How are you ex-17" MBP Owners who bought a 15" rMBP doing?

[Quu]

As the title suggests I'm curious how those of you who owned 17" MacBook Pros but decided to upgrade to a Retina 15" model are finding the switch?

I've had two 17" MacBook Pro's including my current machine but I am almost completely sold on my decision to buy a 15" Retina MacBook Pro when they are next updated.

The thing is of course I have concerns about whether I'll really be won over by the smaller notebook and I'm honestly just wondering how the rest of you have found it.

So grab a cuppa and tell me your stories

 

[zackkmac]

I am doing this for a second time.

I first had a 17" early 2011 with 16GB RAM. Fell in love with the first rMBP I had but unfortunately the 256GB was not enough space...and it did have a Samsung panel. It was the 2.3/16/256 config. Returned it and bought a 2.7/16/512 on sale and the storage was great but the LG panel was not. I found a great deal on a 17" late 2011, sold the rMBP and pocketed like $1200. My 17" currently has a 2.5GHz i7, 16GB RAM (at 1600Mhz like the rMBP) and a 512GB SSD. I love it, but it is just too darn heavy after being spoiled by the rMBP.

So now I have a 2.7/16/768 on the way and I will probably not be going back as long as I can get a Samsung screen.

I will, however, miss the antiglare 17" display. The rMBP is by far my favorite Apple notebook ever, and I can't wait until the Haswell models release as I will definitely be ordering one. You will love the switch no matter when you buy!

 

[Quu]

Thank you for your reply Zack that was good to read.

I think I too will go for a maxed out one. The extra storage on the SSD is my main motivator for that.

 

[nib95]

I'm really enjoying the Retina, but at the same time it just makes me further disappointed and even annoyed at Apple. First off, the 17" screen is still in some ways better. Often high res images still appear sharper on the 17", and add to that, the out of the box default black accuracy is better on the 17" too, as is overall brightness.

The speakers, whilst not as detailed or airy as the newer laptop, do have more bass and more volume. I will say that irrespective of Retina, I actually still prefer the size of the 17" to the resolution of the Retina. You honestly don't really need the added resolution, not at this sort of size screen anyway.

My ideal laptop would just be a 17" MBP as thin as the retina. I don't even need the screen to be retina, just want it to be thinner and lighter, and with more battery life.

 

[Dominus Mortem]

I sold a C2Duo 17", 4gb, 500gb laptop for a 15" retina. I haven't even thought of the 17" machine until seeing this post. The new machine is much faster, much sharper, much lighter, has USB 3.0, etc. I don't really miss the extra space. At first I thought I would. If Apple made a 17" retina I'd probably have bought it and maybe someday they will again.

 

[vpro]

With the right configs!

You can love anything as long as you configure it exactly to your needs and to future proof it. That is my motto at least, only the best for my music production and studio. You'll make the right decision it reads that way, you got your mind in all the right lines of thinking my friend - all the best to you, enjoy everything !!!

^_^

 

[iforsakenu]

Something to ponder

I didn't own a 17" personally, however if you think about the PPI and pixel density on the 15" rMBP, you are gaining "virtual real estate" opposed to physical. On a side note, my rMBP contains both the Samsung screen & SSD so for that I am extremely happy. I wish I could have afforded the 768GB, however I opted for the 2TB Time Capsule and set it up as a file/media server, externally an FTP for when I'm away from the home network.The chunk of HDD space we generally use is media, games, entertainment, and software. I only install what i use daily and run everything straight from the TC (even software) I virtualize via VM Ware Fusion 5 for extra OS's if needed at any given time. Either way if your needs our met at the end of the day thats all that truly matters. Good Luck

 

[teleromeo]

I'm just sticking with my 2009 MBP until apple releases a seriously updated Mac Pro. I'll keep the MBP for those occasions that I need portability.

 

[captgecos]

Switch from 17" to 15" rMBP

As the title suggests I'm curious how those of you who owned 17" MacBook Pros but decided to upgrade to a Retina 15" model are finding the switch?

I switched from a 2011 17" to a 15" rMBP. I was very happy with the performance and screen size of the 17". That being said, the rMBP had better performance and the reduce screen size/retina display offset the 17" screen. The rMBP also weighed in at 2.14 lbs lighter. The only issue would be the storage. I got used to having all the storage space of the main HD and the second HD in the optibay on the 17". I now use an external HD but it took some time to get used to the change. So overall, I have no regrets (other than the high cost of the rMBP).

----------

You can love anything as long as you configure it exactly to your needs and to future proof it.^_^

I've learned this lesson the hard way. In the past I would compromise on specs/features and would later regret it and then upgrade anyway. More recently, with my rMBP I did a build to order with the configuration that I wanted and I am very happy with the result

 

[insovietrussia]

I'm doing fine, thanks!

It all boils down to that I won't go back to a 17" MBP because the fan noise was way too noisy and simply unpleasant to my ear! Oh what golden times am I living in - watching youtube 1080p content without whirring fans. Boy that damn 17" overheating issue drove me nuts as well. Not enough that it got freaking hot as aforementioned - I also found the screen to be a bit dim and washed out.

High revving fans equal high blood pressure (at least as far as I am concerned)

 

[zackkmac]

I'm doing fine, thanks!

It all boils down to that I won't go back to a 17" MBP because the fan noise was way too noisy and simply unpleasant to my ear! Oh what golden times am I living in - watching youtube 1080p content without whirring fans. Boy that damn 17" overheating issue drove me nuts as well. Not enough that it got freaking hot as aforementioned - I also found the screen to be a bit dim and washed out.

High RPM fan equals high blood pressure (at least as far as I am concerned)

This is true. A lot of things I wanna do on this laptop cause it to overheat. If I play any game it goes nuts. I miss the silence of the rMBP, and my new one arrives in 2 days.

 

[dogster]

well

Sold my macbook pro 17 and bought the top of the line 15 with 16 gig and 760 gig drive It has the LG screen but mine is perfect . This machine is incredible . I got a great price too . I would never go back ever !!

Doug

 

[insovietrussia]

This is true. A lot of things I wanna do on this laptop cause it to overheat. If I play any game it goes nuts. I miss the silence of the rMBP, and my new one arrives in 2 days.

Mine was stuffed with all the BTO options you could get back in 2009 (2.93, 256 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM). This machine cost me a fortune.
I learned it the hard way that in terms of depreciation you'd better go for the base version. That's what I did this time. Couldn't be happier until now.
The only thing that pisses me off is the LG screen which shows ever so slightly a bit of image retention. I'm not decided yet whether I'll have it replaced because with cranked up brightness this thing really burns your retina (all AAPL products I owned before were rather dim) and the illumination is really very homogenous (which is rather seldom) and luckily I don't see any purple haze or yellow tint!

PS: GF's white 2009 polycarbonate MB (known as the bezel monster) wouldn't emit neither noises nor heat. Shame on you AAPL but in terms of thermic emissions / fan design the 17" has always been a huge fail!

Verdict: don't fall for the 17" anymore! It's time is up! There are better alternatives out there right now!

 

[Quu]

Thank you for all the replies this was really helpful to me