13" MBP or Just do 15 MBP"

[patid]

Hey gang, I have read alot of posts regarding this and just seem to get more confused as what to do. I do need a laptop do to work travel but not in a totally desperate need, just yet. When traveling, I will be doing email, word processor, internet, quicken, audio work, and maybe some PS.... I have a 24" iMac when I am back home.

I really liked the 13" MacBook Pro, superdrive, for size , weight and upgrade options; if needed. Was about ready to pull the trigger and order it; but then I read all these post of the possible update coming probably by spring, and the current machine is OLD FASHION and outdated..... I don't expect a laptop to last forever, but I would hope 4-5 years if need be....

However, A 15" is another 600-700 bucks; and might take me some extra time to get that together. Plus it sounds like alot for just a little step up.... Maybe I am seeing it all wrong.

Could anyone really shot straight and give me so insight.

 

[iHalo]

I'd get the 13 inch and just up the RAM and put in a nice SSD. Better money spent than the base 15 incher.

 

[nizmoz]

13" MBA would better suit your needs and is more powerful than the 13" MBP.

 

[EarthDawn]

If there's a Micro Center near you there is a great deal.. $999 at the register and then you can upgrade to an SSD and if you need more then the 4gb of ram bump it to 8 and your running strong for a lot lot less cash....

I did this a couple weeks ago and have not looked back....

 

[miata]

13" MBA would better suit your needs and is more powerful than the 13" MBP.

+1 Unless you need more memory, internal storage, internal SuperDrive or Firewire the MBA 13" is the way to go.

 

[aimbdd]

+1 Unless you need more memory, internal storage, internal SuperDrive or Firewire the MBA 13" is the way to go.

it is not more powerful. It is "snappier" because of ssd.
For photo shop i would go with mbp. Better screen gamut, faster processor, optical drive, back light keyboard(if thats important to you). I would go with mba if you weren't going to use Photoshop, but otherwise stick with 13" pro. You don't really need 15" unless you want the screen space.

 

[patid]

Is the real estate that much greater by going with the 15.4"?? It just seems like so much more the little bit you gain by going to the lower end 15.4........

Will the 13" give me 4-5 years of solid use without getting to slow?? I fully intend to add 8GB ram, then judge on the drive status as I go....

 

[gonnabuyamacbsh]

or just wait for the update so you're not a sad panda when they release the new models

 

[miata]

Is the real estate that much greater by going with the 15.4"?? It just seems like so much more the little bit you gain by going to the lower end 15.4........

Will the 13" give me 4-5 years of solid use without getting to slow?? I fully intend to add 8GB ram, then judge on the drive status as I go....

You'll get a decent resolution boost in going to the stand rez 15", and more by going to the high rez BTO option.

I can't imagine how a 13" MBP will ever get slow especially since you you have decent GPU will enough RAM for future OSX versions.

You could even look at pulling SuperDrive and installing a pair of RAID 0 SSD for wicked performance and capacity in a couple of years when they really cheap.

 

[mrsir2009]

13" MBP with SSD. I'm getting a SSD in my MBP soon, looking fwd to it

 

[elpmas]

I'd get the 13 inch and just up the RAM and put in a nice SSD. Better money spent than the base 15 incher.

This is what I would get.

 

[nizmoz]

it is not more powerful. It is "snappier" because of ssd.
For photo shop i would go with mbp. Better screen gamut, faster processor, optical drive, back light keyboard(if thats important to you). I would go with mba if you weren't going to use Photoshop, but otherwise stick with 13" pro. You don't really need 15" unless you want the screen space.

I use PS, and already been told by many on here all those apps work better on the MBA than their 2009 MBPs. I got to play with a MBA and it was faster than the MBP I tried today. It is faster and that is from people who own MBPs.

 

[AdamRock]

Is the real estate that much greater by going with the 15.4"?? It just seems like so much more the little bit you gain by going to the lower end 15.4........

Will the 13" give me 4-5 years of solid use without getting to slow?? I fully intend to add 8GB ram, then judge on the drive status as I go....

go to the apple store and compare screen sizes.

 

[pwhty]

go to the apple store and compare screen sizes.

Yes, do that. Compare the weight too. These might be deciding arguments if you're traveling a lot. For what you described you want to do with it, the 13" should be enough for a long time to come, especially if you're willing to upgrade the memory at some point.

I have the 15" MBP which is more comfortable than my wife's 13" when I'm sitting at a table. When I'm on a train, I wish I had hers.

The new 13" MBA should be great for traveling in both size and weight. But configuring one might get you very close to the price of a 15" MBP. I find 11" screens too small for most programs. Also, consider the missing keyboard backlight on the MBA, which is an awesome feature when you sit in bed in the dark, with you laptop on your lap, answering macrumors posts .

 

[Muscle]

I was under the same dilemma a month ago. What really sold me was the iX processor, the 15" display and better discrete gpu. Almost everything else is user upgradable.

As for portability, the 13" mbp weighs in at 4.5lbs while the 15" at 5.6lbs (according to apples website). The 15" will fit in most laptop bags...go for the 15"...

[edit] if you are NOT in dire need of a computer (like I was), wait till the next upgrade of mbps before you make your decision.