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13 to 15 any advice ?

serkan

serkan

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 14, 2012
427
69
Menlo Park,California
Hi people,

So I have my beloved 2011 MBP thats been holding strong but lately I am seeing a lot fan activity, slow downs and such as my daily driver. I am planning to retire or even sell it back to Apple to get discount on the new on which hopefully gets the spec bump. .

So my idea is this. I love the new 15 inch and I would like to give it a try by going a bit bigger than my 6 yesr choice of 13 inch.

Anybody who converted from the 2011 13 inch to 2016 15 inch, your advises are welcome. How does it feel ? Is it easy to carry and use ?

As I have tried in various Apple Stores, I think its pretty managable compared to my 2011 which I am used to carrying around.

What do you guys think ?
 
serkan said:
Anybody who converted from the 2011 13 inch to 2016 15 inch, your advises are welcome. How does it feel ? Is it easy to carry and use ?

What do you guys think ?
Click to expand...

People will give you contradicting advice about this one, because it really depends on the person. For some, the 15" is still very portable but faster and with more space to work on. For others, 13" offers much better portability.

This topic comes around every once in a while. But here's the thing, you won't know until you try it, sadly. It all comes down to your personal taste.

I can only tell you this:

1. The 15" MBP is still very portable, and the 2016 MBP is the most portable MBP so far. I carry one in my backpack or shoulder bag to work and back every day.
2. The 13" is more portable. The difference is not that big on paper, but just putting it in the bag, taking it out, carrying it in your hands - it is easier. I don't think you'll notice much weight difference in your backpack, for example, but just handling it is easier. Both the 13" and the 15" are good in portability, 13" is better.

So - the question is this - do you care about 15" benefits enough to sacrifice a bit of portability? Do you need a bigger screen (yes, you can notice the difference - for me, 15" is a great size for Photoshop work) or quad-core CPU? If yes, then go for it - the 15" is easy to carry and use. But the 13" is easier to carry and use, and if you're used to that size - you may feel the 15" is too big at the beginning (but you'll probably get used to it).
 
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the 15" is more compact even than the 2012 rMBP 15" and that was a more compact than 15" cMBP
So between your clasic 13" MBP 2011 and the current 15" will not be such a big differnece but the screen real estate it sure it is
 
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aevan said:
People will give you contradicting advice about this one, because it really depends on the person. For some, the 15" is still very portable but faster and with more space to work on. For others, 13" offers much better portability.

This topic comes around every once in a while. But here's the thing, you won't know until you try it, sadly. It all comes down to your personal taste.

I can only tell you this:

1. The 15" MBP is still very portable, and the 2016 MBP is the most portable MBP so far. I carry one in my backpack or shoulder bag to work and back every day.
2. The 13" is more portable. The difference is not that big on paper, but just putting it in the bag, taking it out, carrying it in your hands - it is easier. I don't think you'll notice much weight difference in your backpack, for example, but just handling it is easier. Both the 13" and the 15" are good in portability, 13" is better.

So - the question is this - do you care about 15" benefits enough to sacrifice a bit of portability? Do you need a bigger screen (yes, you can notice the difference - for me, 15" is a great size for Photoshop work) or quad-core CPU? If yes, then go for it - the 15" is easy to carry and use. But the 13" is easier to carry and use, and if you're used to that size - you may feel the 15" is too big at the beginning (but you'll probably get used to it).
Click to expand...

Thanx for the info.

When I put the new 2016, 13 and 15 next to each other, 13 feels very small and I feel likeI want to go with a bigger screen.

I may be wrong but the new 15 feels like the same as my old 13 in any way.

As my work get heavier on the VM's lately and different excel sheets on the same time, I also believe it's time to give a shot to 15 inch.
 
If you need a quad core CPU or discrete GPU on the go, you will get benefit from the 15".

If you can deal with a dual core and are happy with either integrated graphics, or a thunderbolt connected external GPU, the 13" makes more sense.

If you don't play games, don't do a lot of strenuous stuff on the machine, pick the screen size you prefer.

For me, i'm done with 15" machines; i have a desktop, and with thunderbolt i can probably get what i need with an egpu enclosure. 15s are more difficult to use on aircraft (doesn't fit on the tray table anywhere near as well), heavier, worse battery life normally, etc. Unless you need the 15" horsepower, or dislike the 13" screen size the 13" is the sweet spot IMHO.

Most of my heavy workloads are done on my desktop...
 
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serkan said:
When I put the new 2016, 13 and 15 next to each other, 13 feels very small and I feel likeI want to go with a bigger screen.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but then you're basically turning yourself into a salesman. Once I went to Mediamarkt (N/W European chain that sells electronics and stuff). Salesman takes a couple to a TV and says, "Looks great, right?". Couple nods yes. Then he turns on a TV next to it with better, brighter display, and much more expensive, then asks: "How does this look?"

Of course, in a comparison the choice will be clear. But I didn't compare, got a second-hand cheap 32" TV and it's fine.

As my work get heavier on the VM's lately and different excel sheets on the same time, I also believe it's time to give a shot to 15 inch.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, that's different. That's a real good case for the more cores and bigger screen.
 
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I went from 2014 15" > 12" > 2016 15" and that proved I could get used to pretty much any size, weight and performance. It's just a fact that for me the 15" is the best option feature-wise, despite weighing more. It's all relative of course, when I take a look at the Windows machines in my classroom I definitely made the best decision (just talking size and weight in this case).
 
sunapple said:
I went from 2014 15" > 12" > 2016 15" and that proved I could get used to pretty much any size, weight and performance. It's just a fact that for me the 15" is the best option feature-wise, despite weighing more. It's all relative of course, when I take a look at the Windows machines in my classroom I definitely made the best decision (just talking size and weight in this case).
Click to expand...

Yeah, but even so with the weight it's like 3 pounds. Hardly worth getting worked up about if you're looking st a new laptop. Screen size and feature sure, but at least to me, at the current weight, the weight is a non-factor.
 
sunapple said:
I know, but sometimes we don't realize how spoiled we are with these thin and light machines :D
Click to expand...

Because if that thinnes and lightness, I am thinking about switching to 15.

Unfortunately, this encourages Apple to produce thinner, lighter and underpowered, low battery machines to charge more and switch people like me :)
 
Have you taken the back case off and removed any dust/hair buildup inside the machine?
 
ZapNZs said:
Have you taken the back case off and removed any dust/hair buildup inside the machine?
Click to expand...

Every 3-4 months to be exact. I also upgraded to SSD and added 8GB Ram :)

It can go for 1-2 years more of course but as the new machines coming out and before I move out from U.S, I am thinking of taking the change and play big :)
 
serkan said:
Because if that thinnes and lightness, I am thinking about switching to 15.

Unfortunately, this encourages Apple to produce thinner, lighter and underpowered, low battery machines to charge more and switch people like me :)
Click to expand...

You can get a 15" machine now because it's so thin and light (and has a smaller footprint), but you don't want Apple to pursue that goal?

I just don't get that. I know that compromises are going to be made, but without these goals we wouldn't have the great innovations we have today. Just look at every single component in the new MacBook Pro vs 2011. New production techniques, way more efficient processors, higher tolerances; all great innovations driven by the focus on thin and light.

The first MacBook Air didn't have a SuperDrive and was underpowered and overpriced, people freaked out over it. The 2010 design was so successful that people are still buying it despite its now low-res screen.

I could go on and on, but I think I made my point :D
 
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TonyK said:
Just try picking up a MBP3,1 (late 2007) and you will highly appreciate the lighter systems. :D
Click to expand...

One of these has a 10" screen, the other is a 15".

IMG_2606.JPG

:D
 
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serkan said:
Unfortunately, this encourages Apple to produce thinner, lighter and underpowered, low battery machines to charge more and switch people like me :)
Click to expand...
I certainly wouldn't call the 2016 MBP underpowered by any metric, and I consider my battery life for what I'm doing pretty good. (especially considering competing laptops have worse battery life despite having larger batteries)
 
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Okay. I was in high school when the Radio Shack Model 1 was released. We debated the merits of it and the Apple ][.

It only goes downhill from there regarding age references. :D

My first interaction with computes was an IBM 360 connected to an IBM 3741 terminal with a 300 baud modem on dial-up.
 
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