MacBook Pro

From Mac Guides

The MacBook Pro was announced at Macworld San Francisco 2006, replacing the PowerBook as Apple's portable notebook designed for the high-end market. It is Apple's first ever laptop to include an Intel processor and it broke with the "Power-" naming prefix for Apple's high-end notebook line. Eventually the PowerMac G5 followed suit and became the Mac Pro. While initially only a 15" model was available, Apple later introduced a 17" model several months later on April 24, 2006. When it was announced at MacWorld San Francisco 2006, Apple claimed it was between 4 and 5 times faster than its predecessor.

Currently the MacBook Pro features 64-bit Core 2 Duo processors, making the Revision C MacBook Pro the first ever Mac portable which can fully support 64-bit software. This means it should fully support all of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard's" features.

Contents 1 Rev. E 1.1 Overview 1.2 Specifications 2 Rev. D 2.1 Overview 2.2 Specifications 2.3 Benchmarks 3 Rev. C 3.1 Overview 3.2 Specifications 3.2.1 Notes 4 Rev. B 4.1 Overview 4.2 Specifications 4.2.1 15" MacBook Pro 4.2.2 Notes 5 Rev. A 5.1 Overview 5.2 Specifications 5.2.1 15" MacBook Pro 5.2.2 17" MacBook Pro 5.2.3 Notes 6 History 7 See Also 8 External Links

Rev. E

Overview

This eagerly anticipated update occurred on February 26, 2008. The incremental update included Intel's latest Penryn-based Core 2 Duo processors, larger hard drives, more VRAM and multi-touch trackpads as well as a few other minor tweaks. Interestingly, the previous base model MBP had 4 MB of L2 cache while the Rev. E's base model has 3 MB of L2 cache. However, the higher clock speed will more than make up for the smaller L2 cache.

Specifications

	Low-end 15"	High-end 15"	17"
Price (USD)	$1,999	$2,499	$2,799
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.5 GHz (BTO option of 2.6 GHz)
	800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache	800MHz FSB, 6 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	2 GB (2x 1GB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
	Supports up to 4 GB (2x 2 GB)
Storage	200 GB Serial ATA at 5,400-rpm	250 GB Serial ATA at 5,400-rpm
	BTO options for 200 GB 7,200 rpm or 250 GB 5,400 rpm	BTO option for 200 GB 7,200 rpm	BTO options for 200 GB 7,200 rpm or 300 GB 4,200 rpm
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB GDDR3 memory	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB GDDR3 memory
Media	8x Double-layer SuperDrive
Display	LED Backlit 15.4" - 1440x900 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio)		17" - 1680x1050 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio)
	BTO option of a glossy display		BTO option of 1920x1200 HD display and an optional glossy display
Wireless	Airport Extreme (802.11n) and Bluetooth

Rev. D

Overview

The Revision D MacBook Pro was released on June 5, 2007. It marked an industry-first in the 15" MacBook Pro's LED backlit LCD screens. An optional extra for the 17" MacBook Pro was also introduced allowing users to customize their MacBook Pro with a high-definition screen sporting a 1920x1200 resolution. The new Santa Rosa Intel chipset boosted processor performance and coupled with the new graphics card from NVIDIAs eighth-generation lineup, helped increased performance by over 50% in some cases compared to the original 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo based MacBook Pros.

Minor additions were also made such as a faster SuperDrive for the 15" model and the ability to customize the 15" or 17" model with a 7,200 rpm hard drive boasting 160 GBs.

Specifications

	Low-end 15"	High-end 15"	17"
Price (USD)	$1,999	$2,499	$2,799
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz (BTO option of 2.6 GHz)
	800MHz system bus, 4 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	2 GB (2x 1GB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
	Supports up to 4 GB (2x 2 GB)
Storage	120 GB Serial ATA at 5,400-rpm	160 GB Serial ATA at 5,400-rpm
	BTO option of up to 200 GB 7,200-rpm or 250 GB 5,400-rpm
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128 MB GDDR3 memory	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB GDDR3 memory
Media	8x Double-layer SuperDrive
Display	LED Backlit 15.4" - 1440x900 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio)		17" - 1680x1050 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio)
	BTO option of a glossy display		BTO option of 1920x1200 HD display and an optional glossy display
Wireless	Airport Extreme (802.11n) and Bluetooth

Benchmarks

Bare Feats - 3D Game Benchmarks

Rev. C

Overview

Released on October 24, 2006, the Rev. C MacBook Pro added Core 2 Duo processors and also added several enhancements to the 15" model which were present on the 15" PowerBook G4 but missing from the Rev. A and Rev. B MacBook Pro.

Specifications

	Low-end 15"	High-end 15"	17"
Price (USD)	$1,999	$2,499	$2,799
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.16 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.33 GHz
	667 MHz system bus, 4 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	1 GB (1x 1GB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)	2 GB (2x 1GB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
	Supports up to 3 GB (1x 2 GB and 1x 1 GB)
Storage	120 GB Serial ATA at 5,400-rpm		160 GB Serial ATA at 5,400-rpm
	BTO option of up to 200 GB 4,200-rpm		BTO option of up to 200 GB 4,200-rpm or 100 GB 7,200-rpm
Graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB GDDR3 memory
Media	6x Double-layer SuperDrive		8x Double-layer SuperDrive
Display	15.4" - 1440x900 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio)		17" - 1680x1050 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio)
Wireless	Airport Extreme (D-Link RangeBooster N 650 - Draft 802.11n) and Bluetooth

Notes

• The addition of the Core 2 Duo processor adds 64-bit support to the MacBook Pro.
• 15" model now includes a FireWire 800 port and double-layer SuperDrive.
• 15" model loses BTO option of 100 GB 7,200-rpm hard drive.
• Mobility Radeon X1600 is now clocked at 418.50 MHz core clock and 450 MHz memory clock for the 15" MacBook Pro.
• 17" MacBook Pro is at Revision B as it did not receive any processor upgrades during the previous update.

Rev. B

Overview

On May 16, 2006, Apple announced a minor processor upgrade for the 15" MacBook Pros. The 17" MacBook Pro did not receive a faster processor as it already had a 2.16 GHz Core Duo processor.

Specifications

15" MacBook Pro

• Price: $1999 USD or $2499 USD
• Processor: Intel Core Duo at 2 GHz or 2.16 GHz
  • Processor Information: 667 MHz frontside bus and 2 MB shared L2 cache

Notes

• This revision introduced the BTO option of glossy displays on any 15" or 17" MacBook Pro model.

Rev. A

Overview

The 15" Rev. A MacBook Pro was announced as on January 10, 2006, started shipping in February 2006. It is noted that the new 15.4" widescreen notebook is thinner than the 17" PowerBook G4, weighs only 5.6 pounds, and has a 67% brighter display than the previous model. Apple stated it is as bright as their high end line of Cinema Displays.

Specifications

15" MacBook Pro

• Release Date: February 14, 2006
• Price: $1,999 USD (MA090LL) or $2,499 USD (MA091LL)
• Processor: Intel Core Duo at 1.83 GHz (MA090LL) or 2.0 GHz (MA091LL)
  • BTO option of a Core Duo at 2.16 GHz
  • Processor Information: 667 MHz frontside bus and 2 MB shared L2 cache
• Hard Drive: 80 GB (MA090LL) or 100 GB (MA091LL)
  • BTO up to 120 GB 5400-rpm serial ATA or 100 GB 7200-rpm
• Media: Slot-load 4x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• RAM: 512 MB (MA090LL) or 1 GB (MA091LL) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM SODIMM
  • Maximum RAM: 2 GB (2 x 1 GB)
• Graphics Chip: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB (MA090LL) or 256 MB (MA091LL) GDDR3 memory
  • Dual-Link DVI output will support LCD screens up to and including Apple's Cinema 30" Display
• Display: 15.4" active matrix TFT, 1440x900 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio).
• Other: AirPort Extreme (802.11g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, built in iSight, IR sensor and Apple remote

17" MacBook Pro

• Release Date: April 24, 2006
• Price: $2,799 USD
• Processor: Intel Core Duo at 2.16 GHz
  • Processor Information: 667 MHz front-side bus and 2 MB shared L2 cache
• Hard Drive: 120 GB 5400-rpm serial ATA
  • BTO to 100 GB 7,200-rpm hard drive
• Media: Slot-load 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• RAM: 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM SO-DIMM
  • Maximum RAM: 2 GB (2 x 1 GB)
• Graphics Chip: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory
• Display: 17" active matrix TFT. 1680x1050 resolution
• Other: AirPort Extreme (802.11g), Bluetooth, built in iSight, IR sensor and Apple remote

Notes

• The MagSafe power adapter was designed to be easily pulled away from the laptop's power connector should force be exerted on the cord, preventing damage to the machine (and the connector) caused from an impact to the cord, which could knock the machine from its work surface.
• First iSight in an Apple portable. Specifications also noted it has enhanced resolution over the original, stand-alone iSight camera, and includes the Photo Booth application.
• Apple's new Front Row software with the Apple remote is included. The remote works with a built-in IR sensor located next to the display-release button. This makes it the first laptop to include the Front Row software.
• An ExpressCard/34 card slot, the new industry standard, was added to the laptop and replaced the PCMCIA slot. System also added PCI Express and S-ATA.
• The MacBook Pro also features a new type of battery, a Lithium-Polymer battery. Apple quote a 5 hour battery life for the 15" MacBook Pro and 5.5 hour battery life for the 17" MacBook Pro, however during real-world use this figure normally falls around the 3 hour mark for both models.
• The 15" MacBook Pro lacks FireWire 800, modem, a PCMCIA slot and a dual-layer DVD burner - features the 15" PowerBook G4 had.
• According to Apple, it was 4 - 5 times faster than its predecessor and making it the fastest Mac portable at the time.
• Dual-Link DVI output will support LCD screens up to and including Apple's Cinema 30" Display.
• New magnetic power connector called MagSafe; includes built in iSight, IR Remote, similar to iMac (Intel); S-ATA/100, ExpressCard/34.
• Display has lost 60 vertical lines of pixels (6.67% less than last PowerBook G4). This change puts the screen aspect ratio in line with the rest of Apple's widescreen displays (16:10 as opposed to the 3:2 (15:10) aspect ratio on the 15" PowerBook G4).
• No support for Classic; Shipping with Mac OS X 10.4.4.
• Intel’s EFI replaces Open-Firmware; Support for Target Disk Mode remains; startup chime remains unchanged.
• While this revision was to originally feature 1.67 GHz and 1.83 GHz Core Duo chips, they were upgraded to 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz respectively before shipping [1].

History

On June 6th, 2005, Apple announced that they would be transitioning the Macintosh to Intel Processors. The news came as a surprise to many. In the months prior to Macworld San Francisco 2006, an Intel based iBook was expected to be announced at the expo, with a PowerBook coming several months later. Instead, Apple introduced this new model entirely.

See Also

• MacBook
• Which Apple notebook should I buy?
• Which size MacBook Pro should I buy?

External Links

• Apple.com MacBook Pro Page

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