Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) | AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2009 | November 2006 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 17″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1200 (better) | 1680 × 1050 |
| Brightness | – | 300 nits |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 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 Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read. | 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 Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.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 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2009) | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2006) |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Memory | 4 GB or 8 GB (better) | 2 GB or 3 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB to 320 GB (better) | 100 GB to 200 GB |
| CPU | 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. | 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 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. | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Memory type | 4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots. | 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 2 GB standard, configurable to 3 GB. |
| Storage type | 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. | 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. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 8 hours | Up to 5.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | 95 Wh (better) | 68 Wh |
| Weight | 2.99 kg | – |
| Thickness | 25 mm | – |
| Width × depth | 393 × 267 mm | – |
| Battery life detail | Built-in lithium-polymer battery. Apple reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. | 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 unibody enclosure and glass trackpad | Aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
| 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 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. | 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. Mini DisplayPort to DVI, dual-link DVI or VGA adapters are sold separately. | 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 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys. | 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 | Glass Multi-Touch trackpad supporting two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures. | 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; supports an Apple Stereo Headset with microphone. | Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille |
| In the box | 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. | 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. |
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