Apple · MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
An aluminium 15-inch MacBook Pro with Intel dual-core processors, discrete graphics and an optical drive.
Model history · 12 models, 2001–2008
- 2001PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)Compare
- 2001PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)Compare
- 2002PowerBook G4 (DVI)Compare
- 2002PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz)Compare
- 2003PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)Compare
- 2004PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)Compare
- 2005PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)Compare
- 2005PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)Compare
- 2006MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006)Compare
- 2006MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)Compare
- 2007MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2007)Compare
- 2008MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
- Size
- 15.4″
- Display
- –
- Processor
- Intel Core 2
- Memory
- 2 GB – 4 GB
- Weight
- –
- Battery
- –
What reviewers say
Reviewers praised the improved battery endurance, performance and display, and welcomed the new multi-touch gestures. They criticised the limited USB ports and heat under load; Macworld found that the small trackpad button sometimes obstructed gestures.
From macworld.com and notebookcheck.net
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specDisplay
- Screen size
- 15.4″
- Resolution
- 1440 × 900
- Touchscreen
- No
- Display type
- LED-backlit widescreen TFT display, matte with 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 Exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the maker sources read.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 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008), Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008)
- CPU cores
- 2
- Graphics
- NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) or NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3)
- Memory
- 2 GB or 4 GB
- Storage
- 200 GB to 300 GB
- CPU
- Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz with 3 MB shared L2 cache, or 2.5 GHz with 6 MB; 2.6 GHz with 6 MB is configurable from the 2.5 GHz base, as confirmed by Macworld. All use an 800 MHz frontside bus. Maker-described clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions.
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3); NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3). GPU memory varies with processor configuration.
- Memory type
- 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots; 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB.
- Storage type
- 200 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive at 2.4 GHz or 250 GB 5400-rpm at 2.5 GHz. Maker build-to-order options are 200 GB at 7200 rpm, 250 GB at 5400 rpm or 300 GB at 4200 rpm; 200 GB rows on higher CPUs represent the optional faster drive. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.
Battery and size
- Thickness
- 26 mm
- Width × depth
- 357 × 243 mm
- Battery life detail
- Removable lithium-polymer battery; capacity and battery-life hours omitted because the surviving maker sources read do not publish them. Macworld lists 5.4 lb; metric weight omitted. Dimensions 357 × 243 × 26 mm are published by Notebookcheck’s exact-model review.
- Charger
- 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
- Materials
- Aluminium enclosure
- Colours
- Silver
Connections
- Ports
- 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe
- Wi-Fi
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
- Bluetooth
- 2.1 + EDR
- Webcam
- Built-in iSight camera
- Operating system
- macOS
- Port detail
- 2 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
- 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
- Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys
- Trackpad
- Multi-Touch trackpad with separate button; scrolling, pinch, rotate and three-finger swipe.
- Speakers
- Built-in stereo speakers
- Microphones
- Built-in omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille
- In the box
- MacBook Pro, removable battery, 85 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife ’08. Apple Remote sold separately. The former SP4 specification URL is no longer available; surviving maker launch notice and exact user guide provide core specifications.
Configurations
| Processor | Memory | Storage | Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 200 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 250 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 300 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 200 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 250 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 300 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 200 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 250 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 300 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 200 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 250 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 300 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 200 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 250 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 2 GB | 300 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 200 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 250 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
| Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2008) | 4 GB | 300 GB | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Backlit keyboard and built-in optical drive
- Replaceable memory and removable battery
- ExpressCard slot and Gigabit Ethernet
Cons
- Large chassis by current laptop standards
- 2 USB 2.0 ports
- Older expansion connections
Closest rivals
Model | Size | Display | Processor | Memory | Weight | Battery | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.4″ | IPS LCD | Intel Core i7 | 16 GB | 1.83 kg | 10 h | Nov 2016 | |
| 15.4″ | IPS LCD | Intel Core i7 | 16 GB | 1.83 kg | 10 h | Jun 2017 | |
| 15.4″ | IPS LCD | Intel Core i7 or i9 | 16 GB – 32 GB | 1.83 kg | 10 h | Jul 2018 |
Previous model: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2007). Newer model: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008).
Sources
- apple.com/uk/newsroom/2008/02/26Apple-Introduces-New-MacBook-and-MacBook-Pro-Mo…
- cdsassets.apple.com/live/6GJYWVAV/user/locale/en-gb/ma427_macbookpro_early2008_…
- macworld.com/article/189622/macbookprocore2duo.html
- notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-V4-1-2-5-GHz-Penryn.9059.0.html
Photo: cdsassets.apple.com
