Going to College: 13" vs 15" (Help!)

[iSax1234]

TO THE OP

So you may have read some discrepancies about the speed of the 15in vs the 13 in when it comes to gaming. Now I'm not a computer science major, but logically it make since that a video card with its own dedicated memory will run faster than an integrated card ( well not really but pretty much) that runs off your Main System RAM. I don't have ACTUAL BENCHMARKS, but honestly just think about it isn't rocket science.

Now 13 vs 15

I'm typing on a white 2008 macbook right now and its a great size. I'm currently in your same situation. I'm a student going to college next year and do a lot of photo editing and video editing even some music recording. What will I be purchasing?

2.4 GHZ i5 15in MBP with Matte High Res Screen 4 Gigs of RAM and base HDD. Why?

Obviously the 13 in will be more portable and will fit onto smaller desks and may feel more comfortable on your lap, but it has poor screen resolution and is not as powerful. I don't have a long patience for slow computers (kind of funny considering on what I'm on now), so when I'm photo and video editing and I have a splurge of creativeness I can't sit there and wait for machine I need it to work. Will the 13in work? YES Will you be happy? NO

From what you say everything you do is kinda of screaming power. If you want the best gaming experience on a MAC it won't be on a 13in. If you want to edit photos and videos seamlessly it won't be on 13in. Now APPLE charges to much to upgrade the HDD so just buy one and put in yourself and then put the APPLE one in an inclosure.

Finally. 15in will be much much much faster and speed never hurt anyone, well on a computer. But seriously buy the 15 and be happy. Yes it costs more but you'll be much happier.

 

[brenden]

I've had both a 15" and now i have a 13". I wouldn't trade the 13" for anything. The size is perfect if you plan on carrying it around with you. I was practically bringing mine with me everywhere until my company got bought out by Dell ;(...

 

[Ritzbitz]

My amazing solution is to buy a regular mb (or 13" mbp) for portability then buy a super awesome gaming pc for $600-800, since one of those would be way better than the 15" for games... Unless you don't think you will have the space, then that might not be an amazing solution.

 

[cluthz]

Err, the 330m is NOT much faster than the 320m. In fact, some games will likely perform even worse than the 13" if you plan on running the games at native resolution on the 15".

320M 3dMark 4.7k
330M 3dMark 7.0k
..'nuff said

 

[aiqw9182]

320M 3dMark 4.7k
330M 3dMark 7.0k
..'nuff said

320M 4.7k
330M 6.5k

6539/4748=1.377, only about 40% increase going up to 15" and once again, toss in the resolution difference and that percentage difference will decrease.

 

[Cali3350]

320M 4.7k
330M 6.5k

6539/4748=1.377, only about 40% increase going up to 15" and once again, toss in the resolution difference and that percentage difference will decrease.

Incredibly narrow view. 3dMark06 is shader limited on both cards, meaning the main performance difference is in the shader clock frequencies. Most games are not made in that fashion.

Most GAMES will be texture limited, meaning ROPS and Bandwidth will play a larger role. As COD4 has already demonstrated the difference can be very large.

 

[King Apple]

I think im going for the 13" guys. Is the base i5 really worth dying over when it comes to cpus?

 

[xlii]

Based on King Apple's usage parameters in post #1, I would point him to the 15" mpb. Better graphic chip and faster CPU. The difference in size and weight between the 15" and 13" won't make that much of a difference in a backpack. The 15" is what; 1 pound heavier... and it's outside dimensions are about 1" longer and 1" wider.

 

[snaky69]

I think the 13" is easier to deal with in random spaces/small desks because of it's smaller footprint.

It's also a pound less in weight, which is nice since you'll be carrying it around in a backpack (I don't really understand AnnoyingApple's logic on this one)

If you notice 1lb of weight in a backpack, you need to hit the gym, badly.

I have a 15'' and would not go smaller.

 

[joshwithachance]

well I'm starting college next year too. I've had a iMac all of highschool so I got this one in 2007 (it still runs great too!)

what I use the most is safari, iTunes, iChat, Photobooth, Handbrake, and iMovie to edit Youtube Videos once a week. I also play a little "Plants Vs. Zombies" here and there.

Is the 13" good enough for me? I think it is and its great to save $600.

 

[bafonso]

well I'm starting college next year too. I've had a iMac all of highschool so I got this one in 2007 (it still runs great too!)

what I use the most is safari, iTunes, iChat, Photobooth, Handbrake, and iMovie to edit Youtube Videos once a week. I also play a little "Plants Vs. Zombies" here and there.

Is the 13" good enough for me? I think it is and its great to save $600.

Yes. Spend those 600$ elsewhere

 

[Kelt]

Yes. Spend those 600$ elsewhere

Yep, buy crappy 15 inch laptop on these 600$ and feel the difference.

 

[joshwithachance]

Yes. Spend those 600$ elsewhere

aha will do, thanks for the quick reply too

to the OP, it sounds like the 13" may be good enough for you too if portability is your thing and you're not using super memory intensive programs all the time. it comes down to whether you want a bigger screen with an i5 vs. the core 2 duo of the 13". I don't think you can really go wrong buying either actually.