hey -- i've been agonizing between ordering the 13" or 15" MBP. i've read so many threads and can't decide. you guys are so informed and have much more experience with these machines, so i figured i'd lay out my situation and maybe you could help tip the scales for me.
currently own:
2008 black macbook 2.4 ghz core duo, upgraded it to 4 gigs ram myself. done me good but it's getting worse for wear, keyboard is ratty, cracks around the wrists, etc. also i don't know if webpages have gotten more demanding in recent years, but this thing went from lightning fast when i bought it to spinning wheels at unpredictable times, heating up out of nowhere, etc.
what i use my computer for:
fairly heavy webbrowsing, downloading and watching video, word, itunes, have a couple of windows programs i run in parallels on coherence mode, not too demanding but i can feel the drag on my system sometimes.
dilemma:
i am *not* a gamer. but, civ5 is coming out next tuesday and i must be able to play this game. it's a tradition with me. the minimum and recommended specs are at this link:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=374130&page=30
the demands of civ5 tend to point to the 15". i can get the top end one, with the i7, and the better graphics. plus, i really like the matte screen and feel it could let me use it better outdoors, around light, etc. plus i figure the extra power is overkill for my daily needs, but it's gotta help keep operations crisp, keep the spinning wheel at bay, right? i'd pay just to avoid those random 30 seconds where you have to stare at the screen while the computer decides it has some mysterious business it has to handle...
BUT - the 15" seems like overkill if civ5 is the *only* reason tipping it over the 13". i prefer the smaller size of the 13" and the lighter weight. tho i played a bit with a friend's 15" and found it light and comfortable on my lap (and chest for super-lazy mode), the 13" is only that much lighter and more comfortable. i carry my laptop around town every day. i rely on it for entertainment and worn on several cross country flights a year. and, i *think* the 13" should be able to run civ5 in bootcamp at lower settings at least. i can't quite tell though...
but... my first new computer in two years and i get the same processor with a tiny clock speed bump? seems dinky.
i don't know... any thoughts? i think if i knew the 13" could play civ5 reasonably well and it wouldn't be a struggle, it'd clinch it. but if it just kinda sorta pulled it off, with gameplay laggy enough to make it unpleasant, and the system itself just felt like an aluminum repackage of my 2008 blackbook, i'd feel disappointed. i feel like i could grow used to the 15"'s size.
money isn't an issue here. i was even considering ordering with a SSD until i read tons of posts on the subject and concluded i was better off upgrading on my own when better drives came out. (thanks for that.)
again, thanks. i know aspects of my dilemma have been discussed in different threads but i could really use a "summary judgment" from you wise folk.
currently own:
2008 black macbook 2.4 ghz core duo, upgraded it to 4 gigs ram myself. done me good but it's getting worse for wear, keyboard is ratty, cracks around the wrists, etc. also i don't know if webpages have gotten more demanding in recent years, but this thing went from lightning fast when i bought it to spinning wheels at unpredictable times, heating up out of nowhere, etc.
what i use my computer for:
fairly heavy webbrowsing, downloading and watching video, word, itunes, have a couple of windows programs i run in parallels on coherence mode, not too demanding but i can feel the drag on my system sometimes.
dilemma:
i am *not* a gamer. but, civ5 is coming out next tuesday and i must be able to play this game. it's a tradition with me. the minimum and recommended specs are at this link:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=374130&page=30
the demands of civ5 tend to point to the 15". i can get the top end one, with the i7, and the better graphics. plus, i really like the matte screen and feel it could let me use it better outdoors, around light, etc. plus i figure the extra power is overkill for my daily needs, but it's gotta help keep operations crisp, keep the spinning wheel at bay, right? i'd pay just to avoid those random 30 seconds where you have to stare at the screen while the computer decides it has some mysterious business it has to handle...
BUT - the 15" seems like overkill if civ5 is the *only* reason tipping it over the 13". i prefer the smaller size of the 13" and the lighter weight. tho i played a bit with a friend's 15" and found it light and comfortable on my lap (and chest for super-lazy mode), the 13" is only that much lighter and more comfortable. i carry my laptop around town every day. i rely on it for entertainment and worn on several cross country flights a year. and, i *think* the 13" should be able to run civ5 in bootcamp at lower settings at least. i can't quite tell though...
but... my first new computer in two years and i get the same processor with a tiny clock speed bump? seems dinky.
i don't know... any thoughts? i think if i knew the 13" could play civ5 reasonably well and it wouldn't be a struggle, it'd clinch it. but if it just kinda sorta pulled it off, with gameplay laggy enough to make it unpleasant, and the system itself just felt like an aluminum repackage of my 2008 blackbook, i'd feel disappointed. i feel like i could grow used to the 15"'s size.
money isn't an issue here. i was even considering ordering with a SSD until i read tons of posts on the subject and concluded i was better off upgrading on my own when better drives came out. (thanks for that.)
again, thanks. i know aspects of my dilemma have been discussed in different threads but i could really use a "summary judgment" from you wise folk.
