Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)

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MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)

	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2008	October 2011
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 Optional 1920 × 1200 LED-backlit display; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.	17-inch LED-backlit glossy or optional antiglare widescreen display. Apple does not specify panel technology, brightness or refresh rate on this exact UK sheet.
Screen finish
Screen finish	–	Glossy as standard; optional antiglare display
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 i7-2760QM
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	8
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3)	AMD Radeon HD 6770M (1 GB GDDR5) + Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB	4 GB
Storage
Storage	200 GB to 300 GB	750 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.	2.4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 6 MB shared L3 cache, or optional 2.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 8 MB cache. Notebookcheck identifies the standard processor as i7-2760QM. The maker does not identify the optional processor by part number, so it is not assigned a chip record.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 video memory	AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1 GB GDDR5 and Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB shared DDR3; automatic graphics switching.
Memory type
Memory type	2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, configurable to 4 GB, in two SO-DIMM slots.	4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 in two 2 GB SO-DIMMs; two slots support up to 8 GB in Apple’s specification.
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.	750 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive standard; optional 750 GB 7200-rpm drive or 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive with dual-layer DVD writing.
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe	3 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, 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	FaceTime HD 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.	One Thunderbolt port up to 10 Gbps, one FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, ExpressCard/34, separate digital/analogue audio input and headphone output, plus Kensington lock 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.	Built-in screen plus an external display up to 2560 × 1600. Thunderbolt carries native Mini DisplayPort; optional DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adaptors and a third-party HDMI adaptor support other outputs.
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 inverted-T arrow keys
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad supports two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three-finger swipe.	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Stereo speakers with subwoofers
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille.	Omnidirectional microphone below the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset 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, display cleaning cloth, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with wall plug and power cord, printed and electronic documentation; OS X Lion and iLife included. Apple’s environmental report identifies 24 October 2011 as introduction; Engadget reported the refreshed range available for immediate shipping from the US store that day.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	–	Up to 7 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 95 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to seven hours wireless web browsing in Apple’s October 2011 test. Reference weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Precision aluminium unibody with glass trackpad
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver