Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)

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MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011) compared with MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)

	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)	AppleMacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2011	June 2009
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 Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.	17-inch LED-backlit widescreen display at 1920 × 1200, glossy or optional antiglare. Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.
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 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	2
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1 GB GDDR5) + Intel HD Graphics 3000	NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB	4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 750 GB (better)	128 GB to 500 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 TechRadar identifies Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz for the tested 2.2 GHz model; unpublished optional-processor peak clocks are omitted.	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.8 GHz or optional 3.06 GHz, with 6 MB shared L2 cache and a 1066 MHz frontside bus. Maker-clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions.
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.	NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 plus GeForce 9400M with 256 MB shared system memory. Switching between integrated and discrete graphics requires logout, as described by Macworld.
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB or 8 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.	4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
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.	500 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500 GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128 GB or 256 GB SSD with either processor. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 8 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 lithium-polymer battery. Apple reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter	85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe	3 × USB-A, 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)	Built-in iSight 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.	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.
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.	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.
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 arrow keys.
Trackpad
Trackpad	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.	Glass Multi-Touch trackpad supporting two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with subwoofers	Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset microphone.	Omnidirectional microphone beneath the left speaker grille.
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, 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.