MacBook Pro Late 2011 15"

Quietly released without a press announcement, the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.4 15-Inch (Late 2011) is powered by a 32 nm "Sandy Bridge" 2.4 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (2760QM). It features four independent cores on a single chip, a 6 MB shared L3 cache, and 4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-10600) installed in pairs. The system includes a 750 GB Serial ATA (5400 RPM) hard drive, an 8X DL "SuperDrive," and dual graphics processors—an AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory and an Intel HD Graphics 3000 sharing 384 MB of system memory—and an integrated FaceTime HD webcam.

The standard configuration has an LED-backlit 15.4-inch widescreen TFT active-matrix "glossy" display (1440x900), with custom options for a "high-resolution glossy" 1680x1050 or "high-resolution antiglare" 1680x1050 display for an extra US$100 and US$150, respectively.

Connectivity includes AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, a FireWire "800" port, two USB 2.0 ports, separate audio in/out ports, an SDXC card slot, and a "Thunderbolt" port. This port is backward compatible with Mini DisplayPort, supports external displays up to 2560x1600, passes audio, and works with other Thunderbolt peripherals at up to 10 Gbps.

This model uses a "Unibody" aluminum case, a backlit keyboard, a "no button" glass "inertial" multi-touch trackpad, and a non-swappable battery with an estimated 7-hour life. Compared to its predecessor, this model is identical except for a faster processor and superior graphics.

The Late 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro, with its 2.4 GHz Core i7 processor, represented a solid performance bump over its predecessor. It paired the powerful Sandy Bridge CPU with the more capable AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics, making it a strong contender for creative professionals. The classic unibody design was still praised for its durability, and importantly, it allowed for user upgrades to RAM and storage, a feature that would soon disappear. While it was a powerful and reliable machine upon release, its long-term reputation was unfortunately tarnished by the widespread and well-documented failures of its discrete graphics card, a problem that plagued this specific generation and became a source of significant owner frustration.