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17 inch and 15 for viewing

A

Appler8

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 14, 2011
40
0
I'm really considering getting a 15 inch or 17 inch MacBook pro. For movie viewing, is the 17 inch MacBook THAT much better than the 15 inch?
 
for movies? not really. The only reason I have the 17" is because I need the extra screen real estate for AutoCAD etc and I don't want to have to use an external monitor.
 
Appler8 said:
I'm really considering getting a 15 inch or 17 inch MacBook pro. For movie viewing, is the 17 inch MacBook THAT much better than the 15 inch?
Click to expand...
If you're buying a laptop for movie watching on the go, both are overpriced for your needs, pick the lesser evil.

One thing to have in mind is that the 15" can only play up to 720p in full resolution on the laptop's screen, whereas the 17" can go up to 1080p.


What do you do day to day on the computer? This may help us steer you in the right direction.
 
snaky69 said:
If you're buying a laptop for movie watching on the go, both are overpriced for your needs, pick the lesser evil.

One thing to have in mind is that the 15" can only play up to 720p in full resolution on the laptop's screen, whereas the 17" can go up to 1080p.


What do you do day to day on the computer? This may help us steer you in the right direction.
Click to expand...
I'm not buying it for movie watching, but if I'm spending that much money for it, I'd like to know. And I do a lot with photo editing, garage band and PowerPoint. Plus I want a LOT of space because i will be using this for the next 5 years.
 
snaky69 said:
If you're buying a laptop for movie watching on the go, both are overpriced for your needs, pick the lesser evil.

One thing to have in mind is that the 15" can only play up to 720p in full resolution on the laptop's screen, whereas the 17" can go up to 1080p.


What do you do day to day on the computer? This may help us steer you in the right direction.
Click to expand...

Trying to pick the difference between 720p and 1080p is really hard on a small screen like that. Trust me I've literally taken a 1080p movie and encoded it with the same bit rate in 720p and done a side by side test with two MacBooks and its near impossible to notice. Of course if you hook it to your 50" TV then you'll notice (I do that allot so I tend to crave 1080p).

@OP, Buy which ever you like. Honestly 17" vs 15" isn't too much of a difference. I mistook a 15" for a 17" once because it was loaded with the high res display..only noticed when the icons looked a tad bigger than the 17". There both great sizes albeit large. My friend has a 15" and he carries it around allot and my other friend has a 17" because he needs allot of work space but he keeps regretting it as he can never fit the thing in his bag! :O
 
nateo200 said:
Trying to pick the difference between 720p and 1080p is really hard on a small screen like that. Trust me I've literally taken a 1080p movie and encoded it with the same bit rate in 720p and done a side by side test with two MacBooks and its near impossible to notice. Of course if you hook it to your 50" TV then you'll notice (I do that allot so I tend to crave 1080p).

@OP, Buy which ever you like. Honestly 17" vs 15" isn't too much of a difference. I mistook a 15" for a 17" once because it was loaded with the high res display..only noticed when the icons looked a tad bigger than the 17". There both great sizes albeit large. My friend has a 15" and he carries it around allot and my other friend has a 17" because he needs allot of work space but he keeps regretting it as he can never fit the thing in his bag! :O
Click to expand...

yup, I had to buy a new backpack to fit the 17" haha
 
snaky69 said:
If you're buying a laptop for movie watching on the go, both are overpriced for your needs, pick the lesser evil.

One thing to have in mind is that the 15" can only play up to 720p in full resolution on the laptop's screen, whereas the 17" can go up to 1080p.


What do you do day to day on the computer? This may help us steer you in the right direction.
Click to expand...

Wrong. 1440x900 is over 1280x720. 720p will require upscaling.

Get the 15" Hi-res. You'll never turn back. 1080p looks crystal clear and sharp.
 
your buying a laptop to take advantage of portability.

the 17inch defeats that purpose

get the 15
 
Nope. The 17-inch is actually not that heavier than the 15-inch.

But it takes more space, of course.
 
Prodo123 said:
Wrong. 1440x900 is over 1280x720. 720p will require upscaling.

Get the 15" Hi-res. You'll never turn back. 1080p looks crystal clear and sharp.
Click to expand...

Not wrong. I simply meant that the highest "movie resolution" the MBP can display fully on the default 1440x900 screen is 720p. I very well know what the resolution of my own computer's screen is, thank you.
 
I say go for the 17". You won't notice the difference in weight between it and the 15. It has a bigger screen for your apps and shows, and have superior speakers than the 15.
 
Goten said:
I say go for the 17". You won't notice the difference in weight between it and the 15. It has a bigger screen for your apps and shows, and have superior speakers than the 15.
Click to expand...

Between the 13" and the 15", you won't notice the difference because both of them fit in most backpacks.
17" does NOT fit in most backpacks. You won't notice a weight difference, but you'll definitely be bothered by its size.
 
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