13" with SSD upgrade or base 15" model

[StevenB14]

My budget is around £1400 and with my work discount I can go as high as the lower 15" model.

The difference in screen size between the 13 and the 15 doesn't matter to me. Just wondering what people think of my choices.

Option 1:
13-inch
2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz), 8GB 1600MHz memory, 750GB 5400-rpm hard drive, Intel HD Graphics 4000.

Buy a 256GB SSD from Crucial and replace the HDD.

Total cost £1353.71

Option 2:
15-inch
2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz), 4GB 1600MHz memory, 500GB 5400-rpm hard drive, Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory.

No upgrades to any of it.

Total cost £1408.80.

I will mainly be using it for web browsing, iTunes (streaming via Apple tv), streaming online HD video (Netflix, MLB, NFL etc) and mirroring to TV via Apple TV, light video and picture editing etc.

Anyone's thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[htcbug]

I am using the 13'' one but I have to admit the resolution is too low... Also I dont like the glossy screen as they make my eyes uncomfortable...

Maybe you could consider 15'' base model + matte screen?

 

[StevenB14]

Too low in general or too low when carrying out specific tasks?

 

[htcbug]

Too low in general or too low when carrying out specific tasks?

in general. especially while u r doing photo or video editing... to do this kind of job 1280 x 720 is far from enough. If u buy the 13'' model u have to use an external monitor.

My personal recommendation for u is to buy a 15 inch model (better upgrade to a matte hi-res screen), then buy an SSD only if u feel that HDD is not fast enough for your requirements.

The main reason is that u could upgrade everything after purchasing except the screen...

 

[StevenB14]

in general. especially while u r doing photo or video editing... to do this kind of job 1280 x 720 is far from enough. If u buy the 13'' model u have to use an external monitor.

My personal recommendation for u is to buy a 15 inch model (better upgrade to a matte hi-res screen), then buy an SSD only if u feel that HDD is not fast enough for your requirements.

The main reason is that u could upgrade everything after purchasing except the screen...

My budget is £1400. Upgraded screen is £75 then £180 for a 256GB SSD from Crucial. Just too much for me.

I already have a 23" Full HD display. If I was spending time doing a lot of editing I suppose I could hook it up to that.

I'll be going to the Apple store at lunch to have another look at the 13" and it's display.

Cheers for the advice though htcbug.

 

[isthmus]

Hi Steven,

I've been using a 13" MacBook Pro for over a year now and I think it would be the best option considering the needs you listed.

The 13" version you'd be buying would be vastly superior in speed to the one I'm using and I am never left waiting for things to load.

I also find the screen real estate usable for browsing and watching videos; the added portability is awesome as well.

When working I hook it up to a 23" Full HD monitor as you have and you wouldn't need anything more than that.

A bit of a bias recommendation but I hope it helps.

Edit: The added SSD would make it a beast, I'm considering getting a SSD myself.

 

[StevenB14]

Hi Steven,

I've been using a 13" MacBook Pro for over a year now and I think it would be the best option considering the needs you listed.

The 13" version you'd be buying would be vastly superior in speed to the one I'm using and I am never left waiting for things to load.

I also find the screen real estate usable for browsing and watching videos; the added portability is awesome as well.

When working I hook it up to a 23" Full HD monitor as you have and you wouldn't need anything more than that.

A bit of a bias recommendation but I hope it helps.

Edit: The added SSD would make it a beast, I'm considering getting a SSD myself.

Excellent. Thanks for the info.

Always makes you feel better about a potential purchase when someone else can say they use the same for similar purpose and they have no issues.

SSD will be a great addition I think and set me up for a few years without the needs to upgrade the machine.

 

[grrrz]

yep screen is an issue when working with pro softs, so best to use it with an external monitor. for browsing and video it's enough though.
SSD is definetely a big bonus, now or later.

 

[StevenB14]

Ended up pulling the trigger on the 2012 15" 2.3GHz Macbook Pro. Just had small doubt that I'd regret not getting the bigger screen and quad core and that was enough to sway my decision.

The SSD will need to wait till later in the year but I'm sure it will perform excellent as it is right now.