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17 or 15,4?

gusious

gusious

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 2, 2007
1,277
2
Greece
Hello you guys!!!What's up?Is everything ok?

Well i would like to hear your opinion about this one.I want to buy a Mac Book Pro but i have a dilemma...I don't know which one is best...17 or 15,4??

What's your opinion???


Thanks a lot everyone!
 
I'm going to be using my mom's 15.4" Montevina for my first year of college and then get a 17" Nehalem of my own. I'll let you know which I like better*.

*Results may vary. Current wait time is one year.
 
There is no "best" one. Either you want more portability and are willing to accept smaller screens and not as good tech specs or you go for the bigger screen and better specs with a lack of portability.
It's up to you.
 
I have to say that the 17" screen on the MBP is the best I have seen, especially the Hi-res version. In terms of portability, I don't find 17" MBP that much bigger than a 15", but slightly heavier.
 
Well actually i don't move around my laptop much...Although i am away from home for my college and stuff so when i get home i take my laptop with me...

But does a 17' laptop loose the meaning of a laptop??I mean is it really big??

I haven't seen one that's why i'm asking...:confused:
 
I have a 17 inch, and honestly I love the HiDef screen. I am a film maker and the resolution is great.
Portability-wise it is a little bit on the heavier side, but I just slide it in its sleeve and chuck it in my bag and forget that it exists.

But quite honestly I would say depending on what you plan on doing choose the size, if its just casual college stuff (writing, IM, surfing the net) I would suggest the 15 inch, but say photography, videography, etc. I would go with the 17 inch. That's just my two cents.
 
Well it's sure for casual college stuff but i don't really mess with things like photography and videography.I mean rarely but still not much...

I do like the size of my 15 MBP because i get up in the morning and can get it on my bed and things like that...I don't know if i'll be able to take a 17 on my bed and check my emails for example...!!

But i really love HD that's why i want to buy a 17'...

Man,i really have no idea what i want...

Oh and thanks for all the replies...!!They are really helpful!

Any other opinion is accepted!!!!:)
 
I was kind of in the same situation as you are now. I had (still have) a 15" PowerBook and just loved the form factor of that machine. However, it was getting to be long in the tooth, so I decided to splash out on a new MBP.

I was contemplating the 17", but after comparing the two machines side by side in the Apple Store, I decided that I liked the overall portability of the 15.4", so opted for that.

Like others have said... It's just your personal choice. Whatever you choose, you can rest assured that you've just purchased the best damn machine you've ever had :D I'm still absolutely in love with my 15.4" MBP Glossy. Stunningly beautiful piece of kit. I take her everywhere I go.
 
I strongly recommend you to get the 17". At first, I thought it was too big. Then, after using it for a few days, I found that it is small. I wish a 19" MBP would be available.
 
I've been very happy with my 17", and haven't had a problem using it off the desk. But I'd recommend the optional screen, and not just because of the higher resolution-- the LED backlighting is great. The normal 17" has ccfl backlighting. And, think carefully before choosing between glossy and matte. You really might want to find a way to look at both before deciding.
 
hajime said:
I strongly recommend you to get the 17". At first, I thought it was too big. Then, after using it for a few days, I found that it is small. I wish a 19" MBP would be available.
Click to expand...

That's new!!!!!xaxaxaxaxa!!!!!!!Then a 15,4" is what?Mini???:p

Anyway,i won't take it to class for notes or something like that so it's really not an issue to be really portable.But,i do travel sometimes and i want it with me.So i don't want much weight to carry.Also,my 15,4" that i own now,is like a desktop.Meaning that i don't usually move it from my desk where i read.I don't even use the battery.I have used it 4 or 5 times since november...

I just don't know...:(
 
Right now I have a 15" MBP Santa Rosa, but next week I am going to be getting a 17" MBP because my bro is getting my old one. I edit with Final Cut Pro and all of those Pro programs so a 17" is necessary. If you're not doing anything like that, then I would say go for the 15", they are great. Nice portability for school. But the 17" isnt that big where you cant bring it to class! It is only 2 more inches (kinda). The 17" you also get the option of an HD Screen.
 
Depends on how many times you actually carry your laptop around places.

I guess if you carry the laptop around your house/apt and occasional outside the 17" is more than good enough for that but if you carry it every day to the outside world, I'd go for the 15.4" mbp.
 
Get The 17" Book!!!!

go.mouse said:
I have to say that the 17" screen on the MBP is the best I have seen, especially the Hi-res version. In terms of portability, I don't find 17" MBP that much bigger than a 15", but slightly heavier.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The 17" book is only an inch larger and a pound heavier. In fact it's lighter than some comparable 15" books from PCs.

gusious said:
Well actually i don't move around my laptop much...Although i am away from home for my college and stuff so when i get home i take my laptop with me...

But does a 17' laptop loose the meaning of a laptop??I mean is it really big??

I haven't seen one that's why i'm asking...:confused:
Click to expand...

No it's not that much bigger, and it keeps the meaning of laptop. For me it fits my lap a lot better.

hajime said:
I strongly recommend you to get the 17". At first, I thought it was too big. Then, after using it for a few days, I found that it is small. I wish a 19" MBP would be available.
Click to expand...

AMEN and same here. If Apple made a 19" version I think I'd still get one if it had dual HDDs and more ports. The hi res screen is unmatched and the fully clocked CPUs, GPUs, and crisp audio from speakers will make you NOT want to go back to 15.4" books.

I have used both, and regret getting the 15" at first.

I carry it with me everywhere I go, it never leaves my side. I have used it comfortably on planes, trains and automobiles... and I have a gut like no other. The battery life is AMAZiNG for a 17", I get about 3 hours of battery life with heavy use.

Some people have a deep hatred of 17" books, but they need to go to the gym. It's not that much bigger than a 15" book, but it is a much better more refined book.
 
My opinion is:
The 17" is a transportable all in one, even as stated before it's better than other windozes out there.
And the 15" is still a laptop, you can always connect the 15.4 to a bigger monitor/big screen TV if the screen size is of importance to you for some activities.
Also with the 15" you can save some bucks and buy other cool things (if you can afford a 17").
________
Chrysler Pacifica history
 
Last edited:
Have not regretted my 17'' at all

As listed above, they both have their advantages
You won't go wrong with either choice

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
I agree with McGiord. If you can afford the 17", you can always get the super 15" and use the $300-$400 you save to get a Time Machine hard drive or even a cheap 24" monitor.

But still, nothing beats the hell out of the 17" Mac Book Pro.

(fanboy side showing)
 
MacDawg said:
Agreed... I went to buy the 15" and couldn't help myself in the end

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
Click to expand...

I bought the 15" even after all the pressure from my video editing colleagues to go 17" which they all had.

Every time I worked with them and they had their 17" books next to mine I kicked myself. Then they joked me by putting their books into my bags, that's when I realized that it's not that much bigger or heavier than the 15".
 
I'm with you guys.. 17" mbp has no issues that the 8 15" mbp that I went through because of the left speaker sizzling noise, headphone jack hissing, yellow tint at the bottom issues.

The screen is the most gorgeous thing I've ever laid my eyes on and the laptop when you get used to it seems small like others mentioned as well. Not to mention the speakers are freaking awesome, loud and clear as well.
 
hajime said:
I strongly recommend you to get the 17". At first, I thought it was too big. Then, after using it for a few days, I found that it is small. I wish a 19" MBP would be available.
Click to expand...

Did he say 19"?? Ha!! The day Apple unveils THAT, I'll be in line. :D
 
Icewind said:
I was contemplating the 17", but after comparing the two machines side by side in the Apple Store, I decided that I liked the overall portability of the 15.4", so opted for that.
Click to expand...
Same here.

Both are very nice. Daily I end up working in 2-3 different places in addition to home so I went with mobility and got the 15. Actually looked at the MBA, but the glossy screen was a turn off.

Very happy with the MBP15 and will be upgrading to a 500GB HD this week when it arrives in the mail.

Also, when I travel, I wanted to be able to put my laptop in the hotel safe. Around here (Japan), the 15 seems like a better fit.

MacDawg said:
As listed above, they both have their advantages. You won't go wrong with either choice
Click to expand...
That much is certain. :)

Firefly2002 said:
If Apple makes a larger MBP, it'd be 20, not 19.
Click to expand...
HP makes a 20 inch if you want one now. Big brute.
 
sushi said:
HP makes a 20 inch if you want one now. Big brute.
Click to expand...

They do and it's the largest thing I have ever see. I did see Acer's 20" in person and it was basically a 20" LCD on top of a just as thick notebook.

Both models can get pushed to over 10 lbs once you add two graphics cards and two HDDs.

There is a 17" notebook made by Sager I think that is thick enough to have a quad core desktop chip in it. Starts at about $6000 AFAIR.

Found one real quick, but surprisingly it's a 17 incher. Quad core 2.66, 1.3GHz FSB, 3 HDDs.

Linkie
 
You may find yourself taking it to class :p. I know I did!

Anyway, I have the 15.4 and my friend has the 17. Both are easily portable. I suppose it's easier to fit the 15.4 into a bag, but both are fine. I think it comes down to the interior specs and, of course, how much $$$ you have or are willing to spend.

I also have no trouble using the 15.4 screen for hours on end writing papers... if that's a concern of yours.
 
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