with either processor. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.	320 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.
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × 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 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	Built-in iSight camera	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Three 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 optical digital audio output/headphone output.	Three 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 displays
External displays	Supports an external display up to 2560 × 1600 pixels alongside the built-in display. DVI-to-VGA adapter included; other display adapters optional.	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.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors and revised function keys; the previous embedded numeric keypad is removed.	Backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad supports two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three-finger swipe.	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad supporting two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille.	Omnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille; supports an Apple Stereo Headset with microphone.
In the box
In the box	MacBook Pro, removable battery, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, DVI-to-VGA adapter, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’08; Apple Remote sold separately. The retired SP4 spec sheet is unavailable, so maker launch notice and exact early-2008 user guide supply core specifications.	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.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	–	Up to 8 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	95 Wh
Weight
Weight	–	2.99 kg
Thickness
Thickness	–	25 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	–	393 × 267 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable lithium-polymer battery. Capacity, life, metric weight and dimensions are omitted because the surviving maker launch notice and exact manual do not publish them. Macworld describes the model as 6.6 lb; this original unit is retained without conversion.	Built-in lithium-polymer battery. Apple reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver