13inch MBP and External monitor?

[Cheeseislyfe96]

Hi just curious about the thermals of the 2019 13 inch mbp. I’m considering purchasing a 2019 13inch/i7/16gb/1tb and was wondering how fan noise and thermals were when connected to a 4K 27inch monitor? The monitor I have atm is the Dell Ultrasharp 27inch 4K (U2718Q), I don’t do any video editing just general browsing and media consumption. This laptop will be my sole device for uni and everyday life, would I be better off with the 2019 15inch model for use with an external monitor?

Also debating whether or not I should get the 15inch over the 13inch? With student pricing it would be $3874AUD for the 2019 13inch/i7/16gb/1tb vs $3799AUD for the 2019 15inch/i9/16gb/512ssd. Would you sacrifice easier portability for the extra things you get in the 15inch or stick with the 13inch?

Any opinions welcome

 

[Nbd1790]

I can't say that I actively monitor the thermals when connected to my monitors (two 1080 monitors) but I don't really notice any fan noise when running Photoshop / Safari / Ableton for audio editing. I think you're safe with a 13 if it's what you prefer (the model I'm running is a 2018 in the same configuration that you're considering on purchasing)

I'm coming from a 2013 15 inch model and just figured I would downsize this time around. It took a bit of getting used to as far as screen real estate when you're on the go, but ultimately I think it was worth it for me going for the smaller screen. Hope this helps!

 

[jerryk]

I think a 13" with external monitors would be a great combination. But with that said, the 15" for near the same money is much more machine. It has a dGPU which will help drive that external monitors and a better processor. And if you do spend time at school without the external monitor the extra screen real estate is great. The biggest sacrifice is size and 1 pound of weight.

Just to make this more difficult, the rumored 16 may be coming out soon. Rumor has it at the about the external size as the current 15" with smaller bezels for more screen. And if that comes out next year, there may be a 14" at about the same size as the current 13".

 

[alias99]

If portability is not an issue then personally I would go with the 15. I have the 13 as I use it on the go a lot more, if I had your setup I would get a 15 especially with that negligible price difference and no need for 1tb for me.

Also don't bother with the i7 on the 13 you won't gain much and will most likely increase any heat. Will save you money as well.

If you did 13 - i5/16/512 (as you are doing on the 15) then the price difference will be a lot more and may make the decision a lot easier.

 

[dhershberger]

I use a 40-inch, 4k monitor with my 2018 13" mbp. It generally runs quiet and I don't believe the monitor taxes it much at all.