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SonicEarth

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 15, 2010
41
0
I recent bought the 15" standard def i5 and I'm thinking about exchanging it for a 17" to get more screen real estate. Is this worth it?
 
I love the high-res displays, not everyone cares. I also like the extra ports, and the expresscard slot. YMMV.
 
SonicEarth, I'd say it's totally worth it. I was about to buy the 15" Hi-Res but opted for the 17" instead for just a little bit more money. Twice the VRAM and an even higher resolution. It's the tits!
 
I took one look at the hi-res 17" ones in the store and really regretted going low-res 15" on my last one. Ever since then I NEEDED the real estate. I uses to run 1600x1200 in 1997 on my desktop PC and only now am I getting close to that again :D
 
I personally say go with the 17"

I got hooked on having lots of screen real estate when I got a 23in monitor to hook up to my MBP at work. When I worked on my 15" at home it just seemed a lot more cramped.

I thought about the highres 15 but it doesnt go full 1080 which deterred me

Just my 2 Cents
 
I've decided on the 17". I called the store and they said they'd waive the restocking fee. Sweet!
 
Although the new 15" hi rez option is tempting, I decided my next Apple
laptop will the the 17" HD. Especially since I don't move it around or travel very much. It seems perfect to me.

But then I start thinking about what I just said and decide a 27" iMac quad core would be better. Lol, each to his own.
 
The 17" looks to be the best deal in some ways.

512MB ram, 1920x1200 screen res.

I have always bought 15" for myself, but work got me a 17" and if you don't fly a lot, I think the 17" is fine. It actually does not seem all that much larger.

I throw it in a bag and take it to and from work everyday no problem. It's def a little large for a plane.

I find even the 15" to be cramped on a plane. In fact, if I still flew a lot, the iPad would be ideal for that.
 
If you don't travel much, the 17" MBP is the way to go. The screen gives you enough room to do your work. I found that it doesn't make that much of a difference carrying it in a bag as compared to the 15" one (the difference is only 1lb). If you need to work in tight quarters or find yourself frequently on a plane, then the 15" MBP with the hi-res screen is a great machine to go with.
 
Based on my almost 3 years experience on the SR MBP 17", it is worth to buy the 17". It is not so heavy and the real estate is worth. I know that the new one has higher resolutions. The font size may be too small to read comfortably. I have not received mine yet so I cannot comment.

Can we adjust the font size of ALL applications and save the settings without doing it all the time? I hope that Apple makes the Resolution Independent feature working soon.
 
I just picked up a new base 17" and like it so far.

I'm not a glossy screen person, so that was a leap of faith. So far I don't regret it. The matte just looked more grey than white, and the text and overall image just wasn't as sharp for some reason.

Can't wait to put 8GB of ram in this thing later this summer...

I'd always bought 15" in the past, so, lol, it figures as soon as the come out with 1680x1050 I go off and get a 17" 1920x1200. The price cuts on the 17" over the years helped to, I think the base 17" was $2700 not that long ago...
 
I am not sure how any of these answers can be helpful. It really depends on your situation.

I use my MBP to meet clients and the 17" is too bulky for me. Even the 15" can be cumbersome, but that is the smallest size I want to work on when traveling. At home I have my 15" connected to a 27" LCD, so the laptop display size is inconsequential when at home/in the office.
 
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