13" C2D vs 15" i5 Macbook Pro for college???

[kny3twalker]

Is the magic mouse not good? And aren't most other mouses the two button layout? Does that conflict with using it for a macbook? Can you still right click?

Any two button mouse should work in
osx, but if it has any other buttons, you should make sure the mouse is supported for use in osx. Most logitech mice have osx drivers so you should be fine. I figured you would go logitech??? And you will still have right click. And apple mice are still terrible.

 

[atc1093]

If you get the tv...get something that it can sit on that is higher than whatever MBP you choose to get. That way you have a sort of vertical setup where the tv is above the laptop. works out a lot better IMHO.

yeah i was thinking of just mounting it on the wall a little higher than the desk.

 

[debob]

yeah i was thinking of just mounting it on the wall a little higher than the desk.

that's perfect. just make sure that it's high enough above the mbp before you drill

so which are you going to go with?

 

[alust2013]

To make a suggestion about keyboards, I currently use the apple wired KB with the number pad. I needed the number pad for working in excel, because I learned the hard way how much it sucks to have to do some pretty heavy excel work with the top row numbers. So I would definitely get one with a number pad if you have to use excel much at all. Personally, I love my apple keyboard, it is very crisp, even a bit better than the keyboard on my MB, I would say. If you need wireless, I would go logitech though, they always have good stuff.

 

[atc1093]

that's perfect. just make sure that it's high enough above the mbp before you drill

so which are you going to go with?

Which computer or which tv? I will probably get the 2.4 ghz 13" macbook pro. As for tv, I am not sure yet what size or brand I should get. Any suggestions that are relatively inexpensive?

 

[kny3twalker]

Which computer or which tv? I will probably get the 2.4 ghz 13" macbook pro. As for tv, I am not sure yet what size or brand I should get. Any suggestions that are relatively inexpensive?

lg makes a fairly cheap 1080p 32" LCD tv that uses an IPS LCD panel. I think it sells for about $400-$500, and should be much nicer than most of sub $500 LCD tvs which use tn type lcds. I cannot remember the model number but google can help you find it. Other than that a price range would help a great deal. If you can spend $1000, your choices for high quality tvs increases substantially.

 

[atc1093]

lg makes a fairly cheap 1080p 32" LCD tv that uses an IPS LCD panel. I think it sells for about $400-$500, and should be much nicer than most of sub $500 LCD tvs which use tn type lcds. I cannot remember the model number but google can help you find it. Other than that a price range would help a great deal. If you can spend $1000, your choices for high quality tvs increases substantially.

I am thinking of $500 or less, so is there any way to tell what kind of lcd a tv has simply by looking at the box?

 

[debob]

lg makes a fairly cheap 1080p 32" LCD tv that uses an IPS LCD panel.

But would you really want to sit in front of a 32" screen and have to turn your head left to right just to see the edges? I personally wouldn't. My 24" TV is about the right size for the distance from my face when it's in use for a monitor.

My tv is a 24" Samsung LCD. I don't have the exact model numbers because I am out of town.

 

[atc1093]

But would you really want to sit in front of a 32" screen and have to turn your head left to right just to see the edges? I personally wouldn't. My 24" TV is about the right size for the distance from my face when it's in use for a monitor.

My tv is a 24" Samsung LCD. I don't have the exact model numbers because I am out of town.

Do you live in a dorm with this tv? I am trying to see the right size for a dorm room.

 

[debob]

Do you live in a dorm with this tv? I am trying to see the right size for a dorm room.

I did yes. Next semester I am moving off campus to a house. But yes. At my school (UT-Chattanooga) we have apartment style dorms on campus. Even if you are living in a regular dorm anything sub 26" or so would be perfect. If you go too big I would think your eyes would start hurting after extended use.

I wouldn't go cheap just to go bigger with the tv, especially if you plan on using it for watching movies or any regular use of tv.

 

[atc1093]

I did yes. Next semester I am moving off campus to a house. But yes. At my school (UT-Chattanooga) we have apartment style dorms on campus. Even if you are living in a regular dorm anything sub 26" or so would be perfect. If you go too big I would think your eyes would start hurting after extended use.

I wouldn't go cheap just to go bigger with the tv, especially if you plan on using it for watching movies or any regular use of tv.

Probably to also watch tv as well as play xbox occasionally, thats the only reason why I wouldn't want it to be too small.

 

[debob]

Probably to also watch tv as well as play xbox occasionally, thats the only reason why I wouldn't want it to be too small.

How are the dorms setup at GT? Like...how big are they?

 

[atc1093]

How are the dorms setup at GT? Like...how big are they?

They are pretty sh***y dorms for freshman year, so they are your traditional setup, maybe like 11' x 15' give or take a little. Its just two lofted beds, two desks, and two sets of drawers pretty much.

 

[debob]

They are pretty sh***y dorms for freshman year, so they are your traditional setup, maybe like 11' x 15' give or take a little. Its just two lofted beds, two desks, and two sets of drawers pretty much.

So is it safe to say that you wouldn't ever be THAT far away from your tv when viewing it from something like your bed? Don't forget you have to move whatever you buy twice a year

 

[atc1093]

So is it safe to say that you wouldn't ever be THAT far away from your tv when viewing it from something like your bed? Don't forget you have to move whatever you buy twice a year

Haha yeah true, so you said 26" is a good size?

 

[debob]

Haha yeah true, so you said 26" is a good size?

24 or 26 would still be my choice after having a 24" for 2 semesters.

But...I would go to best buy and check them out. Step back at about the distance you'd be watching the tv from and then come up to it at about the distance that you'd be using it as a monitor and make your judgment from there.

 

[atc1093]

24 or 26 would still be my choice after having a 24" for 2 semesters.

But...I would go to best buy and check them out. Step back at about the distance you'd be watching the tv from and then come up to it at about the distance that you'd be using it as a monitor and make your judgment from there.

Any good brands besides lg? Do you have lg?

 

[spintje]

I can just second what the other guys have already said about the 13" - it is pretty much the perfect laptop for a college student and it will be more than sufficient for your needs, studying at a business school myself i should know.

You are going to love the extended battery life when you are roaming around campus and your fellow students are struggling to find a power outlet

Furthermore, i can add that i have just finished writing 2 major papers, 50+ pages on mine and i have had no problems with that whatsoever, even coming from a 15,4" HP i had no problems adjusting... I have had mine for a month exactly and i am absolutely loving it!

 

[debob]

Any good brands besides lg? Do you have lg?

mine is a samsung. i got it in the fall for around $400

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Is the magic mouse not good? And aren't most other mouses the two button layout? Does that conflict with using it for a macbook? Can you still right click?

Personally I am a fan of Logitech mice and keyboards. For my PC desktop I have a Logitech wave keyboard and a MX 1100 or something like that.

As for choosing between the 2 I personally would go with the 15in i5 and eat the cost now on it. The 13 has a much weaker processor so in senior year you will really be feeling its age. I think it would be better to eat the cost upfront and get more life out of it.

Also since based on what I am reading this will be your only computer the 13 in screen will really suck and you will a lot of the time be wanting a larger monitor with more resolution. I would take the slight weight pently and go with the larger of the 2 choices.

As for you door room TV question when I was in the dorms years ago I remember seeing people put 34in Lcd in the dorm rooms just fine and they worked pretty well.

 

[dsprimal]

i would go with the 13" if your going to college, most portable and it won't fall off your tiny desk in your classes!

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Any good brands besides lg? Do you have lg?

If you are asking about TV there are quite a few good brands out there.

Toshiba, LG, Samgsung are all good brands. My current TV is a 34in LCD 720p. From my couch it works great. My sister who was in the dorms last year has the exact same TV as me and it works really well in there. 34in is a great size TV for a dorm room.

Personally I would not recommend you use a TV as a primary external monitor. They eat up way to much desk space compared to a regular monitor plus there will be times that you will want to work at your desk and still want to have the TV on. Being that close to a TV just does not work. Great for a computer monitor not so great for a TV.

Also on the TV part I STRONGLY recommend you coordinate with you roommate.

Something I noticed while I was at Texas Tech is a lot of Freshmen brought way to much extra crap from home and not have everything they need. The crap ended up being stuff they never would use and could do with out.

Now people who had been at school a year or more already we tended to have fair amount of stuff be brought but our amount of extra crap that came with use was lower. You will learned really quickly what you really need/want around.

For stuff to bring to school it better to leave something at home and get it later than to have extra stuff at the end.

 

[elpmas]

I talked to my dad about this, but i hope you can give me some more insight. He seemed to think that speed increases came a lot more from added RAM than from a higher processor speed. What is everyone's take on this?

More ram handles intense applications, i.e. Fusion or photography software. It's kinda of simply put, the processor isn't upgradeable but the ram is.

 

[atc1093]

Furthermore, i can add that i have just finished writing 2 major papers, 50+ pages on mine and i have had no problems with that whatsoever, even coming from a 15,4" HP i had no problems adjusting... I have had mine for a month exactly and i am absolutely loving it!

That is exactly the laptop I am using right now. I have the extended battery so it can be kind of bulky, so it will be nice to have the thin macbook pro.

Personally I would not recommend you use a TV as a primary external monitor. They eat up way to much desk space compared to a regular monitor plus there will be times that you will want to work at your desk and still want to have the TV on. Being that close to a TV just does not work. Great for a computer monitor not so great for a TV.

Well I am going to have to get a tv anyways, so I do not want to get a tv and a monitor, as I would have no space that way. I was thinking about mounting the tv on the wall so it would not eat up desk space like you said. And I do not think anyone makes a computer monitor that doubles as a tv that is that big, unless you have any ideas on that matter.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Well I am going to have to get a tv anyways, so I do not want to get a tv and a monitor, as I would have no space that way. I was thinking about mounting the tv on the wall so it would not eat up desk space like you said. And I do not think anyone makes a computer monitor that doubles as a tv that is that big, unless you have any ideas on that matter.

Well remember that you can not drill holes in the wall in dorm and they will charge you a pretty penny to fix those holes if you did. Also the walls in most dorms I have been in could not support a TV any how. They are are normally either concrete walls or metal stud framing. Neither of which can really support the types of point loads a TV would put on them. Also a lot of the dorms I have seen you could not even really put your TV on your desk.

Now I was dorms from 2003-2005. My TV was a 20ish" CRT that I put on my Dresser. 03-04 all I had was my old laptop that I put an external mouse and keyboard, and speakers 2. It work pretty well. I did set it up on a little home made stand to make it a little more usable for my hieght. That summer I built my first PC so the following 2 years in the dorms I had a 17LCD monitor on my desk with the desktop on the floor, TV on a dresser. It worked out pretty well. Just looking at my LCD TV I own right now and the ones I have seen in the store they will eat up a lot more desk space than a monitor.

Plus you can put the TV in a none work spot like on top of a dresser. Monitors you can push to the back of your desk and out of the way or you just go with the 15 in Macbook pro build a little stand the raise the not book up some then go extneral for the keyboard and mouse.