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White & Black MacBook Q&A - Published March 3, 2008
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What are the differences between the "Early 2008 Penryn" MacBook Core 2 Duo models and the "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" MacBook notebooks that they replaced?
Please note that all models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. On October 14, 2008, Apple discontinued all but one reconfigured "Early 2008" MacBook and this model quietly was replaced by an "Early 2009/NVIDIA" model on January 20, 2009.
The "Early 2008 Penryn" MacBook Core 2 Duo models -- the MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.1 13" (White), "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 13" (White), and "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 13" (Black) -- effectively are the same externally and a modest "speed bump" internally compared to the "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" models that they replaced.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
The "Early 2008" MacBook Core 2 Duo models use the exact same relatively compact and easy to upgrade polycarbonate case as previous MacBook models, and have the same 13.3-inch "glossy" widescreen display with a 1280x800 native resolution, "flush against the bed" keyboard design (lacking the "embedded numeric keypad" just like the "Late 2007" models), and "catchless" magnetic latch. All MacBooks share the same "scrolling Trackpad" with "two-finger click" capability, integrated iSight video camera, and "MagSafe" power connector. For the "Early 2008" models, Apple decided to make the Apple Remote -- previously bundled for free -- a US$19 extra.
The "Early 2008 Penryn" and "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" models additionally share the same connectivity -- AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire "400" port, mini-DVI out (supports an external display up to 1920x1200 pixels), and optical digital audio in/out. None support an internal modem, although an external Apple USB Modem is available for US$49.
Apple quotes different battery life for the "Early 2008 Penryn" MacBook systems -- 4.5 hours "of wireless productivity" -- compared to six hours for previous MacBook models without wireless use, 3.5 hours while using wi-fi, and 2.5 hours of DVD playback.
Internally, however, the "Early 2008 Penryn" MacBook notebooks are equipped with the modestly faster and more energy-efficient 45 nm "Penryn" processor -- compared to 65 nm "Merom" processors in the "Late 2007" series -- albeit with smaller 3 MB level 2 caches (compared to 4 MB). Although the "Early 2008" models are equipped with larger hard drives -- 120, 160, 250 GB -- and the 2.4 GHz configurations have twice the default RAM, internal components are effectively the same as the "Late 2007" models -- 800 MHz frontside bus, Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics, and support for 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) RAM.
The entry-level model received a faster processor, but a smaller level 2 cache, and a larger hard drive:
| MacBook: | "Late 2007" 2.0 13" | "Early 2008" 2.1 13" |
|---|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.0 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7300) | 2.1 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T8100) |
| System Bus: | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Level 2 Cache: | 4 MB | 3 MB |
| Standard RAM: | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Int. Graphics: | Intel GMA X3100 | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Hard Drive: | 80 GB | 120 GB |
| Optical Drive: | 8X "Combo" | 8X "Combo"* |
| Apple Part No: | MB061LL/B | MB402LL/A* |
| Original Price: | US$1099 | US$1099* |
*On October 14, 2008, Apple discontinued the other "Early 2008" models and reconfigured this one with a dual-layer "SuperDrive" for US$999. This reconfiguration was assigned model number MB402LL/B.
The mid-level configuration was upgraded with a faster processor (but a smaller level 2 cache), larger hard drive, and more RAM:
| MacBook: | "Late 2007" 2.2 13" (White) | "Early 2008" 2.4 13" (White) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.2 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7500) | 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T8300) |
| System Bus: | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Level 2 Cache: | 4 MB | 3 MB |
| Standard RAM: | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Int. Graphics: | Intel GMA X3100 | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Hard Drive: | 120 GB | 160 GB |
| Optical Drive: | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" |
| Apple Part No: | MB062LL/B | MB403LL/A |
| Original Price: | US$1299 | US$1299 |
Like the mid-level configuration, the high-end black configuration was upgraded with a faster processor (but smaller level 2 cache), larger hard drive, and more RAM:
| MacBook: | "Late 2007" 2.2 13" (Black) | "Early 2008" 2.4 13" (Black) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.2 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7500) | 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T8300) |
| System Bus: | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Level 2 Cache: | 4 MB | 3 MB |
| Standard RAM: | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Int. Graphics: | Intel GMA X3100 | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Hard Drive: | 160 GB | 250 GB |
| Optical Drive: | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" |
| Apple Part No: | MB063LL/B | MB404LL/A |
| Original Price: | US$1499 | US$1499 |
Please refer to the Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any MacBook model to any other G3 or later Mac.
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