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If you was about to rebuy a mbp - would you chose a different size?

M

mbp2011

macrumors newbie
Original poster
You who has bought 13" - do you regret it and wish you bought 15" instead?
And vice versa.
 
Not a bit. Its ultra portable and when I need the extra screen real estate I just hook it up to an external. I do hate the fact that we don't get a great graphics card but it's ok since don't play any games.
 
IMO ... the 13 inch is the sweet spot ... I would not pay extra for a bigger screen less battery and a heavier laptop. 😎
 
No. The real estate of my 17" is great. On the other hand, I would consider a Mac Pro plus an iPad.
 
I recently purchased a 15" 2011 MBP a couple days ago. I'm being haunted by visions of the 13" MBA though. Gosh it is freakin slick! I was in Best Buy staring at it again. lol. I keep thinking if I made the right choice, and if I could actually get by on the MBA for the audio work I do. The main reason I didn't get the MBA over the 15" MBP is because there is no way to connect an external drive to record to. (Firewire). USB 2.0 is just not an ideal way to record any type of audio to. My current pc has a core 2 duo and I get by just fine as far as processing speed, so I know that even though the processor is outdated on the MBA, I would still have plenty of power for my needs.

Ideally, when the new MBA comes out, I plan on selling the MBP 15" and getting it instead, since it will more than likely have Thunderbolt, which would allow me to connect to an external drive to record to. I wish so bad that the MBA had a firewire port. I keep going over, and over in my head if there is any way that I could make the MBA work for my needs but I just don't see it happening with this current model. I absolutely love the form factor of it. They say that the MBA could be out for a refresh as soon as June though.

I live in Phoenix, and this is the first time I have wished that Summer would freaking get here already so I can have my MBA!
 
I have an early 2009 15" MBP with the standard res glossy screen (only available screen option at the time). I really wished I would have gone for a 17" MBP instead. Needless to say, my next MBP is going to be a 17" & I plan to go with an anti-glare screen as well. 🙂
 
I had the 13" for a couple of years. This time around I went with the 15" for a couple of reasons:

1) Not enough real estate on the 13" screen for my web design tools (Rapid Weaver and pixelmator).

2) Wanted a Quadcore i7. Not an option on the 13"

3) Wanted discreet video chipset to play WoW a few times a month. Again, not an option on the 13.

The only thing I REALLY miss from my 13" MBP was the SSD. I got a 7200rpm drive on the 15". Man, do I feel the speed difference on drive i/o. Sloooow. 🙁
 
Hackint0sh said:
I had the 13" for a couple of years. This time around I went with the 15" for a couple of reasons:

1) Not enough real estate on the 13" screen for my web design tools (Rapid Weaver and pixelmator).

2) Wanted a Quadcore i7. Not an option on the 13"

3) Wanted discreet video chipset to play WoW a few times a month. Again, not an option on the 13.

The only thing I REALLY miss from my 13" MBP was the SSD. I got a 7200rpm drive on the 15". Man, do I feel the speed difference on drive i/o. Sloooow. 🙁
Click to expand...

Do you plan on putting an SS drive in your 15"?
 
I have a 13" MBP and I like the size. A smaller computer would be great for portability, but then things are too small for me to comfortably read (given no resolution independence in OSX). A larger one would be great for the screen real-estate, but they are much more expensive and not as nice to cart around or to prop up while I'm web surfing on the couch.

I guess I've felt this way for awhile, because although I really really wanted to like/buy the 12" white iBook when it came out, I bought the 14" instead for the ease/comfort in reading the screen --- and I'm actually typing on it right now, 10 years later 😀
 
I had a 13' for three years and just got a new 15'. The 13' served its purpose, I was in college and with the amount of moving around I did it was perfect. Screen size is completely adequate and having large hands the keyboard was not an issue. Now my new 15 I absolutely love, especially the graphics card and the anti-glare scree. But I don't regret having the 13', it was the right fit when I had it.
 
I have a 15" MBP, and it's fine and dandy. I don't know that I'd be any worse off with a 13" MBP though... *shrug*

My next MBP will be a 13" one, just due to budget constraints though 🙁
 
I have a 15, and I fly every week for work. I love the graphics since I game when I am away from home. I am not willing to sacrifice game performance so the 15 is fine by me. It fits well in every carry on/roller board luggage I have looked at, and on most planes I am able to pull it out and do some work if I am so inclined.
 
If money wasn't tight I would of preferred the 15". With that said, the 15" resolution seems weak at 1440x900 and it only has 2 stinkin' USB ports. If I really had the cash, the new 17" model would be perfect. Outside of storage, there wouldn't be a reason to buy a Mac Pro. I do like the 13" but it is a tad small.
 
I've had a 13" MB models 2008 and 2010 and this year I decided I wanted the 15" for the high-res (1680x1050) + AG. I finally got tired of the lower resolution and just opted for the 15" I prefer the 13" size but whatever, 15" is fine with me too as I lug around a Windows laptop occasionally. I agree about the price jump on the 15" so I went for a 2010 15" AG model and saved a few bucks thanks to the 2011 release.

I will add that I loved the 13" while I had it, great for portability while I used it in undergrad and currently grad school. But my brother is hooking me up with his iPad so he can get iPad2, I feel I can make use of the 15" and iPad nicely. 15" is still portable for me when I need the screen and power on the go.

I will say that if the 13" MBP had 1440x900 I would still be on a 13". The air's lack of upgradability is a no go for me.
 
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I think the 13" is the perfect size. Easy to travel with and can always use an external at home. Though i usually park myself on th couch with my MBP on m lap.
 
Just purchased a 13" MBP, after using a 13" BlackBook for 3 years. I love the size (before the BlackBook, I had a 17" laptop)....it's never seemed too small and I've always loved the portability.

When I was considering purchasing a new computer, I never even thought about going bigger.
 
I currently have a 2007 13" MacBook (not a MBP, I know). If I was to buy now I would want a 15" MBP with the quad core processor, but I think I'll hold off. Hopefully Ivy Bridge will bring a quad core to the 13". That might be the time for me to upgrade and get another 13". I'm happy with the 13" size, but I do want to see a huge improvement from getting a new computer if it'll need to last me 3-5 years. Next year hopefully the SSD prices will have dropped a lot too.
 
I had a 13". I sold it because it was too slow for me. I needed a quad. So ingot a 15". I do miss the 13" size though for portability. The 15" is bigger than you think it's going to be.

When they finally put quads in the 13", I might switch back to one.
 
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