Desperatly in need of advice.

[Alpha.K]

I purchased a MBP15 a yesterday and it seems too big right now, I have the option of switching to a 13" but after tomorrow I can't because I'm leaving the US for a month.

Everybody keeps telling me that the machine is massive, humungus, big etc. compared to the 13" and I will have to carry it to school everyday. The 13" screen is fine for me but I'm not sure about the power. I game moderately with games like Fallout 3, Counter Strike Source and CoD4. Any opinions? Should I keep it and lug it around school or get the 13".

 

[marshallbedsaul]

after owning both I feel the 13'' is just a overpowered macbook. Don't get me wrong the 13'' is amazing system, but I want at least 15''. I need the extra power for final cut pro, and photoshop and gaming of course. But its your choice personally I say keep the 15''.

 

[akhbhaat]

The 13" can handle CS:Source comfortably but will struggle with Fallout 3 and CoD4. If those games are important to you, keep the 15".

 

[jenzjen]

Only you can make that decision, but with your using phrases like lug it around, etc, I think the decision is somewhat made.

 

[Alpha.K]

The 13" can handle CS:Source comfortably but will struggle with Fallout 3 and CoD4. If those games are important to you, keep the 15".

Are you sure it will struggle with Fallout 3? The game is not that heavy on resources considering its age and graphics quality.

 

[riptideMBP]

Personally I carry my 15" around all the time... The extra screen space and GPU are definitely worth 1.1 lbs IMO.

 

[palpatine]

the 15" is one heck of a powerful machine. it isn't terribly heavier than the 13". i suppose i don't see it as such a big deal.

i don't understand why you'd be carrying this around on campus every day, though. i use pen/paper + ipad or bluetooth keyboard+ipod/ipad on campus. a lot of students i know just bring pen and paper.

after all, assuming you are there to learn something, the computer won't help out a whole lot with that. Spend your time reading, thinking, and writing while you are on campus and leave the computer back in your room...

 

[Chiuy]

I got the 13".
Here are my specs for gaming.

Call of Duty MW2 - 24FPS average. Low - Medium setting
League of Legends - 30FPS average. Medium Setting
World of Warcraft - 25FPS. Medium Setting.
Crysis 1 and 2 - 15FPS. Low Setting.
Starcraft II - 25FPS - Low Setting.

It ain't that great for gaming, but it does everything else like Photoshop, etc. really good.

Stick with the 15".
Besides, you can always sell it back to almost the original price if you decide that you hate it. The Apple 15" laptop is like the lightest laptop in it's class.
(Ex. $1799, you can probably sell it back used after a year $1599?, estimation)

 

[Dark Void]

You have to determine what it is you need as opposed to what you want. You certainly don't need a better CPU for something like Photoshop or gaming, but you may want a better CPU for those tasks, just as an example.

If you determine that the computer you have is more of a "want" and you don't "need" what another model offers (i.e. you want to game on a dedicated GPU, you don't need a smaller laptop in terms of portability) then you should make a decision on the model that fulfills that desire, and stick with the 15''. If you feel like you don't need more than an integrated HD 3000 for your games (i.e. you are willing to put up with the frames it offers in your games) and you also don't want to be carrying around a larger unit, then you should make a decision to fill that desire, and go with the 13''.