15" late 2008 vs 13" mid 2010?

[t0rr3s]

Specs are for 15" unibody macbook pro
2.4ghz core2duo
4gb ram
250gb
geforce 9400m
apple care till june 2012

specs for 13" unibody macbook pro
2.4ghz core2duo
4gb ram
250gb
geforce 320m
apple care till june 2011

Is it worth it to replace the 13" with the 15"? I've always wanted a bit more screen estate to but I'm wondering if the trade off between the older and newer machine is worth it.

Your thoughts?

 

[windels]

you are forgetting that the 15 inch late 2008 mbp has a second, integrated (= dedicated) graphics card. So, it depends, do you need the extra graphical power? And you should have a look for some benchmarks to show you the performance difference between the 9600 GT in the 15 inch and the 320m.

 

[t0rr3s]

Hey thanks for the input. I do basic video editing from time to time (FCE and iMovie), with heavier usage of CS5 PS and AutoCAD. I guess the extra gfx card would really come in handy there. My main worry is that the 15" could only utilise up to 6gb of ram compared to my 13" which is on 8.

Another concern would be the usage of the older set which could factor in the wear and tear of parts but I guess the apple care will alleviate that worry. I'm going to view the 15" tomorrow so will welcome any more thoughts till then.

 

[millerb7]

Hey thanks for the input. I do basic video editing from time to time (FCE and iMovie), with heavier usage of CS5 PS and AutoCAD. I guess the extra gfx card would really come in handy there. My main worry is that the 15" could only utilise up to 6gb of ram compared to my 13" which is on 8.

Another concern would be the usage of the older set which could factor in the wear and tear of parts but I guess the apple care will alleviate that worry. I'm going to view the 15" tomorrow so will welcome any more thoughts till then.

Don't forget that 2010 13" you can still add applecare to. The warranty you have listed is just the standard 1 year warranty.

 

[axu539]

You should also consider that the 13" probably has wayyy better battery life. I have the 15" you are considering, though, and I absolutely love it. You will appreciate the extra screen real estate.

 

[t0rr3s]

yep, i'm still able to add on to the apple care for the 13" in the event i decide to stick with it.

one more thing, if the batt needs replacement (status > needs replacing soon), i still have to fork out for a new one even if it's still under apple care right?

 

[NickZac]

Stick with the newer simply based on the 'theory of breakage'. Also, once you use a 13 inch MBP, the 15 inch will often be too large, especially if you are frequently mobile.

 

[t0rr3s]

Thanks everyone for their input and advice. I've decided to stick with my 13".

Will be getting the OWC Extreme Pro 120GB SSD for it instead.

 

[sMiK]

I had the 15", got rid of it for the 13". Purely because of portability, better battery life. If you don't need the power of 9600m then you shouldn't care about the 15" model, in my opinion.

I work with Logic Pro, Lightroom, Cubase, iMovie and it all works fine. Just getting myself an SSD now, and will look at 8gb ram in the future. But I think the 13" model is pretty powerful. I've got the older one though, with 9400m, and 2.53Ghz processor.

 

[t0rr3s]

I'd have to agree with you there; it packs a pretty mean punch and I love that I can lug it around without much thought since I'm on the move almost every day. Which ssd will you getting then?

Btw, I love the aluminium mbp's, proper sleek.

 

[sMiK]

I have just got myself an optibay lookalike, taken out my dvd drive. And ordered a 60 GB OCZ Vertex 2 drive. So eventually I'm putting the SSD for the OS, and will have my present 320GB drive in the place of my DVD drive