What are the differences between the "Unibody" MacBook models?

Please note that the "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook models have been discontinued. The "Unibody" MacBook was replaced by the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch MacBook Pro on June 8, 2009.

The "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Core 2 Duo systems -- the MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 13" (Unibody) and MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 13" (Unibody) -- are quite similar to one another, but are completely different from the earlier "White & Black" plastic MacBook models that they replaced.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

Both "Unibody" MacBook Core 2 Duo (Late 2008/Aluminum) models have an all new Aluminum iMac-esq black and silver case design milled from a single block of aluminum providing greater strength, reduced weight, and a superior finish than previous systems.

Both models also unveil a new "no button" glass "multi-touch" trackpad with support for new "four finger" gestures and programmable "zones" and have 13.3" widescreen TFT active-matrix "glossy" displays that are LED-backlit, a first for the MacBook line. The higher-end model -- the MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 13" (Unibody) -- also has a backlit keyboard.

Connectivity of each includes AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, optical digital/analog audio in/out, and a new "Mini DisplayPort" that supports an external display at 2560x1600. Neither includes a Firewire "400" port.

Internally, the models are quite similar as well, with the same logic board design and 45 nm "Penryn" Intel "Core 2 Duo" processors of different speeds with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 3 MB shared "on chip" level 2 cache, a 1066 MHz frontside bus, 2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500) installed in pairs (two 1 GB modules), support for Serial ATA hard drives, an 8X DL "SuperDrive", and a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M "graphics processor with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory".

The modest differences between the "Late 2008/Unibody" models -- configuration, capabilities, and price -- are summarized in this handy chart:

MacBook "Unibody"	2.0	2.4
Intel Processor:	P7350	P8600
Processor Speed:	2.0 GHz	2.4 GHz
Hard Drive Size:	160 GB	250 GB
Standard RAM:	2 GB	2 GB
Optical Capabilities:	8X DL "SuperDrive"	8X DL "SuperDrive"
Backlit Keyboard:	No	Yes
Apple Part No:	MB466LL/A	MB467LL/A
Price:	US$1299	US$1599

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