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Hi Res Screen After-thoughts

teknikal90

teknikal90

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 28, 2008
3,436
2,204
Vancouver, BC
Just a heads up just incase someone, somewhere, out there is thinking of building a BTO macbook... don't get the hi res option..
1. your texts look so darn small its not funny
2. if you ever want to play games, playing it at 1680x1050 is hard for the gpu to pump out enough fps. lowering the resolution blurs it, and AMD gpus can't by default output at 1440x900 (the standard res) when equipped with a 1680x1050...only way is to tweak with the registry.
3. functionality wise, there isn't a lot you can't do on a 1440x900..

Just thought I should put this out there. If I had known about the above reasons I wouldn't have bit the bullet on that $100 upgrade...
thanks all:)
 
Last edited:
really? im looking to buy a 15" mbp by christmas time and was going to get the hi res glossy. i produce music and will be playing diablo 3. the hi res would be nice for making music so i can fit more stuff on my screen. and i thought the hi res would be better for gaming...
 
entatlrg said:
Text is smaller but very clear and sharp on the hi-res.

It's too pixelated and fuzzy looking on the standard res.
Click to expand...

yeah i think im getting the hi res. i want to be able to fit more stuff on my screen and have it be sharper. most other windows computers come with a "hi res" screen as standard.
 
sorry about the bezel, tried to edit, but couldn't!

well in my opinion the 1440x900 screen is good enough, but what annoyed me was that I found out I can't run Battlefield 3 on high/medium at native with this laptop....if i had spent $100 less, I could.
lowering the resolution in a game effectively means that each pixel being pushed by the GPU doesn't translate 1:1 to the pixels you're seeing = blur.

I use Logic as well, but well 1440x900 works well enough. and I use an external monitor for desktop use.

just ranting here sorry, but hopefully people like happle can now have second thoughts to see if they really need to spend that extra $100.
 
are you serious? those are pathetic reasons

you should give ur high res anti glare screen a week before taking it back.

i love it. having the extra resolution makes everything so much sharper and u have 30% more screen real estate.

in terms of ur GPU, even on a standard res screen the GPU is gonna krank up and fans turn up. its a laptop!!!

there is absolutly nothing wrong with high res. its all benefitts.
 
I feel exactly the opposite. I wouldn't keep a 15" MBP withOUT the high resolution display.

It makes a huge difference in terms of productivity and I have absolutely NO trouble seeing even the smallest text.

If you have poor eyesight, I supposed I could see that. But OS X has a built in screen zoom feature that is quite usable.

I think this guy is crazy, respectfully.
 
teknikal90 said:
Just a heads up just incase someone, somewhere, out there is thinking of building a BTO macbook... don't get the hi res option..
1. your texts look so darn small its not funny
2. if you ever want to play games, playing it at 1680x1050 is hard for the gpu to pump out enough fps. lowering the resolution blurs it, and AMD gpus can't by default output at 1440x900 (the standard res) when equipped with a 1680x1050...only way is to tweak with the registry.
3. functionality wise, there isn't a lot you can't do on a 1440x900..

Just thought I should put this out there. If I had known about the above reasons I wouldn't have bit the bullet on that $100 upgrade...
thanks all:)
Click to expand...

I tried a 17" MBP and a HR AG 15" MBP, and couldn't deal with either because of the tiny text. Even websites looked odd - craigslist in particular. But it's very subjective. Some people absolutely love it. The bottom line is you have to try it out for yourself.

I'd return it if I were you. I couldn't get used to it.
 
teknikal90 said:
1. your texts look so darn small its not funny
2. if you ever want to play games, playing it at 1680x1050 is hard for the gpu to pump out enough fps. lowering the resolution blurs it, and AMD gpus can't by default output at 1440x900 (the standard res) when equipped with a 1680x1050...only way is to tweak with the registry.
3. functionality wise, there isn't a lot you can't do on a 1440x900..
Click to expand...

You should give it back if you don't like it. 14 day return. However:

1. exactly how I want my text to look
2. this is not a gaming laptop. BF3 recommended system configuration is a Radeon HD 6950 which is quite a bit stronger than the one that comes in MBPs
3. more stuff on screen = less scrolling, less switching windows and desktops = working more smoothly

4. One reason to go for hi-res is to get the anti glare screen. I can work with the sun shining on my back.

I remember, when I got my 17'' hi res it took me a while to get used to it. Now I wouldn't ever go back to a low res screen.
 
The 15" hi-res, anti-glare is one of Apples finest laptop displays.

If you don't like it that's fine. It's your prerogative. But to make a general statement that the text or images are too small & hard to read only reveals your narrow minded viewpoint.

Apples not stupid. If it were true, they'd never offer it as an option.
 
Zerosopher said:
I am going to buy a macbook pro and i will go for the hi res. I think the text is more sharp. I just compared the screens (Glossy, hi res, and AG) at an Apple Store side by side. I love the hi res. :)
Click to expand...

You're going to enjoy it even more once you're using it in your normal lighting environment. It's rather hard to tell in the Apple Store due to the fluorescent lighting. The anti-glare makes any hi-res display look particularly nice. It eliminates the eye strain that can exist from the reflections produced by the ultra reflective glass.

I've been using hi-res, anti-glare 15" laptop displays for years. It took Apple a long time to finally get current and offer it.

I couldn't be happier. :)
 
vitzr said:
The 15" hi-res, anti-glare is one of Apples finest laptop displays.

If you don't like it that's fine. It's your prerogative. But to make a general statement that the text or images are too small & hard to read only reveals your narrow minded viewpoint.

Apples not stupid. If it were true, they'd never offer it as an option.
Click to expand...

chill out tiger, it is a public forum and i am posting as me so yea it is my prerogative to spell out my opinions. no need to be rude :) just thought perhaps someone, somewhere out there is similar to me, in a position to buy a mbp. And in that case, I know I would've appreciated this thread, weighing the cons.

interesting though that a few people find that they get used to it. maybe i am being unfair by not letting it grow on me. perhaps. but for now, first impressions didn't wow me - I can run BF3 just fine on 1440x900, with 45-60fps..albeit with blurry graphics..on 1680x1050, sharp graphics, but 25-40fps, not as great.
 
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