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White & Black MacBook Q&A - Published November 9, 2007
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What are the differences between the "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" MacBook Core 2 Duo models and the "Mid-2007" MacBook notebooks that they replaced?
Please note that all systems mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The "Late 2007" MacBook Core 2 Duo models were replaced on February 26, 2008 by the "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Core 2 Duo models.
The "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" MacBook Core 2 Duo models -- the MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 13" (White - Santa Rosa), "Core 2 Duo" 2.2 13" (White - Santa Rosa), "Core 2 Duo" 2.2 13" (Black - Santa Rosa) -- in basic terms, are essentially the same externally -- and quite different internally -- compared to the "Mid-2007" MacBook series that they replaced.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
The "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" 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 (albeit without the "embedded numeric keypad"), and "catchless" magnetic latch. All MacBooks share the same "scrolling Trackpad" with "two-finger click" capability, integrated iSight video camera, bundled Apple Remote, and "MagSafe" power connector.
The "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" and "Mid-2007" 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. No MacBook models support an internal modem, although an external Apple USB Modem is available for US$49.
Apple quotes the same maximum battery life of six hours for all of the MacBook notebooks with the provided 55-watt-hour battery, although the company estimates 3.5 hours while using wi-fi and 2.5 hours of DVD playback.
Internally, the "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" MacBook notebooks are quite a bit different than their predecessors -- with faster "Santa Rosa" based motherboards with 800 MHz frontside buses (up from 667 MHz), faster Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics that use 144 MB of system memory (up from the Intel GMA 950 which uses 64 MB of system memory), and official support for 4 GB of RAM (the "Mid-2007" line officially supports 2 GB of memory but third-parties have been able to upgrade it to 3 GB). The "Late 2007 Santa Rosa" line continues to use 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) RAM and the hard drives still are equipped with "Sudden Motion Sensor" technology that stops the hard drive heads from moving if the notebook is dropped.
Differences in configuration are quite modest -- so much so that Apple did not bother issuing a press release for the new line -- but these differences, as well as the previously mentioned architectural differences, are summarized below for your convenience.
The entry-level model received the faster motherboard with a faster system bus, faster integrated graphics, and a different processor of the same clock speed:
| MacBook: | "Mid-2007" 2.0 13" | "Late 2007" 2.0 13" |
|---|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.0 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7200) | 2.0 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7300) |
| System Bus: | 667 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Level 2 Cache: | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Standard RAM: | 1.0 GB | 1.0 GB |
| Int. Graphics: | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Hard Drive: | 80 GB | 80 GB |
| Optical Drive: | 8X "Combo" | 8X "Combo" |
| Apple Part No: | MB061LL/A | MB061LL/B |
| Original Price: | US$1099 | US$1099 |
The mid-level configuration was upgraded with the faster motherboard -- faster system bus and graphics -- as well as a faster processor:
| MacBook: | "Mid-2007" 2.16 13" (White) | "Late 2007" 2.2 13" (White) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.16 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7400) | 2.2 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7500) |
| System Bus: | 667 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Level 2 Cache: | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Standard RAM: | 1.0 GB | 1.0 GB |
| Int. Graphics: | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Hard Drive: | 120 GB | 120 GB |
| Optical Drive: | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" |
| Apple Part No: | MB062LL/A | MB062LL/B |
| Original Price: | US$1299 | US$1299 |
Like the mid-level configuration, the high-end black configuration was upgraded with the faster motherboard -- faster system bus and graphics -- as well as a faster processor:
| MacBook: | "Mid-2007" 2.16 13" (Black) | "Late 2007" 2.2 13" (Black) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.16 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7400) | 2.2 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7500) |
| System Bus: | 667 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Level 2 Cache: | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Standard RAM: | 1.0 GB | 1.0 GB |
| Int. Graphics: | Intel GMA 950 | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Hard Drive: | 160 GB | 160 GB |
| Optical Drive: | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" | 8X DL Write "SuperDrive" |
| Apple Part No: | MB063LL/A | MB063LL/B |
| 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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