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ldominguez1986

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2012
81
0
Philadelphia
I just purchased a 13" Macbook Pro baseline model at Best Buy for $900. I seen an open box 15" Macbook Pro with 2.2 i7 for $1500 last night. I have been toiling with what I should do. My question is, it it worth it for me to shell out an extra $600 and get the 15" or stick with my 13"?
I am not a power user at all but do like to do some light gaming. I mostly you is for surfing the web, watching movies, itunes, etc... Would I just really be future proofing myself if I bought the 15? Any opinion of yours is helpful and will help me make a better informed choice. Thank You guys in advance:D
 

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
i would get the 15. even if it had the 6750 instead of the 6770 gaming wise it eats a baseline 13 inch for breakfast.

the only thing that scares me about those bins is someone could have returned it due to dead pixels.
 

IngerMan

macrumors 68020
Feb 21, 2011
2,005
902
Michigan
That is a pretty good price as long as it is in excellent condition. The refurb store is selling that for $1659 at the moment and I have seen a few times were one kicks in on Amazon for about $1600 new.

I don't think you need to look at it as future proofing. You need to look at it as do you want a 15" over the 13". Portability over power. Do you want to spend an additional $600.

It's not like you are walking away from an unheard of deal. Deals like that are out there all the time.

Enjoy your Awesome $900 machine, that's a deal.
 

ldominguez1986

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2012
81
0
Philadelphia
i would get the 15. even if it had the 6750 instead of the 6770 gaming wise it eats a baseline 13 inch for breakfast.

the only thing that scares me about those bins is someone could have returned it due to dead pixels.

Yeah I hear ya, aren't open boxes still covered under warranty though?

----------

That is a pretty good price as long as it is in excellent condition. The refurb store is selling that for $1659 at the moment and I have seen a few times were one kicks in on Amazon for about $1600 new.

I don't think you need to look at it as future proofing. You need to look at it as do you want a 15" over the 13". Portability over power. Do you want to spend an additional $600.

It's not like you are walking away from an unheard of deal. Deals like that are out there all the time.

Enjoy your Awesome $900 machine, that's a deal.

Thanks for your reply. It's not about wanting to spend the extra it's more or less will I be more satisfied with a 15. I feel like I keep second guessing myself a little and I just hate that feeling.
 

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
try installing some of your games and see if they run ok. then you will know if you need more graphics power.
 

xxBURT0Nxx

macrumors 68020
Jul 9, 2009
2,189
2
An open box should still be under warranty from apple, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Based on your uses, the 15" isn't going to be faster than what you already have. You aren't doing anything intensive enough to warrant the extra cost.

So basically, it comes down to if the $600 price difference is worth the extra 2" of screen space. Yeah, you might see some slight improvements in gaming, but if you aren't a big gamer, I don't think $600 is warranted unless you are trying to play a lot of new games.
 

macfan74318

macrumors member
Aug 9, 2011
73
0
Warranty

Also, If you do buy a open box item then you can call Apple and give them a copy of your "Proof of Purchase" and they will change the date to day you bought the computer so you can have a year of AppleCare.

macfan74318
 

ldominguez1986

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2012
81
0
Philadelphia
An open box should still be under warranty from apple, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Based on your uses, the 15" isn't going to be faster than what you already have. You aren't doing anything intensive enough to warrant the extra cost.

So basically, it comes down to if the $600 price difference is worth the extra 2" of screen space. Yeah, you might see some slight improvements in gaming, but if you aren't a big gamer, I don't think $600 is warranted unless you are trying to play a lot of new games.

Thanks for your reply. isn't the processor a lot better though? And I thought that this was a way better graphics card too. I mean I guess, I would like the feeling knowing that I could play a lot more games than I would on just the intel hd 3000 alone.
 

xxBURT0Nxx

macrumors 68020
Jul 9, 2009
2,189
2
Thanks for your reply. isn't the processor a lot better though? And I thought that this was a way better graphics card too. I mean I guess, I would like the feeling knowing that I could play a lot more games than I would on just the intel hd 3000 alone.

yeah both the processor and gpu are much better in the 15"

However, you said you listen to music, watch movies, browse the web, email, etc.... none of those tasks is going to go faster on the 15" than the 13" because none are very cpu intensive.

The gpu would be the most noticeable difference, but if you only do light gaming, is it really worth a $600 premium (mind you only paid $900 for the 13" so you're talking another 60% increase in price)

If you want the better gpu and bigger screen, the 15" is by far the better machine.
 

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
both the graphics and processor are better. the 13 inch is duel core the 15 inch is quad core. the graphics card in the 15 inch if its the 6750 is a nice middle card.
 

ldominguez1986

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2012
81
0
Philadelphia
both the graphics and processor are better. the 13 inch is duel core the 15 inch is quad core. the graphics card in the 15 inch if its the 6750 is a nice middle card.

It's the 6750 with 1 GB instead of 512mb

----------

yeah both the processor and gpu are much better in the 15"

However, you said you listen to music, watch movies, browse the web, email, etc.... none of those tasks is going to go faster on the 15" than the 13" because none are very cpu intensive.

The gpu would be the most noticeable difference, but if you only do light gaming, is it really worth a $600 premium (mind you only paid $900 for the 13" so you're talking another 60% increase in price)

If you want the better gpu and bigger screen, the 15" is by far the better machine.

You do raise valid points and thanks for your help so far
 

Mojo1

macrumors 65816
Jul 26, 2011
1,244
21
I sold my 15" MBP and purchased the 2.3 GHz 13" MBP. The difference in size is a big plus for me. I added a Power Support anti-glare film and I am very satisfied with the results.

I also paid around $900. That's a great deal on a very capable Mac. I use mine with an NEC 24" display. I won't obtain enough benefit from an upgraded GPU and quad cores to justify a 15".

Display resolution is a non-issue for me.
 

xxBURT0Nxx

macrumors 68020
Jul 9, 2009
2,189
2
curious if you need the optical disc drive or the larger/cheaper storage options of the Pro, because an Air would still likely do what you need while being even smaller. (and slightly higher res screen)
 

ldominguez1986

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2012
81
0
Philadelphia
curious if you need the optical disc drive or the larger/cheaper storage options of the Pro, because an Air would still likely do what you need while being even smaller. (and slightly higher res screen)

I am not a fan of the air at all. I do like how light it is but I don't like has small it is if that makes any sense. I also like the fact that I can upgrade the pro myself without having to pay an arm and a leg doing it.
 

xxBURT0Nxx

macrumors 68020
Jul 9, 2009
2,189
2
I am not a fan of the air at all. I do like how light it is but I don't like has small it is if that makes any sense. I also like the fact that I can upgrade the pro myself without having to pay an arm and a leg doing it.
yes it is nice to have "upgradeability" but in reality all that means is you can upgrade your RAM without paying apples premium, and you can swap out your own HDD.

That's why it's great that there are different choices for different people.
 
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