Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) | AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2008 | November 2006 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 17″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 1680 × 1050 | 1680 × 1050 |
| Brightness | – | 300 nits |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| 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 Optional 1920 × 1200 LED-backlit display; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished. | Widescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read. |
| Performance | ||
| 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 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006) |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Memory | 2 GB or 4 GB (better) | 2 GB or 3 GB |
| Storage | 200 GB to 300 GB (better) | 100 GB to 200 GB |
| 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. | Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.33 GHz, with 4 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus. The record retains the maker’s clock and model without an unverified Intel SKU. |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 video memory | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Memory type | 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, configurable to 4 GB, in two SO-DIMM slots. | 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 2 GB standard, configurable to 3 GB. |
| 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. | 160 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 100 GB at 7200 rpm or 200 GB at 4200 rpm. 8× SuperDrive with 4× double-layer DVD+R writing. |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g | AirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enabler |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 2.0 + EDR |
| Webcam | Built-in iSight camera | Built-in iSight camera |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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. | 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 | Supports an external display up to 2560 × 1600 pixels alongside the built-in display. DVI-to-VGA adapter included; other display adapters optional. | 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 | Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors and revised function keys; the previous embedded numeric keypad is removed. | 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 | Multi-Touch trackpad supports two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three-finger swipe. | Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag. |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Built-in stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Omnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille. | Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille |
| 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, 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’s 24 October announcement says this model would ship the following week, crossing the month boundary; Macworld’s contemporary laboratory report confirms that actual shipping began in November. An exact first-sale day is unestablished. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | – | Up to 5.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | – | 68 Wh |
| 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. | Removable 68 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5.5 hours in Apple’s test. Apple publishes 6.8 lb and a 15.4 × 10.4 × 1.0-inch enclosure; weight varies by configuration. Unpublished metric fields omitted. |
| Charger | 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter | 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure | Aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
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