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13" or 15" Which to go with?

quickjeff

quickjeff

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 16, 2016
18
4
Hey Guys,

I have a question I wanted to ask the community. I am in the market for a new MacBook Pro.

I have always had the 15" MBP and was wondering which one to opt for now?

I will definitely need something with some power in space gray with the touch bar.

I am considering the 15" MBP $2799 model or the 13" Semi Maxed out, 3.3, 16GB Ram, 512GB SSD.

Which do you guys recommend?

  • I always use dual monitors and currently running dual 4Ks.
  • I do design work and web development as well as swift development.
  • I do video editing once in a great while.
  • No 3D rendering.

Looking for some input. Thanks!
 
MacOS runs miles better on a quad core over a dual core. I prefer the 13" form factor but it's just not good enough so have to go with 15".
 
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BenTrovato said:
MacOS runs miles better on a quad core over a dual core. I prefer the 13" form factor but it's just not good enough so have to go with 15".
Click to expand...

I agree and thats why I am leaning towards the 15" but I really like the form factor of the 13", just not sure if the 13" will bog down when I run dual 4 k displays and multiple applications like Coda, Photoshop or even parallels for Bootcamp Windows.
 
Honestly Jeff I don't think the displays and Photoshop are going to make the 13" chug. Video editing will tho.

I love that 13" body. But if you do end up going 15", I will say it's mmmmmmuch more portable feeling than previous models. Somehow that 1/2 pound they shaved off and the thinness makes it feel real nice. Also, they don't get so hot anymore so it fees great on your literal lap.

Carrying around the 15 now feels more comparable to me to carrying 13s in the past, in subjective use.

Anyways you can always test drive a 13" and see if it covers your bases, return if necessary.
 
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jackoatmon said:
Honestly Jeff I don't think the displays and Photoshop are going to make the 13" chug. Video editing will tho.

I love that 13" body. But if you do end up going 15", I will say it's mmmmmmuch more portable feeling than previous models. Somehow that 1/2 pound they shaved off and the thinness makes it feel real nice. Also, they don't get so hot anymore so it fees great on your literal lap.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did notice the 15" and 13" are way thinner now. They do feel lighter as well.

The 13" runs $2499 with the specs I want versus the $2799 for the 15", I may end up doing the 15", there are quite a few discounts out there.
 
Either way you can't go wrong. These things are miracle machines. First time in my life my primary computer is a laptop, rather than a desktop. The power!

272185fa61322668c896868518f3a8ef_feels-good-man-meme-feels-good-man_430-397.jpeg
 
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jackoatmon said:
Either way you can't go wrong. These things are miracle machines. First time in my life my primary computer is a laptop, rather than a desktop. The power!

272185fa61322668c896868518f3a8ef_feels-good-man-meme-feels-good-man_430-397.jpeg
Click to expand...
Haha, yes I agree with you. I forgot about desktops lol
 
I have both, 13" and 15" touch bars, but I've slowly moved to using the 15" most of the time. It's faster, snappier with photoshop to be sure and just handles everything I throw at it with ease.

There are terrific machines.


R.
 
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CaptRB said:
I have both, 13" and 15" touch bars, but I've slowly moved to using the 15" most of the time. It's faster, snappier with photoshop to be sure and just handles everything I throw at it with ease.

There are terrific machines.


R.
Click to expand...

Wow, both versions!? Thats pricey. Thanks for the feedback and advice.
 
I vote 15 inch because -
  1. you are already using dual 4k's, and a 15-inch gives you the expansion potential for two additional 4k displays, or two 5k displays (which the 13-inch cannot do);
  2. the 15-inch has four full-speed Thunderbolt 3 ports (where as the 13-inch only has two full speed ports) - it sounds like you may be able to benefit from having all four of the full speed TB3 ports for future expansion capability - think external GPU + PCIe SSDs + 5k displays;
  3. when you combine the driving dual 4k's + the video editing + the design work simultaneously, this becomes something the two extra physical cores and the dGPU can come in handy to help with (I think in your case upgrading to the 460 GPU is well worth the money);
  4. the 15-inch's new form factor is more portable than ever before, and makes having a full-sized laptop for mobile usage more practical than ever; and
  5. the BTO level 13-inch you are considering is going to be almost expensive as a 15-inch anyway
 
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Thanks so much guys for all the valuable information. I opted for the 15" with 512 go and 460 graphics. So far so good but the battery life is crap!
 
quickjeff said:
Thanks so much guys for all the valuable information. I opted for the 15" with 512 go and 460 graphics. So far so good but the battery life is crap!
Click to expand...

Give it a few days to sort out spotlight indexing and to settle the battery down many find an initial lower than expected battery life that settles down to pretty damn good by the end of the week.
 
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Samuelsan2001 said:
Give it a few days to sort out spotlight indexing and to settle the battery down many find an initial lower than expected battery life that settles down to pretty damn good by the end of the week.
Click to expand...
So crappy, now it looks like I should have waited for the new version releasing in a week. :-(
 
My answer does not take into account the computing power required for your tasks (I don't know enough about your workload to address this question from that angle). My answer is based mostly on the criteria of portability.

As a long time 13" MBP owner (2009) model, and having also used a 15" MBP for work, I can tell you unequivocally that if I'm going to be commuting/traveling or even just moving around the house a lot with my MBP, I want it to be light, so the 13" wins the race by miles. I LOVE MY 13"

So, ask yourself how often you expect to be moving this thing around. If it's going to be at your desk most of the time, then I think it's clear (to me) that the more powerful build wins.

Also, if your laptop is going to be hooked up to the external displays, the 2 inch larger screen doesn't really win points, does it ? It's the power that then becomes the more important criteria.

This is a balancing act between power and portability, it seems. And only you know how to weigh those two criteria.
 
quickjeff said:
Hey Guys,

I have a question I wanted to ask the community. I am in the market for a new MacBook Pro.

I have always had the 15" MBP and was wondering which one to opt for now?

I will definitely need something with some power in space gray with the touch bar.

I am considering the 15" MBP $2799 model or the 13" Semi Maxed out, 3.3, 16GB Ram, 512GB SSD.

Which do you guys recommend?

  • I always use dual monitors and currently running dual 4Ks.
  • I do design work and web development as well as swift development.
  • I do video editing once in a great while.
  • No 3D rendering.

Looking for some input. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have a 13" and like it a lot. I use an external monitor too.

I don't have a 15" right now, but I like it just from seeing it on display at the store.

I would probably be fine with either, but that's me.
 
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