high end 15" MBPRO owners?

[AMDGAMER]

Anyone go for the higher end MBPRO 15" with the hi res screen and the SSD drive? How do you like it? Is the high res screen a big improvement over the standard 15"?

 

[stefmesman]

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Hi res is worth the money. Get it if you have the money for it.

 

[MH01]

Personally, I have always gone the 17" cause of the resolution. Drop by a reseller or Apple store to see the difference. The SSD is a huge improvement, and Ram is the cheapest upgrade.

 

[hmg]

Worth it, worth it and more worth it

Anyone go for the higher end MBPRO 15" with the hi res screen and the SSD drive? How do you like it? Is the high res screen a big improvement over the standard 15"?

I got the hires anti glare screen on Sunday... 4GB, 1GB AMD, i7 QC 2.3GHz, Hires AG, 750GB/5400RPM + own Vertex v1 250GB.

I installed my own Vertex (v1) drive and it is blindingly fast in this machine.

After some initial trouble with existing installations on the Vertex drive I installed 10.6.x and Windows 7 "from scratch".

The machine is very fast, I didn't expect it to be that fast.

Replaying Far Cry 2 (in Windows 7 64 bit) now, all settings on high or highest and it is now a new game for me. I initially played it on a 2009 15" MacBook Pro and on the new one with 1GB AMB/ATI at native 1680x105 it looks amazing.

Left 4 Dead 2 looks almost real on this resolution and pixel density (128ppi?).
My code in Xcode4 looks better (sharper) too, and I get to see more of it at once.

I was sceptical about the anti glare and the higher resolution but....
The high resolution screen is worth it, the anti-glare is worth it and an SSD is worth it.

 

[polbit]

Honestly, I wouldn't even consider the standard resolution - 1440 by 900 is just too low for a 15"+ screen. I wish there was an option for 1920 by 1200, but 1680 by 1050 is fine. You can fit so much more on the screen, text is more readable at smaller sizes, etc.

Added the C300 SSD myself, and haven't looked back - it's certainly the fastest laptop I've ever owned, love using it.

Polbit

 

[bozz2006]

Resolution difference is all about personal preference. polbit is entitled to his opinion and I won't try to change it. He says that one of the reasons he likes the high-res is because you can fit so much more. That's true. He goes on to say that text is more readable at a smaller size, and I don't doubt that's true for him. But I find the text on the high-res to be way too small for my preference. I don't like the high-res at all because, in my opinion, everything just looks way too small. I know I'm the minority in this opinion. Still, I think for this kind of money you owe it to yourself to find an example of the high-res version and the standard res and have a look for yourself. You might be surprised to find out you're like me and prefer the "lower-quality" standard resolution. "More" isn't always better. Let your eyes decide.

 

[hmg]

Resolution difference is all about personal preference. polbit is entitled to his opinion and I won't try to change it. He says that one of the reasons he likes the high-res is because you can fit so much more. That's true. He goes on to say that text is more readable at a smaller size, and I don't doubt that's true for him. But I find the text on the high-res to be way too small for my preference. I don't like the high-res at all because, in my opinion, everything just looks way too small. I know I'm the minority in this opinion. Still, I think for this kind of money you owe it to yourself to find an example of the high-res version and the standard res and have a look for yourself. You might be surprised to find out you're like me and prefer the "lower-quality" standard resolution. "More" isn't always better. Let your eyes decide.

It's a shame Apple don't offer the lower resolution in an anti glare panel.

The higher resolution is great for games and also for text that can be configured to be larger, for example Xcode4 editor views and Safari.

But it is annoyingly small on non-configurable text like the Xcode4 side panels. Other non-configurable items like window buttons, tool palettes and other "mouse target" items (like tick boxes) can now be a little too small.

Most applications can be set to use larger fonts somehow, it just takes some annoying (re-) configuration, but that only solves part of the problem.

Anyway this is from my own usage over the last 2 days: YMMV. Bring on real resolution independence! (we've been promised this on Mac OS for several years now, since before 10.5 I think) Personally I believe that the higher resolutions should be used for increased sharpness (like iPhone 4) and not so much for showing more at once.

 

[daneoni]

I got the Hi-Res AG screen and Vertex 3 upgrades and couldn't be happier. Whilst it initially took some getting used to, i have now settled in and simply don't see myself returning to the default resolution anytime soon.

 

[polbit]

I certainly understand that hi-res screens are not for everybody. That's why I like options. It's a shame for example that the 13" has only one resolution, and a very low one at that.

Having said that, I'm really excited with Apple's push towards total resolution independence and talk of "Retina" displays for not only the iOS devices but Mac line as well. Other than possible cost, I do not see any cons to say a 3840 x 2400 15" screen with system-wide and seamless size adjustability. Just imagine how nice and sharp everything would look.

Polbit

 

[AMDGAMER]

I think I narrowed it down to:

MBPRO 15" I7 2.2
hi res glossy
SSD drive
4GB RAM

or

MBPRO 17" 2.2
1920x1200 standard LED
SSD
4GB

 

[dagamer34]

Since I have a 27" ACD, I don't look at the LCD screen often enough to care what resolution it is (it's closed most of the time anyway.)

 

[mac jones]

Yes I have a AG 15" 2.3Ghz 8GB 240GB Vertex 3.


I'll say it for the millionth time. You should get an SSD as this is the most important thing. Even a really slow machine will MIRACULOUSLY become fast with even a low end SSD. (that and 4GB ram helps). The Vertex is of course, better than what Apple gives you, but theirs will work

Get this laptop.

 

[fat jez]

The choice was made for me since I wanted the AG screen. The res is well worth it and I can't understand the PC manufacturers who sell 15" laptops as standard with 1366x768 screens. I also wanted to buy in store, which meant I could only go for the 2.3Ghz model. Would I notice the difference? No, but I didn't want to do mail order. I'd love a 256GB or 512GB SSD, but I need to save some pennies.

Compared to my old 15" 2009 2.66Ghz C2D it's light years ahead in terms of speed and the AG screen is stunning and without the irritating reflections I get on the 13" MBP that I was bought by work.