Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)

Apple · MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)

Released June 2009

A 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro with a built-in battery, high-resolution display and switchable NVIDIA graphics.

Model history · 11 models, 2003–2009
  1. 2003PowerBook G4 17-inch (Early 2003)Compare
  2. 2003PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.33GHz)Compare
  3. 2004PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)Compare
  4. 2005PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)Compare
  5. 2005PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)Compare
  6. 2006MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)Compare
  7. 2006MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)Compare
  8. 2007MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2007)Compare
  9. 2008MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)Compare
  10. 2009MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)Compare
  11. 2009MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
Size
17″
Display
–
Processor
Intel Core 2
Memory
4 GB – 8 GB
Weight
2.99 kg
Battery
8 h

Display

Screen size
17″
Resolution
1920 × 1200
Touchscreen
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 Exact panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are unpublished in the maker sources read.

Performance

Processor
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
2
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Memory
4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
128 GB to 500 GB
CPU
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
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
4 GB or 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots.
Storage type
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)
Up to 8 hours
Battery capacity
95 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.
Charger
85 W MagSafe Power Adapter
Materials
Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
Colours
Silver

Connections

Ports
3 × 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
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
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
Backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys.
Trackpad
Glass Multi-Touch trackpad supporting two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate and three/four-finger gestures.
Speakers
Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Omnidirectional microphone beneath 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.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageGraphics
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)4 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)4 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)4 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)8 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)8 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz (MacBook Pro Late 2008)8 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)4 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)4 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)4 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)8 GB128 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)8 GB256 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz (MacBook Pro Mid 2009)8 GB500 GBNVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512 MB GDDR3) + GeForce 9400M

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 1920 × 1200 display
  • Up to 8 GB of replaceable memory
  • ExpressCard slot and three USB ports

Cons

  • Built-in battery is not user replaceable
  • Glossy screen as standard
  • Display adapters sold separately

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
17″–Intel Core 22 GB – 4 GB––Feb 2008
17″–Intel Core 24 GB – 8 GB2.99 kg8 hFeb 2009
17″–Intel Core i74 GB – 8 GB2.99 kg7 hFeb 2011

Previous model: MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009). Newer model: MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112473
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2009/06/08Apple-Updates-MacBook-Pro-Family-with-New-Model…
  3. macworld.com/article/198687/17inch-macbook-pro.html

Photo: Apple support image assigned to Early and Mid 2009 models; later wallpaper.

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