Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

13 inch Vs 15 inch, would like some feed back/comments

M

Major Coder

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 10, 2011
8
0
So, i am student in high school that uses a computer every day to take notes (i have a Learning disability and it effects my fine motor skills) I am looking at getting the 13 inch or 15 inch MBP, considering there is a 600.00 difference (stupid 15% tax) between the two i would like some opions on the 13 inch and 15 inch. The reviews i have read have not helped me to decide. I well also be running a Dual boot or parallels (more likely the later). What would be best (i also code a lot of html/php and some programs i have work only with windows :( ) The first laptop i owned (my first computer ever) was a powerbook G3 i loved that thing :apple:
 
Is it going to be your only computer? If so, the 15" may be the best choice. 13" if you value portability, and have the option of hooking it up to an external monitor when serious editing (photo or video) is needed.
 
Yes, this well be my only computer. I Very much value portability as i do not want to break my backpack to get it in. I am thinking about getting a larger External monitor and hooking it up to that. The 15" comes with a Core i7, what would major difference between i5 and i7 (sorry i have not thought my self about CPU's yet)
 
um it sounds like you're trying to justify the 13 so my guess is go with that.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and nothing it cant do very very powerfully with an abundance of power for your needs.
 
The 13" sound like it will do what you need. You don't do anything too demanding for the computer. I would stick with the 13" i5 and save yourself the money if you're already thinking about hooking it up to an external monitor.

I wouldn't say the 13" is as good as the 15" as you'll get a significant speed bump with a dedicated graphics card. But it's something you don't really need for your intended use.
 
I recently got a 13" MBP to do work related stuff, mainly just Word and Excel documents. Based on that, my thoughts was that there was no reason for me to get the 15" since I don't need the extra CPU/GPU power. However, I'm kind of regretting it because it's tough to do complex spreadsheets on a limited sized screen. I'm contemplating on a 15" high res or even a 17" and just selling off the 13.

For your situation, if you are going to get a 13" plus an external monitor, I would advice to just get a 15" instead. That way at least when you're done with school work, you can utilize the GPU for some gaming.
 
The only game i well be playing is minecraft, would you still suggest the 15" I7? If i were to get the 13" i would have it hooked up to the External monitar when at home.

the 15" costs 1849.99 where as the 13" costs 1249.99.
 
Since you mentioned coding, I have a hard time recommending the limited resolution of the 13" for that - the scrolling gets tiresome. It is a personal preference of course, but I would at the very least compare the two while using something similar to what you will be doing.

Also bear in mind that the 15" weights 5.6lbs, or 1.1lbs heavier than the 13". Of course the price difference can be a drag :)

Good luck with the purchase, I'm sure either way you choose you will love it.

Polbit
 
The 15" is crazy powerful, but not as portable as the 13".

The 13" isn't underpowered by any means, but it's nowhere near the power of the 15" IMO. The GPU really helps.

I moved from a 15" 2010 MBP to the 13" because I wanted the portability. It's a great machine and I think you would be happy with it.
 
I like to tilt the screen back on my MBP 13" past 90° and nestle it under my 1920x1200 external monitor. Best of both worlds.
 
I almost bought a 15" MBP a few weeks ago and I specifically wanted the 15" because it was going to be my main computer. I had the 13" white MB before and I just found the screen a bit too small for heavy use. After reevaluating my situation I realized that it made a lot more sense for me to just get an iMac as I hardly ever brought my MB to school (I still prefer pen and paper for my school notes). It also saved me some money to do this. I would still like to get a MB (Air would be nice) down the road as a portable machine, maybe even an iPad, I'm not sure yet. If I do go with a MB as a second computer it will be a 13" or even 11" in the case of the Air.

Ok that was a little long winded, basically what I was trying to get with that is that now that I have an iMac with a much larger screen as my main computer, I wouldn't need a very large screen for a second portable computer. But if a MB was my main machine I would definitely want at least the 15".
 
I started off on the 13 inch, and while I loved the portability I really found that I needed something with discrete graphics. The 13 is a awesome little computer, pretty powerful For it's size and all. I'd still have it if, it had discrete graphics on board....anyway just another opinion. BTW, I do love my 15 MBP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back