Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #3920 in Personal Computers
- Brand: Apple
- Model: MB986LL/A
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .90" h x
14.35" w x
9.82" l,
9.80 pounds
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz
- Memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Hard Disk: 500GB
- Graphics: GeForce 9600 256MB
- Processors: 1
- Native resolution: 1440 x 900
- Display size: 15.4
Features
- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.8GHz
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
- 15.4-Inch Screen, GeForce
- Apple Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 7 hours Battery Life
Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop 2.8Ghz
Product Description
MacBook Pro brings high performance and precision design to everyone. Every new MacBook Pro features a breakthrough, long-lasting battery that delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and can be recharged up to 1000 times—nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries. The new LED-backlit display has a 60 percent greater color gamut than that of previous generations, giving you richer, more vibrant colors. Every MacBook Pro features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, which provides an outstanding graphics experience for everyday tasks. Power your way through the latest 3D games—including Call of Duty and Quake—and enjoy improved graphics performance with iWork, iLife, and everything you do in Mac OS X. Select 15-inch models have an advanced graphics architecture that employs both the integrated 9400M and the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor. Experience the fastest, smoothest, and clearest graphics yet for pro applications like Aperture and Motion, productivity tools such as Keynote, and intensive 3D games. Depending on how much performance or battery life you need, it’s a snap to switch between the two processors. And with the latest 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, it’s the most powerful Mac notebook ever. All in a precision aluminum unibody enclosure that’s less than an inch thin.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
117 of 124 people found the following review helpful.
Real improvement
By Parry
Coming from a troubled Nvidia 8600M GT MacBook Pro - let me say that I was very skeptical buying another Apple Laptop with nVidia chip in it.However, one weekend I decided to visit the nearest Apple Retail Store and check out the newly released models. My decision was mostly influenced by the reduced prices and increased battery life.After some debating over buying the older model for same price or getting the latest one we settled on the newest mid end $1999 model with 2 GPUs. As is common I got a very nice resale price for my older MacBook Pro as it had AppleCare.This generation is an all around improvement over the past generation unless you happen to be using ExpressCard on 15" model that is. In our case we never used the ExpressCard after attempting to use a eSATA card that did not work really well. And we have a few SD Cards that we figure we can easily use.So on to the specific improvements over its predecessor -1) Battery Life - I was very doubtful that the battery would last any longer than 4 hours at the maximum but was pleasantly surprised to find that for surfing/email type and the occasional CNN/Youtube flash videos getting 6+ hours was quite easy.2) Prices - No doubt prices are the most reasonable Apple laptops have ever had. If you have no need for the dual GPU you can get the $1699 model which comes with a respectable 2.53Ghz Processor, 4GB RAM and a very capable 9400M GPU.3) Operating Temperature - I have owned my share of laptops (Apple and non-Apple) and I have to say this one is the coolest - it never gets too warm and I can use it on my lap all the times - even encoding videos using the HandBrake application did not make it uncomfortably hot. However if I switch it to use the 9600M GPU it gets warmer even on regular use. It also runs very quiet - the fans may be coming on but I never notice.Initially there was a lot of furor over Apple's downgrade of the Serial-ATA interface speed (used to transfer data to and from the hard disk) to 1.5Gbps but Apple quickly restored the speeds to 3Gbps - I do not however notice any difference with the 5400RPM hard disk.About the display - it is gorgeous and colors are vibrant. I had the opportunity to use a calibrated color profile to make it look even better. However I find the display to be a little too much reflective but I am coming from almost always using matte display so I figure it's a matter of getting used to it.Apple's use of Mini DisplayPort is ahead of its time - not many displays support it and so I had to buy a $30 DVI adapter - not a big problem but Apple should at the very least re-start bundling the adapter with the Pro machines. Also, another USB port in lieu of the SD Card Reader would be quite welcome - people can use the SD Card Reader for only SD Cards, but a USB port can be used for SD Cards as well as other peripherals.That said, this generation is overall a very nice improvement - the great battery life itself is enough to convince one to upgrade.[ Edited to add some findings after extensive use ]After using it for a few months, I find a handful of things moderately annoying about this laptop -1) The positioning of USB ports - both USB ports are on one side of the laptop and they are far too closely positioned to use both at once. For example I found I could not attach my Sandisk USB thumb drive and anything else at a time. And I don't have any irregular/unusual devices. They should really go back to having the ports on two sides or at least position them a bit more apart.2) The Lid of the laptop is loose - this was known to me before but I never thought it would become annoying. I don't routinely use the laptop in bed but whenever I do it's annoying.3) The amount of RAM Apple advertises (4GB) is not actually entirely usable - only 3.75GB is. So you lose 256Mb of RAM for the dual GPU.
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful.Hardware and Software Perfection
By T. Harward
Update 5/23/2012:Still going strong, using this machine as a primary dev workstation for a full 3 years and 7 months. 3.5 years! Still going strong! I've since upgraded to 8GB RAM (new firmware update secretly enabled this new maximum, which, in my opinion, extends the useful life of the machine for another 2-3 years). Everything else is as normal. I've dropped the machine by accident once or twice, so it has a dent now. But the case held up great and there was no damage! It still looks good as new unless you search for where the dent was (I carefully banged it out with a hammer).My next upgrade will obviously be a new MBP with probably no optical drive (who needs 'em with internet speeds as fast as they are these days?) and hopefully retina display. There's every reason to believe it will be as good as the last, but with more than double the processing power, a faster SSD and the incredible resolution main display. Can't wait!---Update April 2011:Follow up over a year past my original review - I've now owned the machine for 2 years and 5 months (give or take) and it's still going strong as it was on Day 1, if not stronger. I've upgraded the RAM to 6GB (maximum; I originally had 2x2GB=4GB, so I just found a good matched-speed 4GB DIMM to place along the existing 2GB, it works flawlessly). I upgraded the hard disk to 320GB/7200RPM somewhere in there (about to go to 640GB... for the same price as my 320 drive... incredible).2 issues I've had: First, the power adapter slightly broke. Just the little hinge that allows you to wrap up the wire fell off, not a big deal but they replaced it immediately at the Apple store without question. 2nd issue: Battery started bulging, I noticed issues with my track pad not clicking (battery was pressing on it) and the bottom panel eventually wouldn't close. Popped it open and yep, just what I expected, bulgy battery. Apple store once again replaced immediately, no questions asked. (I do have 3 year Apple Care, I'm sure that's a factor, and turns out it was well worth it for the awesome support).Overall this has still been the best computer/piece of tech I've owned thus far; impressed with every aspect of it hands down. I am so glad I invested in the Mac-and yes, I mean invested. It was worth every penny, and based on the fact that over 2 years later, this computer is still keeping up with the latest in performance and intensive usage, the resale value on this machine should contribute very well when I want to upgrade to my next MacBook Pro.By all appearances, the latest MBP's are still the way to go. The Core i7 processors and improved graphics and battery life all within the same sturdy solid aluminum case can't be beat. Highly recommended from 2.5 years of experience.---(Original Review):This machine is without a doubt the best computer, if not the best piece of technology gear, that I have ever used or owned.Going to try to keep this review short, but sweet.I've had it for about 9 months now, basically since the Unibody MBP's came out. First, the construction is just outstanding. The solidness of the enclosure makes the whole thing feel sturdy and basically indestructible. In 9 months, I have treated it like I treat all my equipment - I use it thoroughly without too much concern for cosmetics - and there is not a single scratch or sign of wear on the entire machine. The thing still looks new, after 9 months - that's how durable it is. Incredible.The speed and responsiveness and stability of the computer itself is excellent. I'm a programmer and photographer, so I take it to the max every time I use the computer, and I expect a lot of it. With 4 GB of RAM it's never sluggish and handles everything better than any computer I've ever owned.Graphics and gaming performance is surprisingly good with the 2nd dedicated Nvidia 8600 video card. I dual boot to Windows XP (however reluctantly) and it works great.I don't even need to talk about the software, hopefully you know all about it by now. OSX is truly awesome, especially for programmers. It's so refreshing to have a real operating system where you can pop open a real console and still have a nice graphical interface on top of it. The OS is a matched pair with the quality of the hardware.In short, this is a seriously great machine. I'm no Mac fanboy - I run Windows, Linux, Mac, whatever - but I'm very impressed with the quality and especially the construction and build durability. It's honestly at a level above any other laptop, it's a pretty stunning difference. If it is more expensive, it will make up for it in longevity and resale value alone. Definitely worth it.
76 of 85 people found the following review helpful.
Compelling alternative to PC
By Michael J. Christensen
After installing a Trend Micro update and bricking my PC (which I was later able to remedy after 8+ hours of system restores and firewall modifications), I had enough and decided I was done with Microsoft. I have been using the Macbook Pro 15 for a little under a week, and so far, I'm pleased that I made the switch. Obviously, there's a pretty steep premium on Macbook Pros, so I'll try to cover the items that make it worth the extra coin, as well as some annoyances I've encountered as a first time Mac user.Here are some benefits:+ Beautiful 15" widescreen display. I'm coming from a 17" PC, and since the display was a bit more squared, I don't feel that the screen size decrease is too noticeable+ Much lighter than PC. At 5.5 lbs, it's easier to carry around than similarly sized PC's+ Super fast power up and power off. I would say it takes between 30-40 seconds to power on, and less than 10 seconds to shut down- outstanding+ Robust battery life. It's rated at 7 hours. This time will vary depending on your usage, but it's about right if you don't jack the brightness and surf too heavily+ Refined, gestured trackpad. If you want to scroll, just swipe with two fingers- to select options or webpages, a single tap on the trackpad will accomplish this. Also nice is the ability to zoom webpages a la ipod touch/iphone pinching. I wish you could save a zoom setting to default on Safari though+ No crashes, except for internet surfing (more on that later)+ Love the preinstalled iPhoto application it comes with to view and edit photos+ No problems with spyware, viruses, or crappy, obtrusive antispyware (i.e. Trend Micro) to combat it+ Outstanding customer support (and I've used them a lot so far!)And now for the not so good:- If you want word processing/spreadsheet functionality, you're pretty much stuck with plunking down $100 for Microsoft Office. You could use alternatives like iWork, but with most people using the Office standard, it makes sense for compatibility purposes. No generic preinstalled word processing software, Apple?- The learning curve (if you're a long-time PC user). The menus and interface that Macs use are pretty well laid out, but it's a pain to relearn where some items are. Example, you're in Mail and you'd like to add an email folder. The solution? Select "New Mailbox." I'm sure most PC users were scratching their heads with that solution- There's no "maximize" function on the windows. It will save your settings once you resize everything, but if you want a window to take up the screen, you'll be doing some manual dragging to get them the way you want- Not enough ports. Here's an example. Let's say you have a usb mouse, you're listening to iTunes from your iPod, and you're saving backup data to a USB drive as you're working in MS Word. Well, that's one too many usb apps, so you'll have to constantly unplug everything to accommodate your needs- No number pad. Now I realize this does not affect a large percentage of users, but I'm a finance guy, and work in Excel a lot. Not putting a number pad on the keyboard is reasonable, but what is not reasonable, is offering no first/third party solutions for a USB/Bluetooth numpad. Props to anyone that can find such an accessory- A bit tricky to port your iTunes media from PC to Mac. You'll be contacting support on this one, trust me- Too many extra charges from Apple. $350 for 3 years of support, $99 per year of storage backup. Considering what we're paying for Macbooks, you'd think Apple would cut us a break on some of the "extras"- Here's my biggest gripe. I have had SERIOUS stability issues with my Macbook and 2Wire DSL AT&T modem/router working together. I originally had a problem with Airport dropping my signal (fixed it with a Google search). Then, I had numerous problems with "Broadband Link Not Established Errors" from my 2Wire modem. Again, I was able to find a posting online which allowed my to turn 2Wire notification messages off, resolving this. So after numerous Google searches, and tech support from Apple and AT&T, my internet is pretty stable, but still not great. I'm still having issues where common websites will not load without stopping the request and clicking the reload button. Some users have had these stability issues resolved by purchasing the Airport Extreme Router, but at $179, this is not a cheap solution. I've had none of these internet problems running other devices from 2Wire. I'm not sure who is at fault, but my gut tells me that Apple did not go out of their way to make their Macbooks overly friendly with 2Wire's network. I feel like Apple should send me a partial rebate for all the hard research I've put in to get a stable connectionSo is it worth it to switch to Mac? In a word, yes. Although they're certainly more expensive, 13" models are available at $1,200 which provide decent value. New Mac users will certainly notice an increased level of refinement and simplicity when they make the switch. Overall, a very nice laptop that would easily merit a 5 star rating, if not for the terrible 2Wire compatibility issues.8/5/09 update:My 2Wire modem continued to error out and reset itself while surfing webpages. The DSL and Internet lights would flash red, and my internet would disconnect for 20 seconds every time this happened. I finally found a solution to this problem. Not thrilled about the extra $89, but my internet experience is finally stable. The product I picked up is the D-Link ADSL2/2+ Modem/Wireless Router combo. I also reviewed this product on Amazon.The D-Link is highly recommended for AT&T DSL users with Mac/2Wire compatibility issues.
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Beautiful, but cannot upgrade SSD without Voiding Warranty
Lots of pros and cons...
Poorly made product
