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2010 15" or 13" 2011

J

jondob

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 20, 2010
76
0
NEed a laptop for school, and just an updated laptop coming from a dell from 2002.

Not taking anything crazy in school, so any updated laptop will be fast to me.

Now it will be put on a futureshop card so I can't buy a refurb from the apple store.

My choice is a 2011 i5 13 inch for $1245 CAD, or a 2010 i5 2.4 15 inch for $1499.

I'd really like a bigger screen, 13 is a little too small for me, but is that 2010 15" worth the extra money?

Need any other answers just ask..

thanks guys!
 
if you need the screen size, then 15". If not, then a 13" will be fine. Even a white MacBook would be good for you, as per your description.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
The 15" inch is worth it, as it uses almost the same CPU as the 2011 13" MBP and also has a discrete GPU, if you need it.
Click to expand...

Not really true. The i5 in the 2011 is more comparable to the 2.66 i7 in the 2010. If you were going to base your decision on the CPU alone then the 2011 for sure, but obviously that's not what you're doing. If you like the bigger screen, just go for the 15".
 
I'd recommend the 15-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2010). It's an great computer that offers excellent performance and a dedicated graphics processing unit for those times when you need the extra capability.

As far as the screen size is concerned, I find the 15-inch to be almost perfect (the 13-inch is too small for my needs, and the 17-inch is simply too bulky for carrying it around occasionally).

For your needs, it would likely last you several years.

Hope that helps and have a great day. :)
 
I understand the appeal of the 15" screen vs the 13, but i will say this...

I have a quad core i5 2.8ghz desktop running 10.6.7, last gen not sandy bridge.

My 13" macbookpro with dual core i5@2.3 is faster. Both have 4gb ddr3.
 
matt15f said:
I understand the appeal of the 15" screen vs the 13, but i will say this...

I have a quad core i5 2.8ghz desktop running 10.6.7, last gen not sandy bridge.

My 13" macbookpro with dual core i5@2.3 is faster. Both have 4gb ddr3.
Click to expand...

now sure the benchmarks I have seen agree with that....but I may be mistaken.
 
buckwheat987 said:
now sure the benchmarks I have seen agree with that....but I may be mistaken.
Click to expand...
if your benchmarks dont agree, then it could be because my desktop is a hackintosh, with minimal bootloader and like 2 kexts installed.

I have wondered if the hackintosh/boot loader approach hinders performance.

I had a hard time accepting that my mbp dual core i5@2.3 is faster than my quad i5@2.8 but i attributed it to the fact that sandy bridge is a big improvement.
 
matt15f said:
if your benchmarks dont agree, then it could be because my desktop is a hackintosh, with minimal bootloader and like 2 kexts installed.

I have wondered if the hackintosh/boot loader approach hinders performance.

I had a hard time accepting that my mbp dual core i5@2.3 is faster than my quad i5@2.8 but i attributed it to the fact that sandy bridge is a big improvement.
Click to expand...

fair enough... i recall seeing some posted benchmarks and the desktop i3 was faster than the SB 13" scores...not that it matters much...all of them are fast enough machines
 
Ok guys thanks for all the replies. I'm going to go for the 15 inch I think.

Cheers everyone!
 
Well the obvious question is:

Whats your major?

Depending on your answer could heavily influence what Mac you should get.
 
ThaDoggg said:
Go for the 13" as it is faster and offers more portability. For when at home, with the money saved buy a nice external display.
Click to expand...

Don't really care about external display or about portability. It will be in my backpack so a 15 wont bug me much...I'm just taking pre media - 1 year course, then will transfer into broadcasting t.v next year, so I doubt I will be stressing the 2010 much..


Mostly leaning towards the 15 because I'd like the bigger screen as I will be using it at home as well. I have a G5 also, but I will be using the laptop a lot more.
 
altecXP said:
Well the obvious question is:

Whats your major?

Depending on your answer could heavily influence what Mac you should get.
Click to expand...

Pre-Media & Entertainment. Only a 1 year course, then going into Broadcasting T.V 3 year after if that's what I decide I want to do.
 
So
ended up with a 2011 13 inch i5... The 15 inch 2010 was a french only...

Ended up paying around 1700 with hst and a 2 year warranty through future shop.

So far it's an awesome little machine. Anything
i should be looking out for?

I'm calibrating the battery... Updated the system, downloaded some thing ect etc.
 
jondob said:
So
ended up with a 2011 13 inch i5... The 15 inch 2010 was a french only...

Ended up paying around 1700 with hst and a 2 year warranty through future shop.

So far it's an awesome little machine. Anything
i should be looking out for?

I'm calibrating the battery... Updated the system, downloaded some thing ect etc.
Click to expand...
That's what I purchased, with Apples 128GB SSD and 8GB of G.Skill ram from newegg. Mine hasn't arrived yet, it'll be here on the 1st.
 
Not bad. Anything in the new lineup from Apple is blazing fast. Though I would have hung on for a customized 15" from apple.ca though.

I just moved from a 13" MacBook 2007 to the 2.2 15" and really notice the difference. Never really use it on my lap though, so the heat issue isn't a bother just yet.

Enjoy your new baby :)

jondob said:
So
ended up with a 2011 13 inch i5... The 15 inch 2010 was a french only...

Ended up paying around 1700 with hst and a 2 year warranty through future shop.

So far it's an awesome little machine. Anything
i should be looking out for?

I'm calibrating the battery... Updated the system, downloaded some thing ect etc.
Click to expand...
 
abhic said:
Not bad. Anything in the new lineup from Apple is blazing fast. Though I would have hung on for a customized 15" from apple.ca though.

I just moved from a 13" MacBook 2007 to the 2.2 15" and really notice the difference. Never really use it on my lap though, so the heat issue isn't a bother just yet.

Enjoy your new baby :)
Click to expand...

Thanks man!

Now i need something to protect it from scratches.. I will be getting a carrying case for my back pack but can anyone help me with a skin..

How about this.. Please your thoughts people. http://www.bodyguardz.com/apple-mac...es-protectors-covers-shields-skins-films.html

I'd like something transparent because i like it simple... Or the carbon fiver one is good too.. http://theluckylabs.com/index.php/unibody-macbook-teksure-skin-full-body.html

those are my two choices. I'm kinda diggin the carbon...

Thanks again!
 
jondob said:
NEed a laptop for school, and just an updated laptop coming from a dell from 2002.

Not taking anything crazy in school, so any updated laptop will be fast to me.

Now it will be put on a futureshop card so I can't buy a refurb from the apple store.

My choice is a 2011 i5 13 inch for $1245 CAD, or a 2010 i5 2.4 15 inch for $1499.

I'd really like a bigger screen, 13 is a little too small for me, but is that 2010 15" worth the extra money?

Need any other answers just ask..

thanks guys!
Click to expand...

13" MBAir with its hi-res screen should do it for you.
I looked at the 15" option, but asked myself did I really need the additional real estate (and weight; and heat generation) and decided no.

just a thought … …
 
I would like to recommend you to get the 2011 13", and get an external display. It won't cost too much. A 23" display is less than $200. When you use at home, you can use the big screen display. When you bring it outside, you want it to be portable.
 
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