High end 15" replacing my current desktop?

[Dyrvig]

Hi all..

I'm considering buying the top end 15" mbp and selling my current desktop..

2,2GHz MBP with 4GB and 500GB 7200RPM, high res anti glare screen.

I'll use the MBP for

90 % word, excel, surfing, school
10 % gaming (football manager, rulers of nations, mafia 2 etc.)
I'll also use it to stream via DVI-HDMI to my full hd tv..

I'll bring it to the university every day, hope the 15" size won't be annoying

My desktop specs:

DDR3 PC3-1600 4GB CL6 RED LINE
Phenom X6, 1055T 2,8GHz 9MB
Noctua NH-D14
1TB Caviar black sata-6000, 7200rpm, 64mb
Crosshair IV Formula Socket AM3
HD 4650 1 GB Graphic

Will I feel any noticeable difference in performance? Will my new MBP maybe out perform my desktop?



Making my decision tonight, so your opinons are more than welcome

Cheers

 

[toxic]

the MBP has a better processor, but your uses don't exactly require much power. I think it's a waste of money.

 

[billgates99]

I'm not familiar with the games you mentioned, do you need to run those at high res max detail settings, or lower resolution / low-med details is ok?

Do you have an idea how much you can get for your desktop? I would guess that you would still have to come out of pocket quite a bit to cover the cost of the high end MBP.

Do you want to switch because you can't bring your desktop with you?

Why not keep your desktop and buy a thin and light laptop, MBA or something cheaper, for excel, surfing and reports.

 

[Dyrvig]

I'm not familiar with the games you mentioned, do you need to run those at high res max detail settings, or lower resolution / low-med details is ok?

Do you have an idea how much you can get for your desktop? I would guess that you would still have to come out of pocket quite a bit to cover the cost of the high end MBP.

Do you want to switch because you can't bring your desktop with you?

Why not keep your desktop and buy a thin and light laptop, MBA or something cheaper, for excel, surfing and reports.

Thank you for your input.

The case is that I occasionally ( maybe 2 times a year) buys a new pc game and would like to play it with nice quality.

Mafia 2 is an example, enjoyed it and enjoyed the sublime graphics offered by my previous GFX (HD 4870X2 2GB). Sold my previous card and exchanged it with the hd4650..

My parents will be paying my computer, so money isn't the issue, not saying that I want them to pay for more than I need.

MBA is not an option, I refuse to pay so much for an outdated CPU But I love the screen though.

Considered the MBP 13", but I'm not sure I can live with the low res and lack of screen update, which is why I consider the 15".

The idea of selling my desktop and taking the high end 15" is that I can get rid of my desktop in the apartment and at the same time not worrying about a huge performance lost (graphics). Furthermore I'm moving to Seoul for half a year in august, and that half year my desktop will loose value without me using it..

I'll would like to be able to play my games at high quality, but games like football manager etc. is more CPU/RAM based, which all of the new MBP's would handle perfectly..

And the question about portability is not worth asking, tons of threads about it

cheers

 

[billgates99]

I'm not sure the 6750M can deliver decent frame rates for new games at 1680 x 1050, high detail settings. lower resolutions or lower settings shouldn't be a problem depending on the game.

obviously it will be nothing like crosssfire 2 x 2GB 4870 desktop cards

I'd suggest to wait a week or so until you can get hear the reviews from new MBP owners regarding gaming on the 6750M.

otherwise, maybe buy an xbox + low end MBP?

 

[kjos8035]

maybe buy an xbox + low end MBP?

Lol really?

 

[billgates99]

Lol really?

sure, it would be a lot cheaper to go with the dual core i5 13" MBP with intel graphics + some console and it would seem to meet the OP's needs.

 

[s1lv3r]

maybe buy an xbox + low end MBP?

that would be a good idea if he is able to live with the low res of the 13".

I play most games on my consoles: Xbox and PS3 and my main computer is a MBA

 

[aznguyen316]

sure, it would be a lot cheaper to go with the dual core i5 13" MBP with intel graphics + some console and it would seem to meet the OP's needs.

lol I'd have to agree here. Get a low end 15" with whatever BTO and leftover money get a freakin' xbox + some games. EZ

 

[Dyrvig]

made some calculations on the costs of the various options:

15.729 15” high end (hi res anti glare) – pc = 11.229
13.353 15” low end (hi res anti glare) – pc + ps3 = 12.206
10.136 13” high end - pc + ps3 = 8.989
8.451 13” low end - pc + ps3= 7.304

All prices are en DKR, 1DKR=5,3USD

Never really been into the consoles, pc's all my life because of the better graphics and the options a pc offers compared to a console.. And I like having a keyboard and not a controller.

The big thing about the 13" is the fact about the res, all laptops and desktops I've had have always run on highest res, the same with games I've played..
When I do school work I like to have a lot of documents open at the same time, and there is the 15" high res a winner..

Maybe it's just me being picky about the res on the 13"?

additional note..

I'll be spending a half year from late august in South Korea. When I'm over there, I'll be upgrading the MBP with an opticbay + SSD + 4GB RAM because of their low hardware prices.. Don't know whether it's going to change anything regarding my decision?

 

[Commonmind]

I think you'll find yourself pleased with the new MBP (6750). However, any allusions you might have of it being a viable replacement for a gaming PC should be forgotten; it's a powerful machine, but not a desktop replacement for a gaming rig.

If you were a casual gamer, maybe playing a bit of WoW between study sessions, I'd say sure, pick up a MBP instead. If you're like me and you want to eventually be able to play Skyrim at full detail at a blistering 60FPS -- definitely shy away.

 

[ZombieZakk]

pretty much no macbook pro will give the newest games on high settings and thats pretty much true of all laptops except gaming laptops like an asus or alienware.

If pc games are really important desktop is the only way to go whether its mac pro or a windows pc. It doesnt look like you do any mac only applications so your best bet for overall experience is to buy gaming desktop pc or upgrade yours and buy an air.

Because truth of the matter from your needs a windows machine or OSX can handle your work load according to what you put.

But honestly this is the problem you want:
1.High end Gaming
2. Real portability(not 45 min battery life)
3.OSX (native not hackintosh)

You can realistically only have 2 of the 3 in one machine in this scenario.

 

[Dyrvig]

Again thank you for your comments..

After I have read some benchmarks during the day, seen videos etc. the 15" hign end isn't good enough for my needs, or put another way, if I at some point want to do some gaming, the quality isn't good enough..

so the 15 " high end is out of the question, down to three options now, thanks! After considering some more, I think I'm down to 2 options:

- 13" highend
- 15" low (high res anti glare)

Will the 13" have problems delivering full hd to my tv (displayport - HDMI)?

As said before, I really like the design and portability of the MBA, but I can't make me pay so much for and C2D CPU - even though it's enough for my use.

So the high end gaming is out of the question now, so it wont be a factor anymore..

Now it's simply about school work, portability and the screen..

The option I see a ideal is:

But the Low end 15* high res anti glare
Sell my desktop


If I miss the gaming opportunities after some time without desktop I'll go out and buy a console for the gaming purpose.

15" low end (high res anti glare)

Cons:
- Portability when it comes to bringing it to uni every day, will it become annoying after a while?

Pros:
- Nice high quality screen
- Lot of screen real estate (36% more than the standard res)


13 high end"

Cons
- low res screen
- lack of screen real estate

Pros:
- Portability
- Can easily run the apps needed

HELP!

 

[billgates99]

I'd suggest to go with the more portable option. if your choices are between the 15" or the high end 13", go with the high end 13". I think the low end 13" would be the best choice.

Considering the apps you mentioned are not the most demanding, so you don't need the most powerful processor, go for portability (and it's cheaper).

I understand your concern about the resolution. Personally I've grown used to a 15" laptop with 1920x1080 resolution, but 13" is small enough that the 1280x800 resolution won't be too bad. 1440x900 would have been perfect for the 13".

If I understand correctly, the intel graphics on the 13" should still be able to playback 1920x1080 video files on an external monitor or HDTV with no problems whatsoever (forget about 1080p gaming, though). You'll have to buy a thunderbolt/display port to HDMI adapter.

 

[Dyrvig]

I'd suggest to go with the more portable option.

Considering the apps you mentioned are not the most demanding, so you don't need the most powerful processor, go for portability (and it's cheaper).

Personally I've grown used to a 15" laptop with 1920x1080 resolution, but 13" is small enough that the 1280x800 resolution won't be too bad. 1440x900 would have been perfect for the 13".

If I understand correctly, the intel graphics on the 13" should still be able to playback 1920x1080 video files on an external monitor or HDTV with no problems whatsoever (forget about 1080p gaming, though). You'll have to buy a thunderbolt/display port to HDMI adapter.

Haven't considered gaming on the 13" in 1080p (or the 15" for that matter)

The fact that I'm not paying myself, the money isn't the issue, so it's only about what suits my needs best.. And as I said, I'm not sure whether i'm just picky about the screen res on the 13", but I feel pretty sure that I would really enjoy the high res 15", especially the working space when writing big projects etc...

The problem is that there are no shops in Copenhagen where they have the high res models as demos, it's only as orders.. So haven't been able til see a high res version of the 15"..

And for the portabilty, it's bigger (size), but the weight is only 0,5 kgs more, not sure I'll notice the difference when I carry all my books as well..

But seems like everyone is telling me 13", why didn't they make it with the same res as MBA? One reason, to get people like me to buy the 15"

 

[billgates99]

if your budget is not any issue, I highly suggest to go for the high end 15" with high res display.

it will have excellent resale value and it's still more portable than many windows laptops. and you may find that it runs some games well enough.

although it is a bit overkill for the uses you described, maybe in the future you may want to install demanding apps, in which case you will be very glad you got the high end version. It will be something you can continue using comfortably for a few years and in the event you later decide to upgrade to SSD and max RAM, it will be a pretty powerful laptop.

 

[snaky69]

Your needs could be handled by a combo of a netbook and your desktop. The high end 15'' will do you just fine. I'd personally recommend a macbook air, the CPU was chosen for it's low power consumption, not for it's power, it's just as current-gen as the new i7's, and meets your needs perfectly.

 

[Dyrvig]

saying that money is not an issue, after considering I think the 15" high end would be overkill because it's not good enough to run games in the quality I demand.

The difference between the highend and the base is the 200MHz, some more L3 cache (which I don't whether I'll notice or not) and of course the graphics.. However when I don't consider the graphics being good enough for gaming, I see no point in taking the high end 15"

about the MBA, I can live with the extra weight of the 13" MBP, and I will change the hdd to ssd a some point during fall, where there are no advantges anymore in the MBA expect weight and screen. As metioned earlier, I'm fully aware that it will suit my needs, but I think that calling the C2D current-gen i very misleading

The extra screen estate on the 15" high res is really tempting, and I think it's going to be the major factor for me choosing that model..

I have decided to sell my desktop no matter which version of the MBP I buy, as it will loose value the half year I'm in Korea. If I really feel the need for gaming, I can buy a PS3 for the money I get from the desktop..

But snaky69, if you have some heavy arguments for choosing the MBA now when the new MBP's have just been released and a new MBA (probably) is coming in fall, I would like the hear them

 

[Dyrvig]

I'll just up it one time as I'm ordering tonight.

Cheers

 

[michael.lauden]

the MBP has a better processor, but your uses don't exactly require much power. I think it's a waste of money.

I agree. Not sure what all these people are doing with their quad cores - but I know I would be using the poop out of it. My MacBook is a freaking work horse - and will be until it dies and I buy the new 32core MBP with 32 trillion gigs of RAM. Not really. By the time it dies - we'll all be running in the cloud.

But yeah. Honestly - get a 2010 15" - nice screen, nice speed, use it for a while, upgrade to an SSD - and you'll be golden.

I use my MacBook as my desktop machine - and plug up my Logitech MX Revolution, Apple keyboard, speakers and hard drive and run in clamshell mode w/a nice monitor. Takes 2 seconds to plug in - so no worries about the 'low res screen'.

 

[Whitelightning]

Since your selling your desktop no matter what... having a MBP 15'' high end would be good for those times when you want to play PC games on the go. Mafia 2 runs on High settings, could be nice to get the high end and not get the gaming console.

 

[michael.lauden]

Since your selling your desktop no matter what... having a MBP 15'' high end would be good for those times when you want to play PC games on the go. Mafia 2 runs on High settings, could be nice to get the high end and not get the gaming console.

I know the first thing I do 'on the go' is run a processor intensive game on battery! The MBP then also doubles as a heating blanket - and when I bring it to my local coffee shop - I sit in the corner so no one knows I'm gaming in public!

 

[powerbook911]

I've considered doing this myself. Getting the 17-inch to replace my iMac and connect an external display.

However...my concern...I need the large drive. Therefore, would a 750GB 5400 RPM drive make the machine feel slower than even a C2D machine with 7200 RPM drive?

 

[Dyrvig]

I agree. Not sure what all these people are doing with their quad cores - but I know I would be using the poop out of it. My MacBook is a freaking work horse - and will be until it dies and I buy the new 32core MBP with 32 trillion gigs of RAM. Not really. By the time it dies - we'll all be running in the cloud.

But yeah. Honestly - get a 2010 15" - nice screen, nice speed, use it for a while, upgrade to an SSD - and you'll be golden.

I use my MacBook as my desktop machine - and plug up my Logitech MX Revolution, Apple keyboard, speakers and hard drive and run in clamshell mode w/a nice monitor. Takes 2 seconds to plug in - so no worries about the 'low res screen'.

I get the 15 % student discount, so no reason to take the 2010 model..
My parents are paying for it as well, so I'll just take the one that suits my needs best

I need no reason in taking the high end 15 " anymore.. It can play games decently, but not in the quality I demand, so would be a waste of money.
And playing "on the go", don't think it's going to happen, I don't love gaming that much

Regarding 13" and connecting it to a external monitor, could be an idea.. Would have some extra screen space when working at home, only concern is the placing of the screen.. no obvious space in my living room, so I'll be stuck at my current position as with my desktop (the entry), which annoys me

15" base with an SSD and ram upgrade later would be an awesome computer
But carrying it to school every day, my major concern. Think I'll just have to make up my mind and place the order. Probably going to be happy with whatever I choose

 

[snaky69]

I get the 15 % student discount, so no reason to take the 2010 model..
My parents are paying for it as well, so I'll just take the one that suits my needs best

I need no reason in taking the high end 15 " anymore.. It can play games decently, but not in the quality I demand, so would be a waste of money.
And playing "on the go", don't think it's going to happen, I don't love gaming that much

Regarding 13" and connecting it to a external monitor, could be an idea.. Would have some extra screen space when working at home, only concern is the placing of the screen.. no obvious space in my living room, so I'll be stuck at my current position as with my desktop (the entry), which annoys me

15" base with an SSD and ram upgrade later would be an awesome computer
But carrying it to school every day, my major concern. Think I'll just have to make up my mind and place the order. Probably going to be happy with whatever I choose

The 15'' MBP is probably the thinnest and lightest 15'' out there, if you have trouble carrying it around in a school day, you should think about hitting the gym