Macbook Pro Retina 13inch i7 vs 15inch i7

[mlb2015]

Hi,
I currently have an 2011 15inch Macbook Pro (2.2ghz i7 750gb). It was very fast for the first couple of years, but it has had a lot of problems lately, so I want to upgrade.

I am trying to decide between the 13inch Macbook Pro Retina with 3.1GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7 and 500gb
OR
the 15 inch base model with 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 and 256gb.

- I am worried that 256gb won't be enough space.
- The screen size doesn't bother me too much, as each has equal advantages and disadvantages in my eyes.
- I can't afford to get the better 15inch.

The main concern I have is that I want it to run super fast - I do part time Graphic Design work and I often like to have Illustrator, Indesgin and Photoshop open at the same time. Which processor will do this best for me?

I appreciate the help!

 

[Vermifuge]

If screen size does not bother you get the 13 inch.

 

[snaky69]

Hi,
I currently have an 2011 15inch Macbook Pro (2.2ghz i7 750gb). It was very fast for the first couple of years, but it has had a lot of problems lately, so I want to upgrade.

I am trying to decide between the 13inch Macbook Pro Retina with 3.1GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7 and 500gb
OR
the 15 inch base model with 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 and 256gb.

- I am worried that 256gb won't be enough space.
- The screen size doesn't bother me too much, as each has equal advantages and disadvantages in my eyes.
- I can't afford to get the better 15inch.

The main concern I have is that I want it to run super fast - I do part time Graphic Design work and I often like to have Illustrator, Indesgin and Photoshop open at the same time. Which processor will do this best for me?

I appreciate the help!

You're comparing a dual core to a quad core. Apples to oranges.

For your Adobe apps having the quad core will make them run nearly twice as fast when rendering.

With that said, don't bother upgrading the processor if you decide to go with the 13", a lot of money for very little gain.

 

[T5BRICK]

Which processor will do this best for me?

The quad 2.2GHz i7 is far more capable. If 256GB isn't enough storage you can use an external.

That being said, the 13" rMBP is a fantastic computer. It's just not as fast as the 15" models. As someone else already pointed out, skip the i7 upgrade. It's not worth it.

 

[mlb2015]

Thank you so much for you help. I think I will go with the 15inch, as the speed is most important to me.

 

[pjfan]

Thank you so much for you help. I think I will go with the 15inch, as the speed is most important to me.

Have you considered apple refurbished? Might be able to get your 512gb 15"

I believe your use case demands the 15" resources.

 

[dollystereo]

Actually, your 2011 MBP is plenty fast for this work, just put and SSD (I have the same machine).
The 2011 MBP i7 is faster than the 2015 i7 in the 13 MBP and not much slower than the 15".