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Convince me to save money and go with the 13" rMBP instead of the 15"

A

AbeFroman77

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 29, 2010
334
1
It's going to be my main computer after I sell my 2010 27" iMac (i7 2.93ghz).

I don't game. I'll also use it on surf trips and edit gopro vids.

I want to get the $2599 15" rMBP but I shouldn't be spending that much.
 
13" is too small to be a desktop replacement? Is that what you want to hear?
 
AbeFroman77 said:
It's going to be my main computer after I sell my 2010 27" iMac (i7 2.93ghz).

I don't game. I'll also use it on surf trips and edit gopro vids.

I want to get the $2599 15" rMBP but I shouldn't be spending that much.
Click to expand...

I replaced a 09 27" iMac with a 15" MBPr, my wife has a 13" which is good for her but i like the 15" for my desk, for surf trips you would only need to get it there so its not like you would be carrying it around all day. 15" would be good for gopro video, bigger screen too. Look around for discounts or get a refurb.

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Wuiffi said:
13" is too small to be a desktop replacement? Is that what you want to hear?
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Yes it is, although if you are into video pairing it with a TBD would be nice.

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AbeFroman77 said:
I don't game. I'll also use it on surf trips and edit gopro vids.

Kelly Slater uses go pro's and he has a 13" macbook air, seen it on Instagram:)
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I just brought home my 15" rMBP over a 13".

Reasons:
Quad versus dual core
2" extra inches (if only it were that easy)
not that this is my gaming [mac] but if I wanna get down on some WoW, D3 or SC2, I can totally do that with ease over my '12 MacMini with the iris 'pro' graphics
 
First, consider that the 15" MBP has approximately twice the computational power of the 13" MBP/MBA (as seen in the Mactracker application).

Then consider the hypothetical maximum for the amount of computational power you will need.

Finally, choose a computer that contains the value of your hypothetical maximum within the computer's range of computational power.

Discard the above solution if you want a 15" screen.:D
 
i used to be a performance junkie with regards to my computers...then i realized how sad and futile that is.

I was one of those guys that spent $250 extra to get a 100mhz speed bump on the 15" Quad Core MBP.....

Then something clicked one day, that I probably would never notice the difference, realistically, I wouldn't...and I did more intensive stuff on my mac too..
nor would it prolong the time it would take until I would need/want to upgrade - in essence the $250 was money out of pocket, for nothing.

honestly, you will still be able to do all that want to do on the 13"
yes it will be slower...but it wont be game breaking... you probably won't even notice it unless you compare them side by side. either laptop will do the job just fine. That $800 extra won't make you prolong the time it will take for you to want to upgrade.. keep your money and go on another surf trip (my last Oregon trip costed me $400....that's TWO surf trips!!!)
 
teknikal90 said:
i used to be a performance junkie with regards to my computers...then i realized how sad and futile that is.

I was one of those guys that spent $250 extra to get a 100mhz speed bump on the 15" Quad Core MBP.....

Then something clicked one day, that I probably would never notice the difference, realistically, I wouldn't...and I did more intensive stuff on my mac too..
nor would it prolong the time it would take until I would need/want to upgrade - in essence the $250 was money out of pocket, for nothing.

honestly, you will still be able to do all that want to do on the 13"
yes it will be slower...but it wont be game breaking... you probably won't even notice it unless you compare them side by side. either laptop will do the job just fine. That $800 extra won't make you prolong the time it will take for you to want to upgrade.. keep your money and go on another surf trip (my last Oregon trip costed me $400....that's TWO surf trips!!!)
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I know the feel. What do you use?
 
money can't buy happiness but 15" rMBP will make you happy

nobody ever says I wish I got the smaller something but there is a chance after owning the 13 you will question your decision


than again some the 13 is everything they want in a portable laptop
 
Refurb base model 8GB Ram /256GB SSD 15" ($1699) is only $430 more than the 8GB Ram /256GB SSD 13" ($1269) and is noticably faster at doing most everything like launching the iMovie program http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEPmB-6GwzE and rendering videos. And also should be faster than your 2010 iMac.

That said, the 13" is fully capable of editing GoPro videos too although if they are really long ones (10+ minutes) rendering will take alot longer (hours longer in some cases). I like this long and entertaining comparison of the 13" vs 15" which involves a video rendering test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ocU5Y2q_0
 
Everytime you spend money on one thing you lose the ability to spend or invest in something else. Buy what you need and not what you want.

A lot can be done on the 13". It really isn't all that small. On top of that, OSX is set up to maximize production on smaller screens. That is why you have the ability to have numerous desktops accessible with a three finger swipe.

If you are editing video all day everyday, then go for the 15". Otherwise, spending more money to save yourself a few minutes every now and then isn't sensible. Who sits there and stares at their computer while it renders anyhow?

When considering refurbs, you can get the base model 15" for $1,699 (8gb/256), or you can get the top model 13" with a RAM upgrade for the same price (16gb/512).

Also, buying the 15" puts you in the screen roulette gamble.

Good luck.
 
But what if you want to game on it, but only like world of Warcraft and lighter games. Need to be able to run the upcoming expansion for Warcraft on it smoothly and it needs to look pretty good.

Will the 13 2.6/16/512 suffice?
 
I'd be curious about this as well. While I had it seemed like the current gen 13" with Iris kind of struggled on l4d 2 with any video settings above their default values.

I'd like to be able to play a few upcoming releases like Sims4 for example which from what I hear wont be all that demanding in its own right.

* side note the 13 2.6/16/512 refurbs are extremely difficult to get. I've been trying for weeks now :/
 
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accountforit said:
Everytime you spend money on one thing you lose the ability to spend or invest in something else. Buy what you need and not what you want.

A lot can be done on the 13". It really isn't all that small. On top of that, OSX is set up to maximize production on smaller screens. That is why you have the ability to have numerous desktops accessible with a three finger swipe.

If you are editing video all day everyday, then go for the 15". Otherwise, spending more money to save yourself a few minutes every now and then isn't sensible. Who sits there and stares at their computer while it renders anyhow?

When considering refurbs, you can get the base model 15" for $1,699 (8gb/256), or you can get the top model 13" with a RAM upgrade for the same price (16gb/512).

Also, buying the 15" puts you in the screen roulette gamble.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Screen roulette gamble?
 
mrweirdo said:
* side note the 13 2.6/16/512 refurbs are extremely difficult to get. I've been trying for weeks now :/
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No they aren't!!

You have been complaining off and on about this. I returned my 2.6/8/512 and bought the 2.6/16/512 two days later from the refurb store. I saw in another thread where you stated you got an email from that website telling you they were available and when you went there they were gone. They were up for at least an hour before they sold out.

Here is a tip seeing as you are having so much trouble with this. Check every 10 minutes between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. That is when they are always listed. Most times it's right around 12:00 noon; give or take. This has been their pattern for months.
 
accountforit said:
Everytime you spend money on one thing you lose the ability to spend or invest in something else. Buy what you need and not what you want.
Click to expand...
Depends of life stage too. At 30, your advice is right on the money. At 60 saving for the future is moot because tomorrow you could be dead or get a cancer diagnosis. So at 60 get what you want while you're still young enough to enjoy it.
 
I have a 13" MBPr (2.8GHz i7 Haswell, 8GB, 256GB SSD) and a 15" MBPr (2.3GHz i7 IvyBridge, 8GB, 256GB SSD, GT 650M) and with every day i´m more surprised about the 13" MBPr.

I play World of Warcraft on this little machine and with a resolution of (1650x1050) and with good settings (sun and ssao disabled) and FPS capped at 30 the fans are almost quite. Even on a Thunderbolt Display (clamshell mode), same settings and 1920x1080 its absolutely well playing.

But keep in mind, i`m a casual gamer and never do raids.
 
kathyricks said:
Depends of life stage too. At 30, your advice is right on the money. At 60 saving for the future is moot because tomorrow you could be dead or get a cancer diagnosis. So at 60 get what you want while you're still young enough to enjoy it.
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What a load of crap, retirement age is 65 where I come from and those last 5 years can make a big difference for your future, and seriously 60 is ready to die or get cancer. Pull your head out of the sand :rolleyes:
While we're at it stop spreading your crap test you did at best buy, I have both and there is about a 1 second difference. Get over it:)
 
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