In Progress Guides

How to prevent top case separation by lubricating the stiff hinges on MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009

Troubleshooting

Track down a number of hardware problems using the MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Troubleshooting page.

Upgrades

There are a number of components in the MacBook Pro 15" Unibody that can be cost-effectively upgraded.

  • Memory: MacBook Pro 15" Unibodys came with 2 or 4 GB standard. If your MacBook Pro 15" Unibody is still running with only the stock RAM, upgrading will provide a dramatic performance boost. Upgrading to the maximum of 8 GB (running Snow Leopard) can be done very easily.
  • Hard Drive: 250 or 320 GB hard drives came standard with the MacBook Pro 15" Unibody. You can easily upgrade the drive to 750 GB.
  • Battery: Replacing the battery requires no special tools to release the battery latch. The battery can be replaced with little difficulty.

Identification and Background

Released in October of 2008, the MacBook Pro 15" Unibody looks very distinct from other MacBook laptops, with the exception of the MacBook Unibody and MacBook Pro 17" Unibody. The MacBook Pro 15" Unibody is easily identifiable from the other two models by having a 15" screen, as opposed to a 13" or 17" screen.

Use the laptop identification system to help you identify your machine. MacBook Pros tend to look very similar, and it's important to know which machine you have before ordering any replacement parts.

The MacBook Pro 15" Unibody's case is composed of aluminum, just like the MacBook Pros before it. However, the Unibody's case is machined out of a single block of aluminum. The Unibody revision also introduced some features that were never before seen on an Apple laptop: the inclusion of dual video cards (one for regular use, one for graphics intensive applications), the Mini DisplayPort (which replaced the full-size DVI display connector), and larger hard drive and RAM capacities.

Tech Specs

Display:

  • 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors

Storage:

  • 250GB or 320GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
  • 8x DVD/CD slot-loading SuperDrive
  • Optional 250GB or 320GB 7200-rpm hard drive
  • Optional 128GB solid-state drive

Processor:

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache or 2.53GHz or 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache

Memory:

  • 2GB or 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM

Wireless Connectivity:

  • 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
  • Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 Wireless Technology

Graphics and Video:

  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor or NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor
  • Built-in iSight camera
  • Mini DisplayPort

Ports:

  • MagSafe power port
  • Gigabit Ethernet port
  • One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
  • Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
  • Mini DisplayPort
  • Audio line in
  • Audio line out
  • ExpressCard/34 slot

Audio:

  • Built-in stereo speakers
  • Built-in omnidirectional microphone (located under left speaker grille)
  • Combined optical digital input/analog line in (minijack)
  • Combined optical digital output/analog line out (minijack)
  • Supports Apple Stereo Headset with microphone

Battery and power:

  • 50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
  • 85W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
  • MagSafe power port

What’s in the box:

  • MacBook Pro
  • Display cleaning cloth
  • 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, and power cord
  • Lithium-polymer battery
  • Install/restore DVDs
  • Printed and electronic documentation

Additional Information