Drum roll please…we've got Apple's mid 2012 update of the the MacBook Pro and we are ready to get inside.

The impressive machine boasts:

• 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with Intel HD Graphics 4000
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU with 512 MB of GDDR5 VRAM
• 4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
• 500 GB 5400 RPM hard drive
• 15.4" 1440x900 (110 ppi) LED-backlit display
• USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt I/O

We wanted to see how the Mid 2012 MacBook Pro stacked up against its new sibling, the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Other than the difference in size, the main differences between the machines are:

• Hard disk drive vs. flash storage
• 8 GB vs. 16 GB maximum configurable RAM (from Apple, at least)
• One Thunderbolt port vs. two
• MagSafe vs. MagSafe 2
• Kensington lock slot vs. flat aluminum
• Oh yeah…and a standard or Hi-Res (on 15-inch model) LCD vs. a Retina display

Not surprisingly, ten Phillips screws stand between us and the inside of the updated Pro.

We are relieved to see such a familiar sight. With no adhesive or pentalobe screws anywhere to be seen, we are excited to get at the upgraded insides of the new Pro.

The only "funky" bit we came across in the MacBook Pro was a Y1 Tri-wing screw holding down the battery. Luckily, we were prepared and had our 54-Bit Driver Kit on hand.

Our faithful spudger helps us disconnect the battery, which you should always do when performing repairs or maintenance on your MacBook Pro.

Apple's battery warning labels haven't stopped us before, and they're not stopping us now.

The battery is exactly the same as last year's model—77.5 Wh at 10.95 V.

In case you missed it last year, this battery is 13.8 mm thick and weighs 450 g.

• By comparison, the battery in the MacBook Pro with Retina display has cells that vary in thickness from 5.25 mm to 8.60 mm.

Standard Phillips screws secure the 500 GB Toshiba hard drive, meaning upgrading to a larger drive will be easy after you decide to start shooting RAW.

2.5" profile and a spinning platter? This hard drive is old news still perfectly good for most users' needs.

We were curious about Apple's choice to use a proprietary SSD in the MacBook Pro with Retina display rather than the standard 2.5" SATA drive. Disregarding the speed difference—after all, SSDs have been around for a while—the choice of the proprietary SSD is motivated by size.

• The 2.5" SATA drive in this MacBook Pro is almost three times as thick as the proprietary SSD in the MacBook Pro with Retina display: 9.45 mm compared to 3.16 mm, respectively.
• The drive has 4 mounting posts/screws that can be removed using a T6 torx bit.

Round two with the spudger frees the AirPort/Bluetooth board and unearths the optical drive.

Hot chips on the wireless card:

• Broadcom BCM4331KML1G 802.11n wireless solution
• Broadcom BCM20702 Bluetooth processor
• Skyworks SE5503A 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN

The optical drive is held in place with more standard Phillips screws.

A sigh of relief for anyone who wants to replace their optical drive with an SSD enclosure for more storage with enough room for all 736 episodes of Power Rangers and to install all 36 GB of Age of Conan.

It seems likely that this will be Apple's last laptop with an optical drive.

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