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Apple MacBook Pro MB166LL/A 17-inch Laptop (2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)

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Brand: Apple
Category: Personal Computer

List Price: ~~$2,499.00~~
Buy New: $2,249.99
You Save: $249.01 (10%)

New (4) from $2,249.99

Media: Personal Computers
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: Mac OS X
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.5
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Processors: 1
System Bus Speed: 800
System Memory: 2000
Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Size: 250
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Graphics RAM: 512
Native Resolution: 17
Modem: None
Display Size: 17
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6.8
Dimensions (in): 10.4 x 15.4 x 1
Warranty: 1 year warranty

MPN: MB166LL/A
Model: MB166LL/A
UPC: 885909179039
EAN: 0885909179039
ASIN: B0013FPMXG

Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Features:

•	2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6 MB on-chip shared L2 cache, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
•	2 GB RAM (two SO-DIMM) 677 MHz DDR2 SD-RAM (PC2-5300), 250 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, slot load 8x Super Drive (DVDR DL/DVDRW/CD-RW)
•	One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, three USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slo
•	Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
•	17-inch (diagonal), 1680 by 1050 resolution, matte TFT widescreen display with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI

Accessories:

•	Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2
•	Apple Cinema 20-inch Flat-Panel Display
•	Apple Cinema 23-inch HD Flat-Panel Display
•	Apple Cinema 30-inch HD Flat-Panel Display
•	Apple iWork '08

Similar Items:

•	AppleCare Protection Plan MA515LL/A for MacBook Pro (w/ or w/o display)
•	Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home Student Edition
•	VMware Fusion [OLD VERSION]
•	Kingston - Memory - 4 GB ( 2 x 2 GB ) - SO DIMM 200-pin - DDR2 - 667 MHz - unbuffered
•	Kingston Apple 4GB Kit 667MHz DDR2 SoDimm Dual Channel Memory (KTA-MB667K2/4GR)

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Product Description
Stylishly and intelligently designed for mobile professionals, Apple's MacBook Pro now includes Apple's Multi-Touch technology (which debuted with the MacBook Air), allowing you to pinch, swipe, or rotate to enlarge text, advance through photos, or adjust an image. And it gets a serious speed bump from Intel's latest 2.5 GHz 45-nanometer Penryn series Core 2 Duo processor (with 6 MB L2 cache), which also helps to reduce power requirements and save on battery life. This model (MB166LL/A ) also has state-of-the art NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card with 512 MB of GDDR3 video RAM. p table align=right width=400 cellpadding=10 trtdimg src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/apple/macbookpro-15.jpg" border=0 align=top width="400" height="250"brbrsmallibThe MacBook Pro offers a 15-inch mercury-free, power-efficient display with an antiglare finish that's perfect for color-minded professionals./b/i/small/td/tr /table Meticulously designed and encased in sleek and sturdy aluminum, the MacBook Pro measures just 1 inch thin and weighs 6.8 pounds. Your hands have room to spread out on the full-size keyboard with crisp, responsive keys, and the MacBook Pro has a built-in ambient light sensor that adjusts the keyboard and display brightness so it's easy to work in low-light settings. Other standard Apple "extras" includes a built-in iSight video camera and Apple's magnetically connected MagSafe power adapter, which safely disconnects when under strain. p It's pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which enables easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications--including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes--and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. Other hardware features include a 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (which can be upgraded to 4 GB), an 8x combo Superdrive (for burning dual-layer DVDs as well as CDs), built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), FireWire 400 and 800 ports, DVI video output, and an ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot for expansion solutions such as 3G wireless networking. p bApple Innovations/bbr The MacBook Pro is the culmination of years of refining hardware and software design to an integrated art, and Apple's Multi-Touch technology is just the latest innovation to be added to it. The advanced trackpad now allows you to flip through photos, enlarge text, and adjust an image using just your fingers. It also comes with a MagSafe power adapter connector, which offers a magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, if you happen to trip over a power cord, you won't send MacBook Pro flying off a table or desk--the cord simply disconnects, without damage to either the cord or the system. p table align=left width=160 cellpadding=10 trtdimg src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/apple/indexmagplug20061024._V12312312_.png" border=0 align=topbrbrsmallibThe magnetically connected MagSafe power adapter breaks cleanly away, without damage to either the cord or the MacBook Pro./b/i/small/td/tr /table The MacBook Pro has battery life that rivals most notebooks in its class. If you'd like to make that battery last even longer, Mac OS X has a few tricks up its sleeve. Go to System Preferences, click Energy Saver, and change battery optimization from Normal to Better Battery Life. Or tell MacBook Pro to reduce its screen brightness and give yourself a little more time untethered. p bIntel Core 2 Duo Processor/bbr Experience improved energy efficiency, expanded wireless connectivity, and amazing battery life with the 45nm Penryn series Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 processor, which has a 2.50 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a super-sized 6 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) p The new hafnium-infused circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors--conserves even more energy, giving you more time away from the wall outlet. With a whopping 6 MB of shared L2 cache, data and instructions can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently. And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the entire amount if the other happens to be idle. p table align=right width=400 cellpadding=10 trtdimg src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/apple/macbookpro-keyboard.jpg" border=0 align=top width="400" height="239"brbrsmallibYour hands have room to spread out on the full-size keyboard with crisp, responsive keys./b/i/small/td/tr /table bHard Drive and Memory/bbr The 250 GB Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. The 2 GB of PC5300 DDR2 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) have an industry-leading 667 MHz speed, and the RAM capacity can be increased to 4 GB. p bWireless Connectivity/bbr The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. Use the built-in Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague. p bDisplay and Graphics/bbr The 17-inch widescreen TFT display offers a native resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels and an antiglare widescreen display that's perfect for color-minded professionals. It's also better for the environment, thanks to its new mercury-free display. p Video and graphics are powered by the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT card, which is boosted by 512 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM. GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate, version 3) is a graphics card-specific memory technology that's better able to deliver fluid frame rates for even the most advanced games and applications. The GeForce 8600M GT brings a new level of realism to the MacBook Pro with its 16-lane PCI Express architecture, 16x full screen anti-aliasing, 128-bit High Dynamic Range rendering, and a texture fill rate of up to 8.2 billion per second. p bVideo Conferencing with Built-in iSight/bbr Artfully placed in the display bezel is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application, video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally. For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your GarageBand-recorded podcast. p bOther Features/bbr ul liThree USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34 slot liDVI output port; VGA output using included DVI to VGA adapter li8x slot-loading SuperDrive with the following write speeds: 8x DVDR; 4x DVDR DL (double layer); 4x DVDRW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW liBacklit keyboard with ambient light sensors for automatic adjustment of keyboard illumination and screen brightness liInternal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers liCombined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack) liCombined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack) li68-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery providing up to 6 hours of battery life liKensington cable lock slot liMeasures 15.4 x 10.4 x 1 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 6.8 pounds (including battery) /ul p table align=center width=800 cellpadding=10 trtdimg src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/apple/macbookpro-connections.jpg" border=0 align=top width="800" height="147"brbrsmallibConnect to your network, a desktop monitor and all your peripherals with three USB 2.0, one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, one DVI video output, and one Gigabit Ethernet./b/i/small/td/tr /table p table align=right width=300 cellpadding=10 trtdimg src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/apple/macbookupgr-leopard-stacks.jpg" border=0 align=topbrbrsmallibPreloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the redesigned 3-D Dock with Stacks)./b/i/small/td/tr /table bPreloaded with Leopard and iLife '08/bbr The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including: ul liTime Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac liA redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs liQuick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application liSpaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them liA brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock liMajor enhancements to Mail and iChat /ul Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3-D Dock with Stacks, a new way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard automatically places web, e-mail and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network. p Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file. p The MacBook also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an e-mail address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb. p bIncluded Software/bbr Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive; iWork '08 (30-day trial) p bWhat's in the Box/bbr MacBook Pro, 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, and power cord, lithium-polymer battery, DVI to VGA adapter, display cleaning cloth, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation.

Product Description
You'll never run out of space for all your important files with this advanced and seamlessly integrated MacBook Pro with 250GB of hard drive space. Multitasking is faster than before with 2GB of memory and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Multi-Touch technology has finally come: you'll be able to use two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, etc. just like you do with your iPhone. You'll have complete freedom from endless wires with the AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless. Bonjour lets you easily share files with your network. Connect a printer to the AirPort and you're ready to print from anywhere in your home. Sync up your Bluetooth-enabled phone with the built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. The high-res 17" antiglare widescreen TFT screen gives you sharp-looking text and graphics. The built-in iSight camera lets you video chat or even create your own movie. 6MB of shared L2 cache makes this MacBook Pro a top performer. BRBR 17 Antiglare Widescreen (1680 x 1050) TFT Display Built-in iSight Camera omnidirectional microphone NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory 8X Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+-R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW) Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (802.11a/b/g/n) Built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet ExpressCard 34 Slot 3 USB 2.0, Headphone out; Microphone-in, DVI output port, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, RJ-45 LAN, MagSafe power port Dimensions - Approx. 15.4 (W) x 1.0 (H) x 10.4 (D) Weight - Approx. 6.8 lbs

Customer Reviews: Read 95 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

MacBook Pro--Mostly Good November 22, 2008
I replaced my five year old iBook with this MacBook Pro because I did not want the glossy screen of the new MacBook and because the Amazon price after rebate for the early 2008 version of the Pro was close to the price I would have had to pay for the late 2008 MacBook.br /br /The Pro is a great machine and, of course performs much better than my old iBook except in one respect--wireless reception. My iBook never had any issues anywhere in the house. The Pro is MUCH weaker. At first I thought the Pro was defective, but after a call to AppleCare and a visit to the Apple Store Genius, I saw that it just required a stronger signal. Since I don't take my laptop out of the house, that's not as big an issue for me as it might be for others. br /br /I've repositioned my modem/router and I'm considering buying a 'n' router to replace my 'g' version, hoping it will work better.br /br /I do think that Apple should have been more attentive to wireless performance. I'm wondering if the new metal-cased MacBooks will have the same weak-kneed wireless reception.

5 out of 5 stars

Mac is great! November 16, 2008
After a big divorce with Win XP, I'm happy again. I never imagine computing could be this much fun.

5 out of 5 stars

I Got My Baby Back November 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Sometimes you do really stupid stuff. And sometimes you do it because you're never satisfied. I've always been the kind of person who was on the lookout for something better. A laptop smaller, faster than the one I have. A zoom, wider, longer, lighter than the one I have. A better iPod, better speakers, lighter, studier Nikes. Newer, better, faster Photoshop. There's always something better coming out just before Christmas. I'm looking at a Blu-ray video player. That new Tamron 18-270 is looking mighty sweet. That new MacBook, really the cat's meow that was.br /br /As soon as I saw Steve Jobs' presentation I began to think my MacBook was getting long in the tooth. How silly I was. I didn't know that then, I know it now. I mean this beautiful machine had a 320 gig hard drive, 4 gigs of ram, a gorgeous matte screen you could look at and love forever, connected right up to my really, really gorgeous 23 inch Apple Cinema display. It ran Photoshop at almost the speed of light. Lightroom too, it blazed through. Excel, it opened those files before you could blink. I had Vista installed on a Bootcamp partition and it ran XP and Ubuntu via VMWare's fusion at almost native speeds. I had XP skinned, running in Unity, so all my windows programs looked just like they were running natively in OS X.br /br /I had over two hundred gigs of music in my iTunes library. Hundreds of hours of Bob Dylan live, George Harrison and John Lennon too. This was a rock and roll machine that loved to do the blues. My MacBook loved and played Billie Holiday. Family photos, travel photos, work photos, all there to be seen on that wonderful screen.br /br /And I threw it all away for that new machine Steve Jobs was touting, because I'm never satisfied, because I'm always looking for something better. I was so stupid.br /br /I sold my baby on eBay, got the new machine, hated the glossy screen and it seemed heaver too. I wanted my baby back, oh how I wanted my baby back.br /br /I called the guy who won my baby on eBay and I swapped him my new MacBook for my old one. He was more than happy to do it.br /br /Apple had a winner with this machine. I truly believe it's the best laptop ever made. Better than its replacement, better than anything out there today. I'm going to keep this machine for a long, long time. I've learned a lesson, a real lesson. No more replacing those Nikes until their worn out. New lenses do not a better photographer make. Blu-ray not yet, I've got a very nice 43 inch Sony Bravia, which shows beautiful movies on my hundred dollar Costco Panasonic combo VHS/DVD player. Adobe just came out with CS4, but I won't be upgrading, not this time.br /br /I've been well and truly blessed. I've got a lot and I've finally learned to be satisfied with what I've got.br /br /Reviewed by Stephanie Sanebr /

5 out of 5 stars

Better value than new unibody MacBook Pro November 12, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Background:br /I wanted to buy the new unibody MacBook Pro. br /Tried it at the Apple store and here are my findings and opinions,br /and comparisons with the March 2008 model (MB134LL/A - the one I bought and am reviewing).br /br /Display on unibody model is super glossy and very reflective - and has no option for matte finish. br /Keyboard on unibody model did not feel as nice as the March 2008 model.br /Unibody model is slightly larger - bezel width is more than the March 2008 Model.br /Also, the March 2008 model is a lot cheaper (about $700), br /and there is an additional $150 rebate from Amazon.br /Meaningful specs difference:br /2.5 GHz versus 2.53 GHz CPU in the new high end one,br /2 Gigs of RAM versus 4 Gigs of faster RAM in the new high end (I upgraded to 4GB myself for $60),br /8600M GT 512MB versus 9600M GT 512MB in the new high end (20-30% faster),br /250GB 5400RPM versus 320GB 5400RPM in the new one (more on this below),br /The new one also has dual graphics (use the lower power one for more battery),br /but I'd always use the higher one, which would lead to less battery lifebr /than the March model.br /br /Display:br /Like I said, I prefer matte finish (or a glossy that is not like a mirror).br /The default colors were a little dull, so I went to System Preferences/Display/Color/Calibrate andbr /tweaked around and saved a new color profile. It is MUCH improved now - much better saturationbr /and has the contrast of glossy without the reflections.br /br /Usage:br /In less than 5 minutes, I upgraded to 4 Gigs RAM - bought that for about $60 from Amazon.br /I am keeping my two original 1 Gig sticks in case I need them in the future.br /I have VMWare Fusion running Windows XP Professional for some of my br /must-have Windows apps. I have given the VM 1 Gig of RAM and 40 Gigs of disk.br /Performance of Mac apps and Windows apps is superb.br /I am using a WD Passport 320GB USB drive for backups with Time Machine.br /br /Battery:br /Last about 2.5-3 hours with almost constant usage. The best thing is when I close the lid,br /it goes to sleep instantly, and wakes up instantly when I need it again, with no loss ofbr /battery regardless of how long it sleeps. That is VERY DIFFERENT from my experience withbr /Windows laptops that lose battery even when sleeping. No idea why.br /br /Storage:br /It came with a 5400RPM 250GB HD. I bought a WD 7200RPM 320GB with a big buffer from br /Newegg - I plan to swap out the HD - that requires "minor surgery" so I am doing my researchbr /before I do it this weekend. The new disk will be a lot faster, although the it comes with br /seems to be pretty fast already. I am swapping as I like doing stuff like that.br /UPDATE: I swapped the hard drive and did a full restore from Time Machine - it now is exactlybr /the same as my las back-up with all apps and settings, except with a bigger and faster hard drive.br /This "surgery" is t for the faint of heart. :-) And is probably totally unnecessary for most folks.br /br /Mac OS X:br /So simple. After using Windows PCs and laptops for over 15 years, I am amazed how easybr /and intuitive it was to use a new OS. I know Mac OS X is very powerful and I am just beginningbr /to learn the advanced features to play with. Being able to run Windows XP in a VM with such a smallbr /load on the system is very nice. I use software apps that are either not available on the Mac yet,br /or have much older versions on the Mac. This is not specifically about the MacBook Pro but thebr /fact that the MacBook Pro has enough juice to do this is what is worth noting.br /br /Boot Times:br /When I shutdown and restart, it comes up in 30 seconds or so. Much faster than my experience br /with Windows laptops. Here's the best part - if I put the Windows VM to sleep in my Mac,br /it comes back up in seconds! Much faster than Windows used to wake up on a Windows laptop!br /So for a portable laptop, the MacBook Pro is quite powerful and fast.br /br /Overall:br /I am glad I bought this model instead of the new Unibody model. This is by far the best portable computerbr /I have ever owned. I've always felt that the MacBook Pro carries a price premium over "equivalent" orbr /more feature rich Windows laptops, but now I know why. They are better.

4 out of 5 stars

Great laptop.. but there is one huge issue I wish I had known about before buying. November 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I love my new macbook pro.. but I wish I had known that the nvidia 8600m GT gpu is faulty, and has a very high chance of failing. Apple has added an extra year to the standard warranty to cover faulty gpu issues, but I probably would have gone for the new glossy macbook if I had known.br /br /For what it's worth, nvidia are at fault, not apple. br /Google the gpu. Every laptop from every manufacturer (dell, hp, and others) with that series is affected.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
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