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15" MBP Standard Res vs. High Res. Glossy

irfan.kara06

irfan.kara06

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2011
23
0
Toronto
Long time reader, first time poster, will be purchasing my first Mac computer this summer (already have an iPhone and iPad).

Thinking about the 15" base model as it should meet all my needs since I don't game on my computer at all (have a PS3). Was just wondering if there was a big difference between the standard resolution on the 15" versus the high res glossy. It's only a $90 upgrade through the education store in Canada, but I don't know if it would be worth anything for me?

What are the differences between the two resolutions? Can the higher res cause any problems in comparison to the standard res?
 
High res gives you a lot more space to work with. Disadvantage is content at lower res may look slightly worse, but higher def content will look better. So, there really isnt any real disadvantage.

Some complain font is too small, causes eyestrain, but really... having used 1680 on a 15.2 inch Dell.. its something that can be adjusted to, unless your older and feel way too used to standard res and don't wnat to adjust.

High res is hands down the best way to go.
 
I had a mid-2009 MBP with standard res and upgraded to a 2011 MBP High-Res glossy and couldn't be happier.

The extra screen real estate is awesome and video looks so crisp. I have zero complaints.

My old MBP display looks like crap now.
 
I bought a standard res 2011 15" MBP on release day in the store, but returned it and ordered the high-res glossy online. The 7 day wait sucked, but it was worth it to be happier with what will be my only computer for 4+ years. The Dell I'm replacing was a 1680x1050 res that I've used for 4 years, so I was used to that much real estate on the screen. Text is smaller, but not bad IMO.
 
One difference that may or may not be an issue for you (unlike some people, I won't presume to decide for you) is that on the high-res screen (even if you zoom), things like system fonts and menus will be smaller. This is unpleasant for some people, and without resolution independence in OSX you can't adjust for it in any nice, systemic way. Others don't find it an issue at all.

Of course the high-res gives you the plus of more screen "real estate," but I'm sure you already realize that.
 
In my opinion, getting the high-rez on the 15" is a no-brainer. As everyone has mentioned, it's like getting a bigger screen for free. ("free" in the sense that you're getting more screen real estate for the same physical size)

The glossy vs. anti-glare is a separate issue that you can decide for yourself, but for me I can't imagine buying the 15" and not getting the high-rez option.
 
If your eyes can take it then go for it. At first I got the hi-res antiglare. I had it for less than a week and I would have a lot of eye strain using it. I got the standard res yesterday, and I didn't have any problems. It depends on how and if you are able to use it when it all comes down to it.
 
if you have lots of things open simultaneously you will benefit from increased screen res. Text will get smaller though.
 
SPEEDwithJJ said:
Hope the following link helps. Just ignore the glossy/anti-glare comparison but the standard res/high res comparison photos will give you a general idea about the differences on the amount of content that can fit the screen.

http://osxdaily.com/2010/04/16/new-macbook-pro-15-hi-res-screen-comparison/

Good luck. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, it's helpful! I'm in law school right now and do a lot of reading on my computer, which sucks currently since I'm using a tiny netbook temporarily until I get the MBP this summer.

With regarded to the text size being smaller, can't this be neutralized by just zooming in? And if I got the high res screen, could I change the OS resolution to a lower number if ever needed like in Windows?
 
irfan.kara06 said:
Thanks for that link, it's helpful! I'm in law school right now and do a lot of reading on my computer, which sucks currently since I'm using a tiny netbook temporarily until I get the MBP this summer.

With regarded to the text size being smaller, can't this be neutralized by just zooming in? And if I got the high res screen, could I change the OS resolution to a lower number if ever needed like in Windows?
Click to expand...

Yes. You could also adjust the font size in your application.
Yes. There may be some slight fuzziness for text since the display is no longer at the native resolution. This is *mostly* an issue with Apple's font anti-aliasing. I give Microsoft credit on ClearType, because it really does a bang up job.

I don't consider the 1680x1050 to be too small on the MBP15 (I have the HiRes Glossy), considering the default font sizes are considerably larger in OS X than they are in Windows 7. I came from the Lenovo T61p I was issued from work that had a native resolution of 1920x1200. That *was* too small for me. I mean, I could read things but it was annoying, so I dropped the resolution to 1680x1050 while I lugged that brick around.
 
While you can zoom in, its not really the same.

I currently do this on my MBP 13" as the resolution is a big higher than I would like.

Even though I set prefs in various places for larger font, I still have to do a lot of zooming of individual pages and docs; and the system/menu fonts NEVER get larger, no matter what. Also, sometimes zooming web pages will make them go a bit wonky. So overall I find it a bit of a pain.

But yes, you can do it. Just... it's not like one tidy setting that you just do once, and it will never enlarge your system fonts.

This is my opinion only, but for me, I would never get the high res screen if I planned to do a lot of reading on the computer. That is, not until OSX has resolution independence (of course if it had that, well, the more pixels the BETTER).

I figure that if/when that ever comes to OSX, I will get a new computer. Until then, no high res for me. That said, I don't understand people who are all "High res for the win!" because that's like saying "Station wagons all the way!" when someone is asking about a vehicle. Really? For everyone and every usage?

Miss Terri
 
irfan.kara06 said:
With regarded to the text size being smaller, can't this be neutralized by just zooming in? And if I got the high res screen, could I change the OS resolution to a lower number if ever needed like in Windows?
Click to expand...

It's still not the same when you just zoom in. Also when you zoom into webpages, the pictures still come out blurry and pixelated.

And you can still change the OS resolution, but things will still come out blurry since its not its native resolution.

Your best bet is to actually take it home and try it out. It's not even good enough to check it out at the apple store. Honestly, the hi-res isn't for everyone. I thought it was for me, and I'm a college student. But when I got it, I had way too much eye strain, and I never had any issues with my vision. I don't wear glasses, contacts, or any kind of assistive eye wear. I returned it and got the standard res, and my eyes thanked me for it.

My best advice is to either take it home and try it out, or ask any of your colleagues if they have a hi-res screen and check it out there.
 
I got the mbp 15inch high res yesteday. I wear glasses for reading but I can read the screen without glasses and without increasing the font size.

Hope this helps (in other words get the HD screen!)
 
Well, I got the hi-res screen since I'm into photography and need the functional real estate that the standard resolution could not provide. I don't find the fonts being too small at all, but like someone posted here...most of the font sizing can be adjusted as well as icons. ;)
 
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