Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

A little push before I take the leap!

S

solaris7

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 17, 2008
196
0
Hi guys,
I am on the verge of pulling the trigger on one of the new MBP's but have suddenly started to have doubts. Price is not an issue! I currently have a blackbook (mid-2008) and kind of like its portability but hate its graphics.
It does things well, but chugs when doing anything intensive. I don't NEED the power but I would LIKE it, well I NEED the graphics power (come on x3100!!!) because it can make or break a smooth laptop.
What I use my Laptop for (Carry it with me almost anywhere):
*Coding, Matlab etc.
*Gaming (would like to kick back and relax with a few games of TF:2 or CS:S
*Watching HD movies



MBP 15" (High End with 128GB SSD):
+HUGE upgrade both in terms of CPU/Graphics
+Unibody construction
+Better screen/trackpad
+Better battery life

-Lower portability
-By sticking to my blackbook I ensure that I do not waste too much time playing games (currently studying)

MBA 13'' (Ultimate):
+Portability and SIZE
+Unibody
+So-so screen, better trackpad
+Not a huge improvement in battery life
+Better graphics

-Will start to chug in a few years

So which one should I pick? Should I even sell my current blackbook?
HELP!!!
 
Sell. Buy 15". Better for movie watching and coding (more realestate). I would never do any programming or web development on a 13" screen. Would be a nightmare.
 
My gf has a blackbook - doesn't it weigh ~5lbs? I remember that, despite being a 13", there wasn't much difference in portability...people don'tgive the 15" mpb enough credit for portability - this isn't a 15" pc...
 
15" for movies / gaming
dont need a big screen for programming / coding imo,
but webdesign, that's a different story,
, personally I went with a 15", stil no regrets, although I wonder how light/small the 13" would be.
 
I have to add though, that I already have my blackbook hooked up to a 22" monitor.
Should I sell the monitor too if I do buy the MBP?
 
I think the 13" Air is m-u-c-h better if you plan on carrying it around all day, every day and want to spend less time gaming and more time working ;). The 330M, as many threads attest, performs well with many games -push-

Note that the screen is a marked improvement over your 2008. It has the same resolution of my 2008 unibody 15". It is so light and airy that it is a joy to watch a film on without the thing heating up your frickin' lap. -nudge-

Lastly, it will be a large improvement of battery life over your 2008. Both computers you mention get 7 hours + of work time. -shove-

Go Air man.
 
kjos8035 said:
I would never do any programming or web development on a 13" screen. Would be a nightmare.
Click to expand...
What? I can just about fit three 80 column terminals across the 13" screen with a 9 or 10 point monospace font. It's cramped and not particularly ideal for really churning out some code, but if I were in that mode I (and virtually every other programmer I know) would be strapping the computer to my 24" desktop monitor anyhow. How is a marginally larger 15" screen with a 1440x900 resolution going to be significantly better?
 
You really need to live with the 13" for a few days to see why it's a world of difference from a 15". It's like moving around a piece of rigid cardboard, it's truly incredible how it feels.

It's super quiet and cool too. Personally, I prefer the screen to either the matt or the glass Pro's too, it's the best of both worlds.
 
I was in the same boat as you trying to decide between the 13" and the 15". I went with the high end 15" for this reason: I know I will run into something that I want to do that will require more than the Intel Graphics, and even though I have a desktop that can handle whatever I throw at it, I will be disappointed I couldn't do it on my laptop as well. I will probably run into the same thing on the 15" but that should be many years down the road.

Maybe not the best reasoning, but it worked for me.
 
As someone who owns both a 15inch MBP and a 13inch MBA I can tell you the air is by far my favorite. Its a powerful little machine.
 
But is the high end 13" THE upgrade? How future proof would it be? (keep in mind I will keep it for at least 3 years)
 
High end 15 is definitely the upgrade, and will last you the longest. Keep in mind the 13 still uses dual core, and gfx card is meh. You will have longer lasting, higher resale value in 3 years time with the high end 15.

You are much more likely to see the next MBA with the processor similar/if not better than the 13' (ivy bridge) then seeing a MBA with 4 cores.
 
solaris7 said:
But is the Air a size able update? How future proof would it be?
Click to expand...

Its not,
No RAM update and an old CPU. But the SSD is perfect in harmony with the system. The 15" in big but if your budget doesn't matter, well buy both?!
It is really a world difference. The 15" is with the SSD in everything faster or as fast as the Air. But the beauty of the Air is incomparable.

So what would u like: A decent looking lady with knowledge of all and a hard worker or Miss Universe who wishes for world peace?
 
By future proof I mean, will the laptop still do a very good job after a year? two years? 3 years? Will using it seem like torture as the years pass? Will it be able to support the next big thing?
I made the mistake when I bought the black macbook, don't want to do it again!
 
If you are interested in doing any gaming don't get the Macbook buy yourself a nice Windows laptop or you're going to end up disappointed.
 
For the games you like to play, I would say get the 13" i5 low-end and max out the RAM/HD via the aftermarket (or Apple, whichever you're more comfortable with) - then you can begin the yearly upgrade cycle. I used to do that with MBPs and I'd get about 85% ROI (return on investment) and always have a brand new, updated, warrantied 13" MBP.

I've moved to 15" MBP, but I will continue to do the same (I just won't also have a Mac mini that I update as well...I'm consolidating).

I think the high-end 13" is a waste, IMO. The processor is faster, yes...but the graphics are the same and it's still dual core. The bump up between the two in performance is really not that high compared to price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back