What are the differences between the "SD - Mid-2009" 15-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models and the "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro notebooks that they replaced?

Please note that all Macs mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The "Mid-2009" MacBook Pro models were replaced by the "Mid-2010" MacBook Pro line on April 13, 2010.

The "SD - Mid-2009" 15-Inch MacBook Pro models -- the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (SD), "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (SD), and "Core 2 Duo" 2.8 15" (SD) -- have a great deal in common with the "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro models -- the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 15" (Unibody), "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (Unibody), and "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (Unibody). However, there are some critical differences as well.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc (Mid-2009 15-Inch MacBook Pro)

All of these models have a black and silver "Unibody" case -- milled from a single block of aluminum -- and all include backlit keyboards, a "no button" glass "multi-touch" trackpad with support for "four finger" gestures and programmable "zones", and 15.4" widescreen (1440x900) LED-backlit "glossy" displays. However, the "Mid-2009" models have a better quality display said to provide a "60% greater color gamut". Starting on August 11, 2009, Apple also began offering the "Mid-2009" systems with a "matte" display option for an additional US$50.

The battery design is considerably different. The "Late 2008" models have a battery that can be easily replaced by the end user or even "swapped" with a bit of effort, whereas the "Mid-2009" models have a built-in non-swappable battery design -- like the previously introduced and subsequently discontinued MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 17-Inch (Unibody) -- and this battery is not designed to be removed or serviced by end users. This may continue to be an issue for some -- those who value swapping out batteries on a long flight, for example -- but Apple reports that this design makes it possible to fit a 73 W/Hr battery that provides 7 hours of runtime compared to a 50 W/Hr battery that provides 5 hours of runtime in the same physical space. Those who do not routinely fly across the Pacific, for instance, may find the increase in battery life to more than offset the lack of "swapability".

Connectivity is largely the same except for one huge exception. All of these models include 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 "Mini DisplayPort" that supports an external display at 2560x1600.

However, the "Late 2008" models have a single ExpressCard/34 expansion slot whereas the "Mid-2009" models have an SD card expansion slot instead. Judging on e-mail received and twittering, this is a rather contentious change and many question the validity of a "Pro" branding for a 15-Inch Apple notebook that lacks ExpressCard/34. If ExpressCard/34 is important to you, you may wish to instead purchase the 17-Inch "Mid-2009" model -- the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.8 17" (Mid-2009) -- which still has an ExpressCard/34 slot or instead purchase a "Late 2008" 15-Inch MacBook Pro.

Internally, these models have a lot in common as well. All use similar logic board designs and 45 nm "Penryn" Intel "Core 2 Duo" processors with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip and a shared 3 MB or 6 MB "on chip" level 2 cache. All have a 1066 MHz frontside bus, support 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500), support Serial ATA hard drives, and have an 8X DL "SuperDrive".

However, the most notable internal difference is that the low-end "Mid-2009" model -- the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (SD) -- has "integrated graphics" -- a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M "graphics processor with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory", whereas all of the other "Late 2008" and "Mid-2009" models have dual graphics processors -- a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with dedicated GDDR3 SDRAM and the "integrated graphics" NVIDIA GeForce 9400M. Some also question the validity of "Pro" branding for a system with integrated graphics, whereas others who do not have demanding graphics needs are happy to have a less expensive 15-Inch option as a result.

The "Mid-2009" models also all officially support 8 GB of RAM, whereas the "Late 2008" models officially support 4 GB, but to keep life interesting, the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 15" (Unibody) and "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (Unibody) actually can support 6 GB of RAM and the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (Unibody) "unofficially" can support 8 GB.

These differences -- display, battery design, connectivity, and expansion -- as well as configuration and introductory pricing differences are summarized below:

15" MacBook Pro	Late 2008	Mid-2009
Processor Types:	P8600, T9400, T9550	P8700, P8800, T9600
Processor Speeds:	2.4, 2.53, 2.66 GHz*	2.53, 2.66, 2.8 GHz
Video System:	GeForce 9400M GeForce 9600M GT	GeForce 9400M** GeForce 9600M GT
Video Type:	Integrated/Dedicated	Integrated/Dedicated**
Video Memory:	256 MB/512 MB†	256 MB/512 MB**†
Display Size:	15.4"	15.4"††
Native Resolution:	1440x900	1440x900
Ext. Display:	2560x1600	2560x1600
Default Memory:	2 GB, 4 GB	4 GB
Maximum Memory:	4 GB (6/8 GB)§	8 GB
Hard Drive Size:	250, 320 GB	250, 320, 500 GB
SuperDrive:	8X DL	8X DL
SD Card Slot:	No	Yes
ExpressCard/34:	Yes	No
Size (Inches):	0.95 x 14.35 x 9.82	0.95 x 14.35 x 9.82
Weight:	5.5 lbs (2.49 kg)	5.5 lbs (2.49 kg)
Battery Life:	5 Hours§§	7 Hours§§
Battery W/Hr:	50 W/Hr	73 W/Hr
Battery Swap:	Yes	No
Intro Price:	US$1999, US$2499*	US$1699, US$1999, US$2299

* The "Late 2008" MacBook Pro models were introduced with 2.4 GHz and 2.53 GHz processors for US$1999 and US$2499, respectively. On March 3, 2009, the 2.53 GHz model was quietly replaced by the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (Unibody) model for the same price.

** The low-end MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (SD) only has a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M "graphics processor with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory". All of the other models have a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with dedicated GDDR3 SDRAM and the "integrated graphics" NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.

† The MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 15" (Unibody) from the "Late 2008" line and the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (SD) from the "Mid-2009" line have 256 MB of dedicated GDDR3 video memory. The MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (Unibody), and "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (Unibody) from the "Late 2008" line and the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.8 15" (SD) from the "Mid-2009" line have 512 MB.

†† The display in the "Mid-2009" MacBook Pro models is higher-quality and said to have a "60% greater color gamut". When introduced, it only was available with a "glossy" finish, but starting on August 11, 2009, Apple began offering it with a "matte" finish for an additional US$50.

§ Officially, the "Late 2008" models support 4 GB of RAM and unofficially support 6 GB, except for the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (Unibody), which unofficially supports 8 GB.

§§ Battery life as estimated by Apple in a "wireless productivity" test.

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