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Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)

Apple · MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)

Released April 2010

A 15-inch aluminium MacBook Pro with Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and automatic graphics switching.

Model history · 15 models, 2001–2010
  1. 2001PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)Compare
  2. 2001PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)Compare
  3. 2002PowerBook G4 (DVI)Compare
  4. 2002PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz)Compare
  5. 2003PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)Compare
  6. 2004PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)Compare
  7. 2005PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz)Compare
  8. 2005PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)Compare
  9. 2006MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006)Compare
  10. 2006MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)Compare
  11. 2007MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2007)Compare
  12. 2008MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)Compare
  13. 2008MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)Compare
  14. 2009MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)Compare
  15. 2010MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
Size
15.4″
Display
TN LCD
Processor
Intel Core i5 or i7
Memory
4 GB – 8 GB
Weight
2.54 kg
Battery
9 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers praised the faster processors, automatic graphics switching and solid construction, with a comfortable keyboard and trackpad. They criticised the price and limited connections. Notebookcheck found the glossy display reflective and reported heat and throttling under extreme combined loads; Macworld preferred the optional higher-resolution antiglare screen.

From macworld.com and notebookcheck.net

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
15.4″
Resolution
1440 × 900
Panel
TN LCD
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Glossy LED-backlit display; an antiglare option is available. TN technology is named by the exact-model Notebookcheck review. Optional 1680 × 1050 glossy or antiglare display remains in details because its exact panel technology is unverified.

Performance

Processor
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010), Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010) or Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)
CPU cores
2
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics or NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Memory
4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
128 GB to 512 GB
CPU
Dual-core Intel Core i5 at 2.4 or 2.53 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache, or Core i7 at 2.66 GHz with 4 MB. Maker-clock records avoid unverified Intel SKU assumptions; unpublished peak clock fields are omitted.
GPU
Automatic switching between Intel HD Graphics (256 MB shared system memory) and GeForce GT 330M. Core i5 configurations have 256 MB GDDR3 and Core i7 has 512 MB.
Memory type
4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Storage type
Lower 2.4 GHz base has a 320 GB and upper bases a 500 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA drive. Maker options include 500 GB at 5400 or 7200 rpm, and 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD; upper CPU rows omit an unconfirmed 320 GB drive. 8× SuperDrive with double-layer DVD writing.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 9 hours
Battery capacity
77.5 Wh
Weight
2.54 kg
Thickness
24.1 mm
Width × depth
364 × 249 mm
Battery life detail
Built-in lithium-polymer battery; Apple claims 8–9 hours of wireless productivity. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
Colours
Silver

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, SD card slot, 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 800, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini DisplayPort, SD card slot, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and optical digital audio output/headphone output.
External displays
Supports an external display up to 2560 × 1600 pixels alongside the built-in screen. DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and third-party HDMI adapters are sold separately; HDMI carries audio.
Keyboard
Backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.
Trackpad
Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
Speakers
Built-in stereo speakers with subwoofers
Microphones
Omnidirectional microphone under the left speaker grille; supports an iPhone headset microphone.
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 and iLife; Apple Remote and display adapters sold separately.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageGraphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB320 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB512 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB320 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB512 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB512 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB512 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)4 GB512 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics
Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2010)8 GB512 GBNVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (512 MB GDDR3) + Intel HD Graphics

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Backlit keyboard and glass Multi-Touch trackpad
  • Automatic switching between integrated and discrete graphics
  • Up to 8 GB of replaceable memory

Cons

  • Glossy display as standard
  • 2 USB 2.0 ports
  • Built-in battery is not user replaceable

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006)
15.4″–Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2006), Core Duo 2 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2006) or Core Duo 2.16 GHz (MacBook Pro Early 2006)512 MB – 2 GB2.54 kg4.5 hFeb 2006
AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
15.4″–Intel Core 22 GB – 4 GB––Feb 2008
AppleMacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
15.4″TN LCDIntel Core i74 GB – 8 GB2.54 kg7 hFeb 2011

Previous model: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009). Newer model: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112605
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2010/04/13Apple-Updates-MacBook-Pro-Line
  3. macworld.com/article/204530/15inch-macbookpro-corei5i7.html
  4. notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-inch-i7-2010-04-Notebook.30506.0.…

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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