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

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

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

	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2011	October 2011
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1200	1920 × 1200
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	17-inch LED-backlit glossy or optional antiglare display at 1920 × 1200. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.	17-inch LED-backlit glossy or optional antiglare widescreen display.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 i7 2.2 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2011) or Intel Core i7 2.3 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2011)	Intel Core i7-2760QM
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	8
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1 GB GDDR5) + Intel HD Graphics 3000	AMD Radeon HD 6770M (1 GB GDDR5) + Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB (better)	4 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 750 GB	750 GB
CPU
CPU	Quad-core Intel Core i7 at 2.2 GHz with 6 MB shared L3 cache or optional 2.3 GHz with 8 MB. Generic maker-clock records avoid an unverified Intel SKU assumption. TechRadar identifies Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz for the tested 2.2 GHz model; unpublished optional-processor peak clocks are omitted.	2.4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 6 MB shared L3 cache, or optional 2.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 8 MB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	AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 plus Intel HD Graphics 3000 using at least 384 MB shared DDR3 memory; automatic graphics switching.	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	4 GB or 8 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM 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	750 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500 GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD 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.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	95 Wh	95 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.99 kg	2.99 kg
Thickness
Thickness	25 mm	25 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	393 × 267 mm	393 × 267 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-in lithium-polymer battery; up to seven hours in Apple wireless-web testing. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	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 unibody enclosure and glass trackpad	Precision aluminium unibody with glass trackpad
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, 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	FaceTime HD camera (720p, Macworld)	FaceTime HD camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	One Thunderbolt port up to 10 Gbps, three USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, ExpressCard/34, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and optical digital audio output/headphone output. No SD card slot.	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 alongside the built-in screen. Thunderbolt provides native Mini DisplayPort output; optional DVI, VGA or dual-link DVI adapters and third-party HDMI adapters provide other connections.	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 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.	Backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four inverted-T arrow keys
Trackpad
Trackpad	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with subwoofers	Stereo speakers with subwoofers
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset microphone.	Omnidirectional microphone below the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook Pro, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, display cleaning cloth, software DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife ’11 and FaceTime; Apple Remote and display adapters sold separately.	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.