13in or 15in rMBP?

[9808823]

Hi everyone!
I'm still undecided whether i should get a 13 or a 15 inch rMBP. I'd get the mid-range 13" with a few upgrades (2.6 i5, 16GB RAM) for 1609€, or the base 15" (2.0 i7, 8GB RAM, Iris Pro) for 1785€ (with Apple on Campus discount).
Is there that much difference between the dual-core i5 and the quad-core i7 and between Iris and Iris Pro?
Also, is the weight and size difference so noticeable when carrying it around?
Consider that I'm planning to keep it for 4 or 5 years.
Thanks in advance!

 

[MartinAppleGuy]

Hi everyone!
I'm still undecided whether i should get a 13 or a 15 inch rMBP. I'd get the mid-range 13" with a few upgrades (2.6 i5, 16GB RAM) for 1609€, or the base 15" (2.0 i7, 8GB RAM, Iris Pro) for 1785€ (with Apple on Campus discount).
Is there that much difference between the dual-core i5 and the quad-core i7 and between Iris and Iris Pro?
Also, is the weight and size difference so noticeable when carrying it around?
Consider that I'm planning to keep it for 4 or 5 years.
Thanks in advance!

Size wise, not much of a difference. Go for the 15" if you want to keep it longer; as the jump from the i7 dual core to the i7 quad core is around double. Plus the 128Mb DRAM helps with the GPU.

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Hi everyone!
I'm still undecided whether i should get a 13 or a 15 inch rMBP. I'd get the mid-range 13" with a few upgrades (2.6 i5, 16GB RAM) for 1609€, or the base 15" (2.0 i7, 8GB RAM, Iris Pro) for 1785€ (with Apple on Campus discount).
Is there that much difference between the dual-core i5 and the quad-core i7 and between Iris and Iris Pro?
Also, is the weight and size difference so noticeable when carrying it around?
Consider that I'm planning to keep it for 4 or 5 years.
Thanks in advance!

I too was stuck between the 13" and 15". In the end though; I went for the high end 21" iMac and performance is great. I'd say the retina display needs a dedicated GPU but if you can't justify the price of that; Iris Pro will do fine.

 

[Buck987]

Get the 13 and pick up an external display for when not out of the house with the extra cash.

 

[9808823]

Thanks.
I'd use it mostly for Photoshop, Illustrator, Aperture, AutoCAD and maybe Final Cut Pro X. Obviously the horsepower of the 15" would come handy, at the price of a shorter battery life, more weight, bigger dimensions and a higher price point.
What do you think? I wish they just made a 13" with the power of the 15"

 

[dumastudetto]

You just have to decide what's more important to you: performance or portability. Personally I'd go with the 15" with dedicated GPU and max out the CPU with a 1TB SSD.

 

[9808823]

You just have to decide what's more important to you: performance or portability. Personally I'd go with the 15" with dedicated GPU and max out the CPU with a 1TB SSD.

For only 2930€! That's WAAAY too much
For 3000€ I could get the 13" rMBP and an iMac XD

 

[tinnyms3]

Coming from both 11" and 13" MBA, I find 15" rMBP surprisingly compact and portable, extra screen real estate definitely worth the modest size and weight over the 13".

Unless you spend lot of time on airplanes, get the 15".

 

[PDFierro]

I got a maxed-out (i7/16GB/1TB) 13" because I need the power but I really love the smaller form factor. So go with the size you prefer, you aren't going to miss the quad-core CPU unless you are actually using apps that push the machine regularly.

 

[9808823]

I got a maxed-out (i7/16GB/1TB) 13" because I need the power but I really love the smaller form factor. So go with the size you prefer, you aren't going to miss the quad-core CPU unless you are actually using apps that push the machine regularly.

So, the question is: is the 256GB/2.8GHz/16GB 13" comparable (or not so different) in performance to a 256GB/2.0GHz/8GB 15"?

 

[jmoore5196]

"Comparable" performance is in the eyes of the user. As already noted, you'll only notice the QC i7 in the 15" rMBP as a benefit if you're using applications that tax the processor. If you don't use the computer to do this sort of higher-end work, the dual-core 13" is probably sufficient.

The decision ultimately boils down to cost versus savings and effectiveness versus portability. If you don't mind spending the money and don't object to lugging around a 15" rMBP, go for it. I would suggest, however, going this route only if you have a genuine need for the processing power.

I think many of us are wishing for a 13" rMBP with a QC processor just to have an end to this sort of hand-wringing.

 

[Count Blah]

For only 2930€! That's WAAAY too much
For 3000€ I could get the 13" rMBP and an iMac XD

Look at the refurb of the prior generation. I know that refurbs for non-US stores are limited. But if you can, the prior generation, with 16Gigs, and dGPU would meet my criteria for a machine that would last for as many years as you require - especially if the 13" could possibly meet your longevity requirements.

Good luck.

 

[9808823]

Thanks to all of you!
I think I'll go for the maxed out 13"

 

[Freyqq]

Thanks.
I'd use it mostly for Photoshop, Illustrator, Aperture, AutoCAD and maybe Final Cut Pro X. Obviously the horsepower of the 15" would come handy, at the price of a shorter battery life, more weight, bigger dimensions and a higher price point.
What do you think? I wish they just made a 13" with the power of the 15"

All of those would benefit from the extra power of the 15". I'd also get 16 gb of ram if possible.

 

[apptastic]

Thanks to all of you!
I think I'll go for the maxed out 13"

Your decision was based on what parameters ?
I'm in a similar situation and unable to make a choice between the 13" and 15".
I've to make a choice between the top stock configuration of 13" and 15".
Pretty much confused at the moment. It will be my main and only computer.

I have been using a 15.6" HP laptop for the last four years, and I'm not sure whether 13" will fit seamlessly into my workflow. Although, I'm pretty much sure that I won't be needing the extra power that 15" provides over the 13", for work purposes.

 

[9808823]

Your decision was based on what parameters ?
I'm in a similar situation and unable to make a choice between the 13" and 15".
I've to make a choice between the top stock configuration of 13" and 15".
Pretty much confused at the moment. It will be my main and only computer.

I have been using a 15.6" HP laptop for the last four years, and I'm not sure whether 13" will fit seamlessly into my workflow. Although, I'm pretty much sure that I won't be needing the extra power that 15" provides over the 13", for work purposes.

I'm so sorry I logged in just now! Anyway, if you're still undecided, I went for the base 15" with upgraded RAM, and I couldn't be happier! I spent about 200€ more and I made a huge upgrade (dual-core to quad-core, iris to iris pro, and those extra 2 inches really make a difference).
Hope this helps.

 

[zI INFINITY Iz]

I'm so sorry I logged in just now! Anyway, if you're still undecided, I went for the base 15" with upgraded RAM, and I couldn't be happier! I spent about 200€ more and I made a huge upgrade (dual-core to quad-core, iris to iris pro, and those extra 2 inches really make a difference).
Hope this helps.

Gratz, nice choice!

Don't know how long you have it, but how is the performance so far? The 2.0GHz i7 and Iris Pro meeting your demands?

 

[Makwak]

Quick question - do the both new rmbps 13 & 15" have some sort of display protection such as it is/was with glossy cmbps?

I think Ive read something on notebookcheck that they dont but would appreciate if this was confirmed.

Re the subject the question would be if its worth bumping the spec of 13" when youre reaching price point of 15".

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I got the 13" i5 2.6 GHz and I use it for Aperture, FCPX w/o any problems.

FCPX is of course slower when it does render on a dual core compared to the quad core but editing is just fine with HD material.

 

[Makwak]

I got the 13" i5 2.6 GHz and I use it for Aperture, FCPX w/o any problems.

FCPX is of course slower when it does render on a dual core compared to the quad core but editing is just fine with HD material.

Thats something id be interested in myself. How much ram you have?

 

[9808823]

Gratz, nice choice!

Don't know how long you have it, but how is the performance so far? The 2.0GHz i7 and Iris Pro meeting your demands?

Yes, it's working pretty well! I came from a HP laptop with a quad-core i7 and a dedicated GPU and the Mac is handling photoshop and autocad way better than the PC.

 

[jkcerda]

Thanks to all of you!
I think I'll go for the maxed out 13"

Have you asked those who use auto Cad if the graphics would work well? You might be better off with a system with a dedicated graphics card

 

[shibato]

13 or 15?

Hi guys,

I can't decide between the 13" and 15".

I have a 2011 Macbook Pro 13" with 8 gb ram and SSD, and it's often kind of slow. I use it for work and pleasure and have OSx AND Windows 7 on WMware Fusion. I rarely use it for video editing etc but have 5-7 programs open and +15 safari tabs.

I like the 13" form factor, but I'm concerned that the jump in performance is to small - seems silly to upgrade unless I really feel the difference.

So my question is: how much does the quad core on the 15" matter, if you use fusion and OSx and Windows I'll max ram in any case, and cost isn't the primary issue, form factor is.

 

[maflynn]

I like the 13" form factor, but I'm concerned that the jump in performance is to small - seems silly to upgrade unless I really feel the difference.

Correct, the performance delta is smaller between the 2011 and 2013 MBPs but its still there. Given the costs, I'd stick with the 2011 MBP until this summer or fall with Apple updates the line.

So my question is: how much does the quad core on the 15" matter, if you use fusion and OSx and Windows I'll max ram in any case, and cost isn't the primary issue, form factor is.

You have more processor cores to work with, that is Windows within Fusion can use 2 and OSX can use two so performance will be much better.