I have a 24 inch monitor, ASUS. It's OK, but I need more screen. Assuming Apple ships a new MBP this summer I will get a new 13" system and hook it up to my other 24 inch monitor or get a Ultrawide, 34 inch. I do development and need a lot of screen real estate.
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Do 13" owners wish they'd gone with 15"?
- Thread starter emilioestevez
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I have a 24 inch monitor, ASUS. It's OK, but I need more screen. Assuming Apple ships a new MBP this summer I will get a new 13" system and hook it up to my other 24 inch monitor or get a Ultrawide, 34 inch. I do development and need a lot of screen real estate.
I did have a 13", but after a week I did feel some regret and exchanged it for a 15".
My reasoning? For 50% more money I get a 100% increase in cores, ram, storage, more screen real estate, and a faster gpu.
The 15" is of the same weight as my old 2010 13" MBP, so it didn't really feel like i was carrying more either. Also, since the 15" is the only model with a quad core processor, it's the only one that really feels like I'm really bringing a desktop with me on the road. The 13", aside from the difference in processing power, just felt too cramped to get real work done with (software programming and writing a book).
My reasoning? For 50% more money I get a 100% increase in cores, ram, storage, more screen real estate, and a faster gpu.
The 15" is of the same weight as my old 2010 13" MBP, so it didn't really feel like i was carrying more either. Also, since the 15" is the only model with a quad core processor, it's the only one that really feels like I'm really bringing a desktop with me on the road. The 13", aside from the difference in processing power, just felt too cramped to get real work done with (software programming and writing a book).
Nope, I'm definitely happy with the 13. When I need more working space I use an external monitor.
Yeah but some don't need all of it. If you're going to college and using it to write notes and etc you don't need a 15 inch laptop.
Not really, the 13" model has a newer generation processor because the 13" was released later in the year. Also, 15" is just too much screen and too heavy. I find 13" to be perfect for any notebook.
the 15" is only 1lb more. It's like putting a can of sprite in your backpack. It shouldn't be noticeable, but it kind of is, but not annoying. What makes it feel "bigger" is the larger physical size. You kind of feel like it is a large computer b/c it's physically larger, but in truth when you pick them up side by side the 15 is not that much heavier. After all, it's 1 lb.
The 15" does feel considerably faster to me, even when using chrome, etc. Programs open up faster, etc. I think even having dropbox or drive running in the background, having 4 cores makes the computer not slow down like it does on the dual core 13".
I'd say that if you never use a 15" and only start with the 13", fine. You won't know what you're missing. But go to the 15" and then back to the 13" and you'll be wishing for more performance. Apple will never make a 4 core 13" machine because it'd be impossible to make one that thin. A 13" 4 core machine could be made with the last design's thickness of 1" but Apple would never do that given their weird obsession with thinness as the dominant design principle and having all of their models have nearly the same thickness. 1" thick 4 core 13" machine would be too ugly for them, nevermind like most businesses would care if people wanted the machine. Ironically Apple's macbook lines make zero sense right now and proves that simplicity alone (sparse choices) don't make for coherent notebook choices. They should just make a pro have 4 cores, the middle range have 2 cores, etc. And come in both sizes.
The 15" does feel considerably faster to me, even when using chrome, etc. Programs open up faster, etc. I think even having dropbox or drive running in the background, having 4 cores makes the computer not slow down like it does on the dual core 13".
I'd say that if you never use a 15" and only start with the 13", fine. You won't know what you're missing. But go to the 15" and then back to the 13" and you'll be wishing for more performance. Apple will never make a 4 core 13" machine because it'd be impossible to make one that thin. A 13" 4 core machine could be made with the last design's thickness of 1" but Apple would never do that given their weird obsession with thinness as the dominant design principle and having all of their models have nearly the same thickness. 1" thick 4 core 13" machine would be too ugly for them, nevermind like most businesses would care if people wanted the machine. Ironically Apple's macbook lines make zero sense right now and proves that simplicity alone (sparse choices) don't make for coherent notebook choices. They should just make a pro have 4 cores, the middle range have 2 cores, etc. And come in both sizes.
This ! You are so right.
I don't know why people think it's so hard to carry a 15" rMBP... I mean wait...I am on MacRumors forum.. People complain that MBA is heavy and MB is sooo light so it's not a a new thing xD.
You people complain it's like your bodies are made of paper and if you carry something heavier than 1KG you will broke xD...I carried a MBP 15" (2.5kg) and it was fine.. When i upgraded to rMBP i barely felt it in my backpack. When i carry my girlfriend MBA sometimes I got scared because I can't feel it in my backpack xD.
Anyway everybody buys what it fits best.
But let's get real here : the 15" one has some important advantages
[ performance, screen, (speakers maybe?)]the 13" one has portability, a little bit cooler?, cheaper but not as performant as the 15" , aaand idk
Ow another thing. The 15" model is NOT overpowered. It has a decent performance ( the hardware bounds very well with the OSX).
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Aside from being a newer generation, what exactly makes the CPU in 13.3" better than the one in the 15.4"? Battery usage aside as quad cores have always used more power as that's the nature of the beast.
I'll be looking at a new laptop once Apple announces something (or nothing) at WWDC. I currently have an early 2011 15", but I want to move to a 13". I'm sure I'll miss the performance and screen real estate, but I like the weight and footprint on the 13". But if the performance is that big of a difference (definitely a downgrade from what I have now), then that will definitely sway me towards the 15". I wonder how big the performance gap will be for me. I'll be a dental student, so the screen size, RAM, and quad-core for several PDFs and office documents would be nice.
It'll depend on usage, if you use mainly single core apps then you won't notice much difference in performance, if you primarily use multithreaded apps it's a massive difference. Your stated usage could be adequately provided by an iPad, any iPad, so really it isn't a very intense workload you have stated. That workload in no way needs a quad core or even more than 4gb of ram on a laptop.
- True about the generations of CPUs. But the 13" was actually released in March of 2015; 15" wasn't until May.
- Yes, and "640K ought to be enough for anybody." (Probably not a genuine quote, but you get the idea.)
- That's funny.
Several PDFs and office documents may be an understatement. I also rely on several Safari tabs and occasional photo editing. But yes, schoolwork is the main focus.
A lot of people report a general snappier experience in navigation and opening programs with a quad core vs a dual core, and I wouldn't want to give that up either by downgrading in CPU power.
I bought a 15" and returned it after a week. I couldn't handle carrying it around everywhere. I already carry a 14" Latitude for work and I feel like it's too big and want to request a 13" ultrabook. I then bought an 11" Air and it was too small. Sold it and will be getting a 13" Retina after the refresh. I think 13" is the perfect size, especially with a good screen resolution.
I have a 13" from last year right now and it's great - but I'm passing it down to my daughter for college and getting a 15". I've almost always had 13" inch laptops and they great for road warriors - if I used it frequently for travel I'm not sure I'd want the 15" - it is kind of big. I'm finding that as I get older, I want the larger real estate. I went from an iPhone 6 to a 6s plus and I really appreciate the extra size of the screen. If I had the money, I'd go to the iPad Pro from my iPad 2 Air. My decision now is whether I want to invest in the 2GB dedicated video...
- There's a large difference in the felt weight depending on how you carry your laptop. 13" or 15" may not matter much in a good backpack, but lots of people prefer shoulder bags where a weight difference is much more easily felt and the physical dimensions of the bag matter more.
I like the 15" since it is a great deal better in the performance department. However I prefer using the 13. It's much easier to transport in my smaller bag. It just pops out nicely for meetings and it fits well when working in tight spaces, like airports, planes, travels, my lap, etc. I still did all this with the 15 but its more convenient for me in 13" form. If I stayed at a desk for more of the day I would definitely buy the 15.
I had Ableton Live on my Windows 10 14" and it's a do-able but not comfortable to use. I could only imagine a 13" would be even more uncomfortable. But you shouldn't be producing beats on a laptop screen anyways.
Well im asking because of the cpu Power for Logic pro x. At Home im using my 2015 imac..
Interesting discussion taking place here.
What I really find interesting is how much people's perspective has changed over the past decade. I remember it wasn't that long ago that the "standard" laptop size was 15" -- an appropriate balance between portability and power. Now, 13" seems to be the standard bearer. As such, 15" is now seen as being quite big and cumbersome to carry.
What I really find interesting is how much people's perspective has changed over the past decade. I remember it wasn't that long ago that the "standard" laptop size was 15" -- an appropriate balance between portability and power. Now, 13" seems to be the standard bearer. As such, 15" is now seen as being quite big and cumbersome to carry.
I think the 15" is plenty portable. But I also need the dGPU for a lot of design work as a civil engineer, and I came from a Samsung laptop that was bigger in every physical dimension except screen, so your mileage may vary. It's all relative to what you're coming from.