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15" high-res vs standard res?

C

cmm

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 30, 2006
842
36
NYC
I have a 17" MBP (1920x1200) which has a big, beautiful screen but unfortunately the machine itself is just too damn big (and heavy). I'd like to downgrade to a 15". I was wondering what your opinion was between the high-res and standard res machine? Purely specs, the difference is 1680x1050 and 1440x900 -- how does that play out in the real world? Is it worth spending the extra money?

Thanks!
 
Completely depends on your usage. If you need the space, of course the high-res is a no-brainer. If your eyes are bad (like mine), you will more than likely appreciate the lower resolution, standard display. Either way, if you have the requirement and are willing to spend the money, I'd say the higher resolution display is worth the premium.

That said, of course, everybody will recommend waiting for the new model, which might even come with the higher resolution display as standard (just naming a possibility, there is no evidence to support this AFAIK). That should bring the current model prices even further.
 
When are they due out? I was planning on buying used.

I love the screen real estate of my current machine, it's just too big. But I wasn't sure how much of a productivity boost the high-res option will give you.
 
I'm going with the hi-res option for the 15", I need the extra screen real estate and I played with both at my local apple store.

The question is what will apple do with the next refresh, will they change the display at all?? who knows.

We also don't know when apple will be updating the line, we all are hoping for the end of this month, but we really don't know
 
maflynn said:
I'm going with the hi-res option for the 15", I need the extra screen real estate and I played with both at my local apple store.

The question is what will apple do with the next refresh, will they change the display at all?? who knows.

We also don't know when apple will be updating the line, we all are hoping for the end of this month, but we really don't know
Click to expand...

I have the hi res option on my early 2011 MacBook pro 15". Computer is a year old this month and I have not ever regretted it. I agree with you on the next refresh. There will always be updates and improvements to the line. Rather or not rumors are correct an an update is coming who knows?
 
I've owned both and the portability of the 15 vs the 17 is negligible. If you can honestly notice a few extra ounces I'm surprised

Now if your talking about a 13" Pro or air I can see the point. Especially on an airplane or lecture hall

Honestly my MBP 17 rarely sits on a desk. I find it sufficiently portable and the big screen well worth a couple ounces of weight and an inch in diameter
 
If portability is an issue, the only valid option is the 13" to be honest.

Hook it up to an external monitor (27" TBD) while at your desk so you don't lose the awesome screen factor.

I got a MBA 13" + 27" ACD and it's simply an incredible combo: portable machine while on the road + terrific screen while at home.
 
Interesting, I thought it would be a perfect compromise. The 13 MBP screen resolution is just awful (the Air is better...) so I haven't considered a 13.

I have dual 24" IPS monitors at home, but still, pulling the laptop from my nightstand to the bed at night...ugh.

Maybe I should get an iPad instead?
 
I had a 15" Macbook Pro with the high-res screen to replace an older 15" and I found the high-res would hurt my eyes, but I couldn't stand the 15"'s black border, so I ended up with a macbook air. Call me crazy, but it works.

KohPhiPhi said:
If portability is an issue, the only valid option is the 13" to be honest.

Hook it up to an external monitor (27" TBD) while at your desk so you don't lose the awesome screen factor.

I got a MBA 13" + 27" ACD and it's simply an incredible combo: portable machine while on the road + terrific screen while at home.
Click to expand...

At that point, you might as well as get an 11" Macbook Air, it has pretty much the same specs as the 13".
 
The hi-res upgrade on the 15" is pretty inexpensive for what you get. If you are dealing with visual media, the extra space really helps. Video editing, photoshop, even word documents get extra breathing room on the hi-res. I went for hi-res glossy and the quality is really really good, I'd recommend getting the higher end GPU with it but it's not absolutely necessary, either model with hi-res screen will run smoothly!
 
thejadedmonkey said:
At that point, you might as well as get an 11" Macbook Air, it has pretty much the same specs as the 13".
Click to expand...

Problem with the MBA 11" is battery life. It's about 2 hours shorter than the 13" MBA, which is not cool for what's supposed to be the ultimate mobility machine.
 
underblu said:
I've owned both and the portability of the 15 vs the 17 is negligible. If you can honestly notice a few extra ounces I'm surprised

Now if your talking about a 13" Pro or air I can see the point. Especially on an airplane or lecture hall

Honestly my MBP 17 rarely sits on a desk. I find it sufficiently portable and the big screen well worth a couple ounces of weight and an inch in diameter
Click to expand...

I too own both and the difference is not a few extra ounces, it's 16oz heavier. It's not a massive difference in size physical wise, but I would agree that the 13" is certainly a lot more portable than either the 15" or 17".
 
I've recently gone from a 13" MBP with crappy resolution to a 15" MBP with the Hi Res option.


LOVE IT.

Hi Res is awesome and totally worth it!

Also coming from a 17" you would find the small real estate of the lo-res very restricting I think
 
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