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13" or 15" MBP

C

csjo00

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 17, 2010
209
1
Arkansas
As an up and coming college student, I'm torn. I like the better CPU and graphics card in the 15" but I like the cost and portability of the 13" better.

I can afford either one of them. But if I were to buy the 13", I could purchase iWork, Magic Mouse, wireless keyboard, mdp to hdmi, and an hdmi cord all at once instead of waiting for paychecks.

So.. I'm pretty much asking for your opinions, advice, suggestions, or anything that you deem necessary to help me.

Thanks :)
 
csjo00 said:
As an up and coming college student, I'm torn. I like the better CPU and graphics card in the 15" but I like the cost and portability of the 13" better.

I can afford either one of them. But if I were to buy the 13", I could purchase iWork, Magic Mouse, wireless keyboard, mdp to hdmi, and an hdmi cord all at once instead of waiting for paychecks.

So.. I'm pretty much asking for your opinions, advice, suggestions, or anything that you deem necessary to help me.

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

You are going to have to do a search...most of the members here will tell you that this has been asked time and time again!

Personally, I LOVE my 15". But for college 13". Seems like a no brainer.
 
Not only has it been asked a lot, but you haven't given us any hint of what you want to do with your computer. If you're going to be doing a lot of graphics work, a bigger screen would make more sense than if you're just schlepping it around to take notes and surf the web.

But seriously, search this site. "Which size MBP" has got to be one of the most-frequently asked questions, right along with "when does the back to school program start?"
 
peapody said:
You are going to have to do a search...most of the members here will tell you that this has been asked time and time again!

Personally, I LOVE my 15". But for college 13". Seems like a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Hard to search for something when the topic names are so dynamic. Thanks for your opinion. :)

Christina1971 said:
Not only has it been asked a lot, but you haven't given us any hint of what you want to do with your computer. If you're going to be doing a lot of graphics work, a bigger screen would make more sense than if you're just schlepping it around to take notes and surf the web.

But seriously, search this site. "Which size MBP" has got to be one of the most-frequently asked questions, right along with "when does the back to school program start?"
Click to expand...
Gaming, college stuff, surfing the web. The normal stuff. Not a graphics or video editor and such.

crazymac2010 said:
Very simple question. How much money you have?
2000 BUDGET GO 15''
1000 BUDGET GO 13''
Click to expand...
Thanks :)
 
In a college environment, many interesting events can occur around your laptop. I would go with the MBP 13"(I just bought one a week ago myself) and invest in the software.
I worked at a large New England state university computer's help desk, and we saw tons of fun spills, breaks, and other issues with laptops. Treat this like ti will be replaced in 2 years, as it may have to be.
 
csjo00 said:
Hard to search for something when the topic names are so dynamic. Thanks for your opinion. :)
Click to expand...

NP. Sometimes a finite search isn't even necessary. You can just gauge what people recommend by reading similar threads. That is how I learn anyways.

I use a 13" in the classroom, but go home to a 15". Going from a 15" to a 13" is hard when you are used to so much space.
 
A compromise between portability and screen real estate can easily be achieved by buying an inexpensive 22-24" external monitor. Best of both worlds. Make sure you budget for a time machine drive or some other backup mechanism as well. Good luck.
 
13". That simple. As a college student, I would recommend a 13" to just about anyone that asked. For me, the combination of the extremely portable 13" and my 20" monitor is perfect. While a 20" is relatively small anymore, it is perfect for my dorm room, which is pretty limited in space. I don't like 22s very well personally because they typically are the same res as a 20".

That aside, if you are going to be doing any decent amount of work in excel (or the iWork equivalent), I would pretty strongly suggest the wired keyboard with the number pad, or one of another brand. Using excel with the top row numbers sucks. As far as power goes, I have the 2.4 C2D, and it does everything I want it to do without a fuss, and I have the 9400M GPU, which is considerably less powerful than the 320M, and it will even handle games decently (Sims 3 on mediumish settings for example).

Either way, you really can't go wrong, so good luck and enjoy your Mac.
 
The only time I wish I had a 15" is in iMovie, but I used to play with iMovie on a 12" and not have it feel this cramped so I think that's partly just the layout of the newer iMovie itself.

I've never understood other students who had 15" laptops - do yourself a favour and buy the small, light, laptop with the better battery life.
 
get the 13
signature_BlueFaceGlasses-98213.jpg
i mean if you have the money, the 15 is a possibility but not a neccessity
 
as same college student as you, i'll go for 13" MBP ;)
it'll fits what your need. for gaming, just buy 24 LCD screen for $300..
Dell have a good price for that 24" :D
 
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