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MacBook Pro Q&A - Revised November 19, 2006
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What are the differences between the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 17-Inch and the PowerBook G4 that it replaced?
Please note that all systems mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The MacBook Pro "Core Duo" models were replaced by the "Late 2006" MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" series on October 24, 2006.
First, it is worth noting that when Apple introduced the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 15-Inch the company continued to sell its predecessors, but immediately discontinued the PowerBook G4/1.67 17-Inch (DLSD/HR) upon release of the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch.
The MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch and PowerBook G4/1.67 17-Inch (DLSD/HR) look almost identical, as they have very similar cases. However, the MacBook Pro is 0.2 inches "deeper" and weighs 0.1 of a pound less. Each system has a 17" widescreen display with a 1680x1050 native resolution, although Apple promoted the display used in the MacBook Pro as 36% brighter.
Both systems have the same "Sudden Motion Sensor" technology that stops the hard drive heads from moving if the laptop is dropped, the same fiber-optic-based "ambient light sensor" that automatically "measures ambient light and works with integrated software to adjust keyboard illumination and screen brightness based on user preferences", and the same "scrolling TrackPad" that allows one to scroll or pan by touching the trackpad with two fingers instead of one.
Both systems share a great number of ports as well. Both systems have AirPort Extreme (802.11g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, a FireWire "400" port, Firewire "800" port, optical digital audio in/out, and DVI out with dual-link support. However, the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch drops the S-video out port and internal modem, adds an extra USB 2.0 port (for a total of three), and substitutes an ExpressCard/34 expansion slot for the Type I/II PC card slot.
Internally, however, the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch has more in common with the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 15-Inch models than it does with the PowerBook G4/1.67 (DLSD/HR). All MacBook Pro "Core Duo" models have an Intel "Core Duo" processor with 2 MB of "on chip" shared level 2 cache and a 667 MHz frontside bus, compared to the PowerBook G4/1.67 17-Inch (DLSD/HR), which uses a PowerPC 7447a (G4) processor with 512k SRAM of "on chip" level 2 cache and a 167 MHz system bus. Apple advertises that the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch is "up to five times faster than the 17-inch PowerBook G4, running industry standard benchmarks". Keep in mind that this is using benchmarks optimized for the Intel processor rather than "real-world" tests and older applications running via the Rosetta emulator generally run more slowly, or no faster, than on recent PowerPC-based models. The MacBook Pro cannot run MacOS 9/Classic applications.
All MacBook Pro "Core Duo" models also use faster PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 memory, compared to PC2-4200 (333 MHz) DDR2 memory for the PowerBook G4/1.67 17-Inch (DLSD/HR). The MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch has an enhanced graphics processor -- the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory -- compared to an ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (AGP 4X) graphics processor with 128 MB of DDR SDRAM for the PowerBook G4. The 17-Inch MacBook Pro "Core Duo" is configured with twice as much RAM (1 GB), but has the same size and speed hard drive and the same 8X dual-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) as its predecessor.
The MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch has a 68-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery that Apple advertises provides 5.5 hours of runtime, the same amount advertised for its predecessor, which has a 58-watt-hour battery.
Just like the 15-Inch models, in addition to performance and graphics enhancements, the MacBook Pro "Core Duo" 2.16 17-Inch includes a built-in iSight video camera for easy videoconferencing, an included Apple Remote for use with Apple Front Row media organization software, and the "MagSafe" power connector that is magnetically connected to the MacBook Pro and safely disconnects if someone accidentally yanks on or trips over the power connector.
In general, all of the MacBook Pro models have faster processors, faster architectures, improved displays and graphics support, and more features than the models they replace.
Please refer to the Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any MacBook Pro model to any other G3 or later Mac.
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