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

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)
AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)
Overview
ReleasedFebruary 2008November 2006
Display
Screen size17″17″
Resolution1680 × 10501680 × 1050
Brightness–300 nits
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type17-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 Optional 1920 × 1200 LED-backlit display; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.Widescreen TFT display; optional glossy finish with millions of colours. Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.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
ProcessorIntel 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 cores22
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3)ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory2 GB or 4 GB (better)2 GB or 3 GB
Storage200 GB to 300 GB (better)100 GB to 200 GB
CPUIntel 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.
GPUNVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 video memoryATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory type2 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 type250 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
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
Wi-FiAirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/gAirPort Extreme 802.11g; 802.11n requires the optional software enabler
Bluetooth2.1 + EDR2.0 + EDR
WebcamBuilt-in iSight cameraBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailThree 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 displaysSupports 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.
KeyboardBacklit 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
TrackpadMulti-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.
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakersBuilt-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesOmnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille.Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
In the boxMacBook 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 detailRemovable 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.
Charger85 W MagSafe Power Adapter85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
MaterialsAluminium enclosureAluminium enclosure
ColoursSilverSilver

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