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Unibody MacBook Pro Q&A (MacBook Pro FAQ) @ EveryMac.com
With the "Unibody" MacBook Pro Q&A you can get answers to all of your questions about the MacBook Pro models that are milled from a single piece of aluminum (those released starting October 14, 2008). Questions range from "What are the differences between the 'Mid-2009' 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models?" to "Is it possible to switch between graphics processors on the 'Unibody' MacBook Pro models without restarting? Can you use both of them simultaneously for better performance?" and include everything in between.
Please note that the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro models are currently shipping and earlier models have been discontinued.
For the "pre-Unibody" MacBook Pro models, see the earlier MacBook Pro Q&A. For the "non-Pro" aluminum MacBook, see the "Unibody" MacBook Q&A.
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The answers to some of these questions may no longer be up-to-date. Please refer to the date published, updated, or revised.
Most Frequently Asked Unibody MacBook Pro Q&As:
What are the differences between the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models?
What is the "real-world" battery life of the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? How does the battery life of each compare to the model each replaced?
What are the differences between the "SD/Firewire 800 - Mid-2009" 13-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models and the "Late 2008/Unibody" non-Pro MacBook notebooks that they replaced?
How fast are the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models compared to one another? How fast are they compared to the models each replaced?
How do you replace the "non-upgradable" batteries in the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro models? Is doing so a "hack"?
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?
How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? How much RAM of what type do they support?
What are the "pros and cons" of the "Mid-2009/Unibody" MacBook Pro models? Is one right for my needs?
Is it possible to switch between graphics processors on the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models without restarting? Can you use both of them simultaneously for better performance?
What are the differences between the "Mid-2009" 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and the "Early 2009" MacBook Pro notebook that it replaced?
Software Compatibility Q&As:
What version of MacOS X is pre-installed on the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models?
Can the "Unibody" MacBook Pro run MacOS 9/Classic applications?
Can the "Unibody" MacBook Pro run Windows?
Can the "Unibody" MacBook Pro run Linux?
Comparison & Performance Q&As ("Mid-2009" 13, 15, 17"):
What are the differences between the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models?
What are the differences between the "SD/Firewire 800 - Mid-2009" 13-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models and the "Late 2008/Unibody" non-Pro MacBook notebooks that they replaced?
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?
What are the differences between the "Mid-2009" 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and the "Early 2009" MacBook Pro notebook that it replaced?
How fast are the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models compared to one another? How fast are they compared to the models each replaced?
What is the "real-world" battery life of the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? How does the battery life of each compare to the model each replaced?
Comparison & Performance Q&As (15" Late 2008/Early 2009):
What are the differences between the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro models?
What are the differences between the "Late 2008/Unibody" 13-Inch MacBook and 15-Inch MacBook Pro models?
What are the differences between the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro models and the "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Pro notebooks that they replaced?
What are the differences between the 15-Inch and 17-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models?
How much faster is the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro than the "Early 2008 Penryn" MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo?
How much faster are the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro models than the 13-Inch "non-Pro" models?
How much faster is the graphics performance of the 15-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro when using the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT compared to the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M?
Comparison & Performance Q&As (17" Early 2009):
What are the differences between the 15-Inch and 17-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models?
What are the differences between the 17-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and the 17-Inch "Early 2008/Penryn" model that it replaced?
How much faster is the "Early 2009" 17-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo than the "Early 2008/Penryn" 17-Inch MacBook Pro that it replaced? How fast is it compared to the 15-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro models?
Battery, Power, & Function Q&As:
What is the "real-world" battery life of the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? How does the battery life of each compare to the model each replaced?
What is the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro battery life in "real-world" tests? What is the difference in battery life when using the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M?
What is the 17-Inch "Early 2009/Unibody" MacBook Pro battery life in "real-world" tests? What is the difference in battery life when using the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M?
Is the battery in the 17-Inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro really not replaceable? Is there a "hack" to replace it?
How do you replace the "non-upgradable" batteries in the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro models? Is doing so a "hack"?
Is there a way to have a "matte" finish applied to a MacBook Pro with a "glossy" display?
How does the MagSafe power connector on the MacBook Pro models work? How is the MagSafe power connector designed to not cause data loss?
What is the MagSafe airline adapter? Does it work with the MacBook and MacBook Pro? Does it work in a car?
How does the "Multi-Touch" trackpad on the "Unibody" MacBook and MacBook Pro work? How does it feel?
Expansion Q&As:
What kind of expansion slots are provided by the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models? Which have ExpressCard/34 and which have SD Card slots?
What is ExpressCard/34? Is it compatible with PC Cards?
What is the difference between ExpressCard/34 and ExpressCard/54? Speed?
Can you upgrade the processor in the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models?
How do you upgrade the RAM in the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro? How much RAM of what type does it support?
How do you upgrade the RAM in the 17-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro? How much RAM of what type does it support?
How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? How much RAM of what type do they support?
How do you upgrade the hard drive in the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro?
How do you upgrade the hard drive in the 17-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro?
How do you upgrade the hard drive in the "Mid-2009" 13-Inch, 15-Inch, and 17-Inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models? What type of hard drive do these models support? Can one replace the hard drive with an SSD?
Is it possible to add a second hard drive to a "Unibody" MacBook or MacBook Pro?
What are the capabilities of the optical drive provided by the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models?
Video Q&As:
What type of video processor is provided by the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models? Is it upgradable? Which models have "dedicated" and "integrated" video memory?
Is it possible to switch between graphics processors on the "Unibody" MacBook Pro without restarting? Can you use both of them simultaneously for better performance?
How much faster is the graphics performance of the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models when using the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT compared to the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M?
What is the maximum supported resolution for an external display connected to a "Unibody" MacBook Pro?
Are there any adapters or "hacks" that make it possible to connect a second external display to a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air model?
What is "Mini DisplayPort"? Is it an industry-standard? How is it different from Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI?
File Transfer, Networking, & Communication Q&As:
What ports are provided by the "Unibody" MacBook Pro models?
Is there an adapter to convert Firewire "400" to Firewire "800"?
What is "Mini DisplayPort"? Is it an industry-standard? How is it different from Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI?
What is 802.11n? How is it different from 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a?
Design, Configuration, & Purchasing Q&As:
Who designed the "Unibody" MacBook Pro?
Where can I buy a "Unibody" MacBook Pro?
What are the default configurations? What custom configurations are available?
What are the "pros and cons" of the "Mid-2009/Unibody" MacBook Pro models? Is one right for my needs?
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