13inch MBP or 15inch MBP ?

[UKBeast]

Hi,

I want to buy a Macbook Pro this week but could not decide which one to buy yet. I want the 13inch one but as it seems new 13inc mbps are still using the old C2D techonology.

I will not use hardcore softwares like final cut, autocad, I do not play hardcore games like FPS but I might play Starcraft 2 when it is released. I am a media user, I like listening music, web surfing having said that I want to improve my photography skills. I want to learn how to use aperture, adobe photoshop and all that sort of photography softwares efficiently so this macbook will be a start for me.

I do not want bulky notebooks, 13inch is enough for me but 15inch seems quite powerful. If I am to pay a lot money to computer it means I want to use it at least 3 years. I am just concering about the c2d stuff ?

What should I do ?

 

[Yoh]

wondering the exact same thing ^^''

 

[UKBeast]

Come on masters, I need a tough advice

 

[andiwm2003]

forget about the C2D vs i3 or i5. you talk about 10% speed difference. it's more important if you want small and portable or if you want a larger screen.

the 13" with it's much better GPU is a great portable machine that is powerful enough and has ten hours battery.

the only reason that holds me back from getting the 13" is that I can't handle the glossy screen. but I'm very sensitve to reflection. most people are very happy with them. i will check the 13" in the apple store and if I think the screen is ok I would prefer it over the 15".


EDIT: I would even go for the 2.4GHz model because you save $300. invest that in a 256GB SSD and you get a lot more performance.

 

[dlb253]

what about 13" 2.4 vs 2.66 ghz? will it make much difference? i want 13" b/c it's small and portable...but i really want to get starcraft 2. will 2.4 ghz 320M run starcraft 2 alright? doesn't seem like 0.26 ghz is worth $300.

 

[UKBeast]

what about 13" 2.4 vs 2.66 ghz? will it make much difference? i want 13" b/c it's small and portable...but i really want to get starcraft 2. will 2.4 ghz 320M run starcraft 2 alright? doesn't seem like 0.26 ghz is worth $300.

If you look at the Starcraft 2 Beta requirements you can see that even a 5 year old computer can run it !

You will probably be able to run it, not etxremely smooth but quite good enough to play !

It is a real time strategy game and you will be running it on 13 inch 1280x800 res notebook, that will not be too demandful.

Fast GPUs are only needed when you are playing a first person shooter or a similar 3D oriented game. Real time strategies are not that much of 3D style...

The difference betweeen low end high 13inch will be %10-15 percent. If you want to get an ipod or iphone, go for the low end one because it will still be enough for basic users

2.66 - 2.40 = 266mhz X 2 = 532mhz difference on the paper..

 

[Raje]

Yeah I don't want old tech, but I think using the C2D was actually much smarter than using the i3/i5 in the 13". The C2D would be fine for your needs and most everyone's. As for speed difference just like the old 13" models the 2.53 wasn't worth the price over the 2.26 the same principle applies here the 2.66 is not worth 300 more dollars.

 

[breathesrain]

A good rule of thumb- if the percentage of the price increase for a faster processor is more than the percentage of increased speed, it's not worth it.