13" or 15" for Photoshop and light gaming ?

[conkr2507]

Hello,

I am planning to replace my Mid 2011 27-inch iMac with a laptop + external display for more portability.
Current setup is: 2.7GHz quad-core i5 / 8GB / 1TB HDD / AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB.

I would mainly use it for simple everyday tasks like checking email, web browsing, listening to music etc.
And occasionally for playing some light games (e.g. Limbo, Thimbleweed Park, Broken Age).
Also I am going to start working with Photoshop quite a bit in the near future.

Would a 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar do the trick ?
Was thinking about this configuration: 2.9GHz dual-core i5 / 16GB / 512GB SSD / Iris Graphics 550.

Or would the 15" version with i7 2.6GHz + Radeon Pro 460 be a safer bet for my needs ?

Btw as someone tried the USB-C to DisplayPort cable by Google ? https://store.google.com/gb/product/usb_type_c_to_displayport_cable?hl=en-GB
Is there a better way to connect the MacBook to an external 4K monitor @60Hz ?
Monitor going to be Dell P2415Q.

Many thanks in advance for your help

 

[casperes1996]

Could you elaborate on the theoretical complexity of your Photoshop work?

Performance wise, there's a really, really big gap between the two computers, but your workloads don't sound awfully demanding.

 

[conkr2507]

Could you elaborate on the theoretical complexity of your Photoshop work?

Performance wise, there's a really, really big gap between the two computers, but your workloads don't sound awfully demanding.

Photoshop work will include graphic + web design and also a bit of photo editing.
I am starting so it hard to tell how complex it will be for now.
Thanks.

 

[Stefan johansson]

Guess Photoshop elements work well on both,but have you considered the cheaper Apple-optimised pixelmator app? Works withouth problems with my 13 inch i5 MBPr. And,what's even better,there is also an iPad version of the app. When it comes to light gaming,there are dozens of games that works with the 13-incher,including apps for social media games and simulations like WoW or second life.

 

[smallcoffee]

Hello,

I am planning to replace my Mid 2011 27-inch iMac with a laptop + external display for more portability.
Current setup is: 2.7GHz quad-core i5 / 8GB / 1TB HDD / AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB.

I would mainly use it for simple everyday tasks like checking email, web browsing, listening to music etc.
And occasionally for playing some light games (e.g. Limbo, Thimbleweed Park, Broken Age).
Also I am going to start working with Photoshop quite a bit in the near future.

Would a 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar do the trick ?
Was thinking about this configuration: 2.9GHz dual-core i5 / 16GB / 512GB SSD / Iris Graphics 550.

Or would the 15" version with i7 2.6GHz + Radeon Pro 460 be a safer bet for my needs ?

Btw as someone tried the USB-C to DisplayPort cable by Google ? https://store.google.com/gb/product/usb_type_c_to_displayport_cable?hl=en-GB
Is there a better way to connect the MacBook to an external 4K monitor @60Hz ?
Monitor going to be Dell P2415Q.

Many thanks in advance for your help

Id' just go with the 15. Nothing wrong with the 13, but the larger screen + dedicated GPU might be the superior solution for you. Either way, wait until WWDC.

 

[casperes1996]

Photoshop work will include graphic + web design and also a bit of photo editing.
I am starting so it hard to tell how complex it will be for now.
Thanks.

Well, I'd say that if you're willing to part with the cash, I doubt you'd regret the 15", but I don't think you'll miss it too much if you go with the 13" one and it sure is a fair bit more easy on the wallet. You don't require the power of the 15" model I'd say. And aside from that your considerations are screen size and mobility. But you're planning on using an external display anyway, so the extra screen real estate on the 15" won't really matter so much. The more powerful GPU will certainly help driving a 4k display, but I doubt you'll have too much trouble with the 13" model either. In the end, the question is - how much money are you willing to spend? The further up you go on the price range, the more you are hit by diminishing returns, but there's a big gap from 13 to 15". Any build to order changes from that point make less of a difference really.

 

[Pangalactic]

Go for the 13'', 15'' is VERY overpriced. For photoshop, the powers of 13'' are more than enough. And as for games - I have a Dell XPS 13 which has similar performance, and Limbo and Broken age played absolutely flawlessly.

And waiting for the WWDC update is of course a great idea.

 

[CaptRB]

Go for the 13'', 15'' is VERY overpriced. For photoshop, the powers of 13'' are more than enough. And as for games - I have a Dell XPS 13 which has similar performance, and Limbo and Broken age played absolutely flawlessly.

And waiting for the WWDC update is of course a great idea.

I have both the 13 and 15 inch touchbar models. Though the 13" is very capable, I'm now using the 15" base model for all photo work and it's really a sweet machine.


R.

 

[Pangalactic]

I have both the 13 and 15 inch touchbar models. Though the 13" is very capable, I'm now using the 15" base model for all photo work and it's really a sweet machine.


R.

Yes of course it is faster, but for light gaming, photoshop and 1080p editing a 13'' has more than enough computing power.

 

[maflynn]

For performance (Especially in gaming), I'd opt for the 15" MBP, you get a quad core processor and a dGPU.

 

[CaptRB]

Yes of course it is faster, but for light gaming, photoshop and 1080p editing a 13'' has more than enough computing power.

As I said, I have both and certainly the base 13" can handle my large RAW files running photoshop and other programs. But the snappier performance of the 15" is a better experience overall. I've mostly stopped using the 13" for photo work as the faster 15" is more enjoyable.
So if you can afford the 15", it's worth owning.


R.

 

[conkr2507]

Think I'll go with the 15".
After checking my retailer, the 15" would "only" cost me $600 more than the 13".
At this price point, I think the difference is not that huge.
Probably that it will be more future-proof with its dedicated GPU and run the 4K display better.
Plus it’s still a very portable machine from what I read on the forum.
Will wait for the WWDC anyway.
Thanks a lot for your advices!

 

[casperes1996]

Yes of course it is faster, but for light gaming, photoshop and 1080p editing a 13'' has more than enough computing power.

I have to disagree with your last point. 1080p video editing ProRes 4:2:2 will certainly work for selecting. But if you do just the slightest bit of vfx, the performance will not be enough.

 

[comptr]

Think I'll go with the 15".
After checking my retailer, the 15" would "only" cost me $600 more than the 13".
At this price point, I think the difference is not that huge.
Probably that it will be more future-proof with its dedicated GPU and run the 4K display better.
Plus it’s still a very portable machine from what I read on the forum.
Will wait for the WWDC anyway.
Thanks a lot for your advices!

Yes the 15" is still portable. I have a 15" TB MBP and its not too big at all. It can easily handle Photoshop. I Run Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop with no problems. Plus I run Final Cut to edit 4k video with zero issues.