MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 & Early 2009

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

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.

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.

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

• 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

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

• 2GB or 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM

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

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

• 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

• 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

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

• 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

• iFixit: List of Troubleshooting Guides
• iFixit: Mac OS X HD Reinstallation Tips
• iFixit: DIY Laptop Upgrades
• Wikipedia: MacBook Pro Page
• Mactracker: Application with Apple Product Specs
• EveryMac: MacBook Pro Product Specs
• Apple: MacBook Pro
• iFixit Blog: MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 and Early 2009 Teardown
• iFixit Blog: MacBook Pro Unibody Headphone Jack Issues