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jmy2469

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 10, 2010
79
0
Palm Harbor, FL
This will be my first mbp. Any advantages of the 17" besides the screen size over the 15"? What made you pick the size that you did? Thanks for the help.
 
This will be my first mbp. Any advantages of the 17" besides the screen size over the 15"? What made you pick the size that you did? Thanks for the help.

The advantages may change when the MBP is updated most likely later this week, so best to wait and see what the new models look like.

If comparing the current 17" with the current top of the line 15", the 17" has an extra USB 2.0 port and an Express Card slot. The 17" also has more ports for audio stuff.
 
17" is freaking huge. Its almost hard to call it portable imo.

True. That 1 pound weight and ~2" width increase makes it damn near immobile.

OP the expresscard slot is nice but other than that if you aren't going to use it and don't need the extra screen real estate then the 15" will be fine.
 
True. That 1 pound weight and ~2" width increase makes it damn near immobile.

OP the expresscard slot is nice but other than that if you aren't going to use it and don't need the extra screen real estate then the 15" will be fine.

I knew there was someone who was going to make that kind of comment lol
 
True. That 1 pound weight and ~2" width increase makes it damn near immobile.

OP the expresscard slot is nice but other than that if you aren't going to use it and don't need the extra screen real estate then the 15" will be fine.

Dude its like a giant aluminum slate..the 15inch in my opinion and a few others is already pushing it then the 17inch just blows that out of proportion. Don't get me wrong its a million times better processing wise then my puny 13inch but to each there own. I like to be able to throw my macbook into my back and go and I dont need some of the features of the 17inch though it would be nice to have anti glare and a silver bezel.
 
I have owned two 17" and two 15" MacBooks and I prefer the 17". I like the bigger screen personally. It usually comes down to personal preferences. The 17" is a bit cumbersome when it comes to lugging it around or traveling with it so if you are going to travel with it a lot I recommend the 15".

I guess it also depends on what you plan on doing on your MacBook Pro. I think people that do a ton of video editing on the go would appreciate the extra screen real estate. I hope I helped answer your question!
 
I asked this same question a while back.. and have decided to get the 17".
It seems to suit my needs better.. and having a 15.4" right now, I would like the extra screen.

Like others have said, however, the thing is a beast,.. buut with a good bag and not too much moving, it should be okay.
 
The 17" looks kind of weird to me, like they should be using more of the keyboard room, just somehow feels like wasted space.

Personally i feel the current 17" is a rip off. You are paying a vast premium for the 17" display, with a machine using the mid-range 15" specs, what must only cost very little over the 15" to produce.

If you had to get one i'd suggest a refurb...
 
I personally think the screen resolution of the 17 inch makes it worth it if you like to view 2 documents side by side.
 
Do you travel a lot? Are you looking for a desktop replacement? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself. My first Mac was the 13inch. It was great as my first Mac, but I quickly wanted more screen to work with. Now that I have the 15 inch, it took awhile to adjust to the size difference. The 15 inch felt huge compared to the 13 inch. I've adjusted to it now though, and I usually take it on trips to the airport etc and don't have too much of a problem. I will say that I have a hard time using my MBP 15 inch on a plane. I highly doubt someone would have enough space on an airtran flight if people are sitting on both sides of you.
 
I've had a 17" for about 3 years now and when I buy a new laptop, hopefully soon, it'll be a 15" macbook pro. I carry mine to work every day, travel, watch movies, and surf on the couch with it. The extra screen size isn't worth the extra weight and like others said. You don't get a great spec boost for the extra money. It really should be a desktop first and a laptop second.
 
Do you travel a lot? Are you looking for a desktop replacement? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself. My first Mac was the 13inch. It was great as my first Mac, but I quickly wanted more screen to work with. Now that I have the 15 inch, it took awhile to adjust to the size difference. The 15 inch felt huge compared to the 13 inch. I've adjusted to it now though, and I usually take it on trips to the airport etc and don't have too much of a problem. I will say that I have a hard time using my MBP 15 inch on a plane. I highly doubt someone would have enough space on an airtran flight if people are sitting on both sides of you.

I can't put my 17 on the tray table because then it starts to encroach on everybody so I have to keep it in my lap on the plane. It kind of sucks but its nice to watch a movie on the flight either way.
 
I'm planning to replace my iMac for the next refresh 17 inch. If you are used to big screens of the iMacs the 17 inch pro is a no brainer. I used to those huge toshiba multimedia laptops in my business travels before and those were unwieldy - the 17 Macbook pro would be more manageable.
 
I personally think the screen resolution of the 17 inch makes it worth it if you like to view 2 documents side by side.

Ill agree on that because I do that allot. I tried it on the 17" MBP and it was so much nicer than on my 13" MBP but then I went to pick the thing up and it was like the spare tire you keep in your trunk lmao..
 
Leaning towards the 17", this is going to replace my Dell desktop that is ancient! Thanks for the info

If you have a decient monitor? You can use it to make a duel monitor work space at home. I still would get the 17 but just saying, you can make a bigger workspace at home and go with the smaller MBP to carry around if you want.
 
I have an Air right now and it's really, really nice. However, I could use some more screen.

I think i'll pick up a new 17. I have owned the present 17, so I know what to expect.

They ARE rather pricey....:eek:

Note: It would be nice if I could leave out the DVD. I thinks it's time is just about up, and it takes up a lot of real estate.
 
Resolution size is a note worthy difference. The current 17" goes up to 1920 x 1200 which makes it really nice when editing full HD videos. The 15" standard size is 1440 x 900 but if you fork over extra cash you can bump it up to 1680 x 1050.

I'm really hoping that the new 15" goes up to 1920 x 1200, seeying as the rumors point that the standard for the 15" will be 1680 x 1050.

Hope this helped :)
 
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