MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)

Essentials

Family: MacBook Pro

Codename: ?

Gestalt ID: 406

Minimum OS: 10.5.5

Maximum OS: 10.10.4

Introduced: October 2008

Terminated: June 2009

Processor

CPU: Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo (T9xxx)

CPU Speed: 2.4/2.53/2.66 GHz

CPU Cores: 2

FPU: integrated

Bus Speed: 1066 MHz

Data Bus Width: 64-bit

Address Bus Width: 64-bit

Level 1 Cache: 32 kB data, 32 kB instruction

Level 2 Cache: 6 MB on-processor

ROM: EFI

RAM Type: PC3-8500 SO-DIMM

Minimum RAM Speed: 1066 MHz

Onboard RAM: 0 MB

RAM slots: 2

Maximum RAM: 4 GB

Expansion Slots: 1 ExpressCard/34

Video

Screen: 15.4" LED-backlit TFT

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

VRAM: 256/512 MB GDDR3, 256 MB shared (see notes)

Max Resolution: 1440x900

Video Out: Mini DisplayPort

Camera: iSight

Storage

Hard Drive: 250/320 GB 5400 RPM

ATA Bus: Serial-ATA

Optical Drive: 24x/24x/10x/8x/8x/4x/4x CD-RW/DVD±RW/DVD±R DL

Input/Output

USB: 2 2.0

Firewire800: 1

Audio Out: stereo 24 bit mini, Optical S/PDIF

Audio In: stereo 24 bit mini, Optical S/PDIF

Speaker: stereo

Microphone: mono

Networking

Ethernet: 10/100/1000BaseT

Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n

Bluetooth: 2.1+EDR

Miscellaneous

Power: 85 Watts

Dimensions: 0.95" H x 14.35" W x 9.82" D

Weight: 5.5 lbs.

Notes

The 2.4 GHz model had an Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, with 3 MB of L2 cache. The MacBook Pro's second graphics chipset used a portion of main memory as VRAM. Though reported as a 256 MB graphics system, the chipset actually used up to 272 MB of RAM.

Announced in October 2008, The MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) featured a stunning case redesign, the first in the 15-inch MacBook Pro (née PowerBook) line in more than five years. The two-piece "Unibody" case was carved from a single block of aluminum, which made it both extremely strong and impressively thin. The MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) also featured a striking glass-covered screen, and a new glass-covered, clickable trackpad, which used Apple's Multi-Touch technology, with support for two, three, and four-finger gestures.

Under the hood, the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) included a number of architectural improvements, though the processor speed remained the same as the previous MacBook Pro. The primary improvement was to the graphics subsystem, which included two fully independent graphics chipsets, the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT and the lower-power GeForce 9400M. In place of the full-size, dual-link DVI port of the previous model was the smaller Mini DisplayPort.

The MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) shipped in two configurations: 2.4 GHz/2 GB RAM/256 MB VRAM/250 GB HD/$1999, 2.53 GHz/4 GB RAM/512 MB VRAM/320 GB HD/$2499. Both models included a backlit-keyboard. Built-to-order options included a 2.8 GHz processor, 250 and 320 GB 7200 RPM hard drives and a 128 GB solid-state drive. The 2.53 GHz configuration was quietly speed-bumped to 2.66 GHz in March 2009. All configurations were replaced in June 2009 by the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009).

Picture Credits:
Apple, Inc.