Did anyone PREFER the 13 over the 15?

[theturtle]

This may be a touchy subject so i apologize in advance. I just wanted to confirm if what i read is what actually is happening.

in many of the 13 vs 15 macbook pro threads, one of the main reasons that pop up is cost. alot of people say "go 13 if you dont have the money" or "go 13 if your a student and money is tight"

I just seems as if many people see the 13" as the budget model. Again, i apologize if i got it wrong but i just see alot of people always saying that the 15" is the way to go and that even though its bigger its still portable. I could easily afford the 15" but chose the 13" because I needed portability but it seems many of you guys see the portability between the 13" and 15" negligible so maybe im in the minority?

so my question to you, did anyone CHOOSE the 13 over the 15? Not because of the costs but because the 15" didn't honestly appeal to you.

 

[corvus32]

Honestly, I would only buy the $1199 13" model or the $2499 17" model. Everything in between is just compromise.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

Honestly, I would only buy the $1199 13" model or the $2499 17" model. Everything in between is just compromise.

how? that doesn't even make sense considering you can get a 15" with the exact same specs (save screen size and resolution) as the 17" so if you don't want the added size and weight of a 17" machine how are you "compromising" by buying a smaller machine with the same specs....?

Anyways, buy what you need for your uses. Yes the 15" is portable, but it's definitely not as portable as the 13" or the Air. If you need portability, that's what those machines are made for. If you want more power, you are going to have to trade off some of the portability with the higher end mbp's.

I wouldn't worry about justifying your purchase with what others consider to be the best mac or whatever. If it suits your needs, what's the problem?

 

[theturtle]

I wouldn't worry about justifying your purchase with what others consider to be the best mac or whatever. If it suits your needs, what's the problem?

i have no problem at all with my purchase. quite satisfied actually its just that i wonder why people have this notion that the 13" is only for the budget orientated people.

i mean, don't you ever wonder why in the "macbook 13 vs 15" threads people say go 15 "if you have the money."?

 

[Thisisgeorge]

13 for portability.
15 for speed.

 

[squeakr]

The only reason that I view it as a budget model is that it seems to always be behind the other models with less options being available for configurations. I think the 13 will move away from the budget minded thinking when it offers options like better dedicated graphics, more screen options, and a larger array of cpu options like the 15 and 17 models do (the only difference in offerings between the 15 and 17 is the screen size no graphics or cpu option differences yes they throw in a couple of connectivity options, but no choice exists for this). It seems that the 13 has always been the "older" cpu technology (yes I know they have the latest Sandy bridge, but why no quad offering, at least one lower speed option at best?). If I could get a 13 with a quad and hi res screen, I would have no need for the 15.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

i have no problem at all with my purchase. quite satisfied actually its just that i wonder why people have this notion that the 13" is only for the budget orientated people.

i mean, don't you ever wonder why in the "macbook 13 vs 15" threads people say go 15 "if you have the money."?

mostly because people say they want to be able to game on the machine. If the 13" had a dedicated GPU a lot less would probably recommend the 15" mac.

In most instances the 13" is plenty powerful for what 90% of people do on their computers anyways. It will handle all of your typical day to day tasks with ease and is still fine for the amateur photo-shopper, someone who wants to edit videos on the weekends, etc.

A lot of people just get caught up in the specs and think they need to max every category out in order to get a good computer when in actuality for most simple tasks, a macbook air will perform faster than the new macbook pros even though it has a c2d processor, because the ssd is going to improve speed in most areas a basic user will notice before the processor will speed it up.

 

[palpatine]

i got a 13" mbp. i could have afforded the 15" mbp, i thought it was quite beautiful, and i was quite tempted, but when it came time to buy it, i just couldn't justify the extra cost to myself. Paying more than 50% of the cost for the 13" didn't seem appealing.

of course, if i had really needed the extra screen real estate or power, i am sure i could have convinced myself

 

[Dark Void]

i have a 13'' and what made the decision for me was the fact that photoshop CS5 recommended a 1280x800 resolution and that is primarily what i use my mac for. it obviously doesn't have be used at that resolution but i also didn't mind the fact that is was smaller and was cheaper. i ended up really enjoying it, the screen size, resolution, glossy display, etc. it turned out to be a better choice for me.

 

[dslrjunky]

sorry OP but, threads like these are really getting old, they are much the same only word differently.. too many threads about:

"which one is better?", "which should I choose?", "did I made the right decision?", "can't decide which one to buy?", "do I really need this?"

I'm not being a dick i know this is a forum and everyone deserves a shot at an "epic thread".

bottomline you should buy whatever suits your need, because in the end even on threads like those people are gonna say the same thing.. its all up to you and your usage/needs.. there's no need to create threads for every purchases of Macs that all others have already posted/answered..

/rant

 

[cvs]

The 15" is a great powerful laptop, as is the 17".
So the choice is 15" for portability or 17" for display real estate.

From my point of view, the 13" is a bit more portable than the 15" but a less powerful laptop with less resolution. It is more portable but only just a bit lighter. Does not have an option for better resolution. Hence it is quite cheaper than the 15".

So, the comment about the funds is absolutely correct, I presume. 13" and 15" are VERY portable for most people but pretty different in power and resolution. Price is definitely a factor there.

In fact, for me, the 13" and the 15" are both two portable 17"s.
I cannot tell the difference in portability between the 13" and the 15".
Their difference in price is because of sheer specs.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

I don't agree with what you've said.

The difference between all of the models is 2" of screen size and 1lb of weight. The 13" and 15" are no more similar in size:weight than the 15" and 17" It's a linear model where each adds 2" and 1lb.

 

[awer25]

I don't think many people would choose the 13" model if money really was no issue. It is a tad lighter and smaller than the 15", but the 15" (especially the 2.2GHz model) is much more powerful, and battery life is the same. Plus, the screen resolution on the 13" blows. If someone really put such a huge emphasis solely on portability, they should get the Air anyway.

 

[Surfing@Blacks]

The 13 inch just doesn't find a place for me. If I was going to use my laptop as my main computer I wouldn't think twice about going lower than the 15" and if it will be a secondary computer, I wouldn't see why not just get a MBA.

But like people say... if it meets your need then don't give a crap about what other people say... these are all beautiful machines.

 

[cloroxbleach4]

I had a 15" then switched to a 13". There's such a big difference in size and it makes it much more portable in my opinion.

I switched from a 2010 15" to a 2011 13" so I got a speed increase.

 

[theturtle]

sorry OP but, threads like these are really getting old, they are much the same only word differently.. too many threads about:

"which one is better?", "which should I choose?", "did I made the right decision?", "can't decide which one to buy?", "do I really need this?"

I'm not being a dick i know this is a forum and everyone deserves a shot at an "epic thread".

bottomline you should buy whatever suits your need, because in the end even on threads like those people are gonna say the same thing.. its all up to you and your usage/needs.. there's no need to create threads for every purchases of Macs that all others have already posted/answered..

/rant

im not offended at all. im just a bit disappointed that you didn't get the overall point of the thread.

im not asking which is better. im not asking what i should choose. im not asking if i made the righr decision. im not having trouble deciding. nor am i asking if i really need this.

you must have failed to understand that im HAPPY with my decision. there is ZERO chance in me wanting a 15 inch. You didn't catch the part when i said "i guess im in the miniority"?

No where did i say that i had buyers remorse.

please do not generalize this thread as one as the "hey guys, what should i buy thread." I was curious on WHY people generalize the 13" as the budget tight model. Im not here to get reassurance about how fantastic my 13 inch is. im here to figure out why people prefer the 15" over the 13 so much. they make it seem as if the 13" has no place in being compared to a 15.

and i wasn't going for a "epic thread"

thank you for trying to bash my thread though. really appreciate it man.

 

[theturtle]

btw, i really appreciate the responses im getting. i guess im starting to see the perspective of the people who say the 13" is for budget constrained people.

 

[blueroom]

The 13" is fine for me, I don't have 500 windows open at once so screen size isn't a problem. Portability and battery life are important to me (hence Flash blocker )

 

[Fugue]

I could have afforded any Macbook Pro, but I chose the 13" for its footprint. I needed a computer with an ethernet port, so the MBA was out of question. The 15" was a bit too heavy and not as portable, so I went with the 13". Granted, a dedicated graphics card would be ideal, but I rarely play games, and when I do, I don't mind the low graphics settings.

 

[mobilehaathi]

I chose the (Hi-Res) 15" for the larger workspace and power; I didn't even consider the 13". My GF chose the 13" for the smaller footprint and greater portability; she didn't even consider the 15". Cost didn't really factor in when choosing between 13", 15", and 17".

 

[Vudoo]

I chose the 15" for the higher resolution. If the 13" MacBook Pro had the same resolution as the 13" MacBook Air, then it would be a different story.

 

[Just "Vinnie"]

its just that i wonder why people have this notion that the 13" is only for the budget orientated people.

They don't. Why does this bother you?

Most of us 13" users want the MBP for portability and the extra power it offers over the MBA. That's exactly why Apple allows it to exist.

Hell, if "budget" were a concern many would skip macs altogether.

And I actually know many MBP15 owners who regret their purchase and would rather have the smaller one.

 

[Hellhammer]

While I don't have 13" MBP (but a 13" MBA), I would go with 13". Why? Because my tasks do not require a quad core CPU or a discrete GPU. Even if I had the money for 15", I don't see why should I spend hundreds of € more on something that I don't need. I also appreciate the extra portability. In fact, I'm in a train as we speak, using my MBA.

 

[NT1440]

I have a 2009 2.26 Ghz 13" MBP. I knew while saving for it the entire summer that for college I wanted portability (and at that point the Airs were both far too expensive and anemic) so it was really a no brainer.

 

[lgfaver]

ok here's my story...
i wanted a MBP all along. In fact i wanted a white Macbook actually, but the specs were very outdated so....
It was between the 13inch and the 15. I had been using a 14inch Vaio w/bluray and a Core i3/2.4ghz so i knew i did not want anything less powerful than that. The MBPs were not really gonna be a downgrade in any sense(except for the bluray drive) so it came down to 2 things for me, Portability and screen size.
I had never held a 15inch model but i was sure it couldn't be much heavier than the 13inch my brother owns. Since i had been able to mess around with my brother's MBP, i knew the screen was just a bit smaller than what i would like so.... when i saw a 15inch corei5/2.4ghz on sale @ the refurb Store online for $1200 i knew it was time to make a move.
Boy oh Boy was i wrong about the weight, this computer is significantly heavier than the 13inch model and even heavier than my 14inch Vaio. The screen though is a thing of beauty, feel a lot bigger than the 13inch model. is it still as portable? i would think so... i mean if you have the right backpack. I recently bought one that barely fit my vaio, so i'll probably need to buy another one but whatever....
so there, hope that gives you an idea of how the two models compare.