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any 13" owners who regret not getting 15" or vice versa?

M

mytoki

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 17, 2010
36
0
sorry this is another 13 vs 15 thread, but i've been reading and reading the forums and i'm still torn :(

i'm trying to decide between

($1414) 13" base model with 128GB SSD
($1699) 15" base model

(cost is w/ student discount)

any of you out there who was on the fence between 13 vs 15 regret their purchase at all due to CPU performance, screen size, weight?

i'll be using mine for internet, email, Adobe CS4/CS5 for hobby, Quickbooks for personal finances, streaming HULU and i would like to actually use it on my lap and not on a desk. i've had my dell desktop for 8 years... so i'm pretty out of the loop on CD2 vs i5 and such and definitely in need of something new as the dell is excruciatingly slow.

a friend who has an older 15" argues with me that i should spend the extra cash to get the latest and greatest specs and also that i would more enjoy the magnificent screen on a 15" than a 13". does his argument have any validity?

please share your experience! thanks!
 
I think the best answer is a question. Do you ever see yourself buying an external monitor? If you answered yes, I would recommend the 13". 13" is great for general everyday use and portability but when you get into design or graphics you may feel limited. If you answered no, the 15" is for you.

As for regret, none at all. I never wanted anything other than a 13" as I do CAD and Graphic work on a desktop with two large monitors. The 13" does everything else I need.

troutspinner
 
Though my experience may not be related to this thread title, I did regret purchasing a 15" Core i7 when I should be going for 17" Core i5 or i7, not even an AG or Hi-Res screen... Money was not an issue for me, but living in a place without a physical Apple Store, BTO MacBook Pros can be weeks away. I guess I had no choice due to the urgency of my work.
 
13 with ssd>15 i7 with HD

the whole "you need the extra space on a 15 inch monitor" is a load of crap they are both small monitors, but you really don't gain that much with a 15 inch. Unless you have tiny windows, you still will not be able to comfortably have two windows next to eachother on a 15 inch, and expose males switching between many windows on something as small as a 5 inch display quick and easy. The smaller footprint and loss of a hefty pound make it so much better to carry around (especially the footprint), and if you turn down the brightness on your display you can last a good 2 hours longer than an i7 15 inch doing the same tasks. For what you are doing, a c2d is going to be nominally
lesser than an i5 or i7, so don't listen to that tired "don't get a c2d" argument. With an ssd, your 13 will scream!! Go 13
 
I'm gong to add that the biggest bottleneck in performance you are going to have is not processing power but your HD. If you can get a ssd with the 13, hands down it is going to perform better, especially for the tasks you're doing.
 
And just so you know, the 13 was my primary computer for numerous vector artwork projects and Photoshop projects, and I still have yet to see how it isn't good to do graphics on.
 
robotmonkey said:
13 with ssd>15 i7 with HD
Click to expand...

Uh, I don't think so. When it comes to raw number crunching the hard drive isn't playing a huge role here, it's all about the CPU and a Core 2 Duo with SSD isn't gonna outperform a Core i7 with an HDD, especially when it comes down to encoding. You'll get faster application loading and boot times with an SSD but an SSD won't be much help with raw processing power.
 
I have a 13" and no regrets here. I am coming from a 15" vista laptop and I am already used to the difference.
 
robotmonkey said:
13 with ssd>15 i7 with HD

the whole "you need the extra space on a 15 inch monitor" is a load of crap they are both small monitors, but you really don't gain that much with a 15 inch. Unless you have tiny windows, you still will not be able to comfortably have two windows next to eachother on a 15 inch, and expose males switching between many windows on something as small as a 5 inch display quick and easy. The smaller footprint and loss of a hefty pound make it so much better to carry around (especially the footprint), and if you turn down the brightness on your display you can last a good 2 hours longer than an i7 15 inch doing the same tasks. For what you are doing, a c2d is going to be nominally
lesser than an i5 or i7, so don't listen to that tired "don't get a c2d" argument. With an ssd, your 13 will scream!! Go 13
Click to expand...

So there's no difference between 1280x800 and 1680x1050? That's 72% more screen space. It's *very* noticable.

Using the 13" for serious multi-window work is way too cramped. I had a macbook for 4 years, and for long-term work, I always needed to use an external (1900x1080). Now I find the HR 15" is more than enough most of the time and I rarely connect my monitor, which btw is only 16% more space than the built in screen.
 
I would rather have a 13" instead of 15". Its more compact and would be much easier to carry around. Maybe its a girlie girl in me speaking but it would suit me much better. The only reason I bought a 15" is because the specs were better and new i5 processor.
 
Lola M said:
I would rather have a 13" instead of 15". Its more compact and would be much easier to carry around. Maybe its a girlie girl in me speaking but it would suit me much better. The only reason I bought a 15" is because the specs were better and new i5 processor.
Click to expand...

so if you could go back and do it all over again, would you get the 13" despite the specs?
 
I've had a 13" for a while, then a 15" and now a 17". If I was still in college taking it to classes with me I'd still have the 13". The 15" was marginal but the 17" now is too much to bring everywhere. However I now bring an iPad everywhere instead. When I had the 13" and even the 15" I used an external monitor all the time. Now with the 17" (15" with high res screen wasn't an option back when I had the 15") I don't find much need for an external monitor. Yes I still carried my 15" and still carry my 17" with me, but its only occasionally now. They are mostly used so I can work on my sofa.

So get the 13" if you will be taking it everywhere, if its not going to be in your bag all the time then get the 15 or 17"
 
Corsairkid said:
I have a 13" and no regrets here. I am coming from a 15" vista laptop and I am already used to the difference.
Click to expand...

I am coming from the same situation. I had a 15.4" Toshiba, and went with the baseline 13" MBP. I actually like the smaller design and have no regrets whatsoever. I just could not justify the price increase the 15" had over the 13".

Choose whatever suits you best.
 
Corsairkid said:
I have a 13" and no regrets here. I am coming from a 15" vista laptop and I am already used to the difference.
Click to expand...

jolawson said:
I am coming from the same situation. I had a 15.4" Toshiba, and went with the baseline 13" MBP. I actually like the smaller design and have no regrets whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Did your 15" Windows laptops happen to have the same 1280x800 resolution as the 13" MBP? Of course smaller design is better... :p But 1680x1050 is really something.
 
Shaman Beloved said:
Did your 15" Windows laptops happen to have the same 1280x800 resolution as the 13" MBP? Of course smaller design is better... :p But 1680x1050 is really something.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure...It's a 3 year old Toshiba Satellite. Plus 3 years ago I didn't care to pay attention to the screen resolution.
 
I have a 15" and no regrets what so I ever, I've used a friends 13" and it was a bit too small for my liking. That and the lack of dedicated graphics.
 
Shaman Beloved said:
Did your 15" Windows laptops happen to have the same 1280x800 resolution as the 13" MBP? Of course smaller design is better... :p But 1680x1050 is really something.
Click to expand...

1680x1050 screen in a 15" chassis is in my opinion the best compromise between productivity and portability.
 
sorry, another question for the 13" owners...

do you use iMovie at all? how's the performance of the 13" when using iMovie?
 
jolawson said:
I am coming from the same situation. I had a 15.4" Toshiba, and went with the baseline 13" MBP. I actually like the smaller design and have no regrets whatsoever. I just could not justify the price increase the 15" had over the 13".

Choose whatever suits you best.
Click to expand...

Lol couldnt justify the price increase from 13-15? Hmm

- dedicated video
- i5
- bigger screen and higher res too.

If anything its the 13 that is underpowered for what you pay.
 
References to Adobe CS4/CS5 might make me lean towards the 15 with i5. You could always add the SSD later.

As other posters have already suggested, if you are planning on using an external monitor or taking the laptop with you frequently, the 13 might be the better choice.

Good luck!
 
Misskitty said:
Lol couldnt justify the price increase from 13-15?

If anything its the 13 that is underpowered for what you pay.
Click to expand...

Let me re-phrase...as it seems that this was not clear before. I didn't need the larger screen, i5/i7 cpu...etc. I knew what would best suit my needs, therefore I purchased the 13" MBP. So, with that being said, no...I could not justify the price increase for my personal use.
 
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