I'm about to buy a macbook pro but the problem is which one. I'm going to be using it for audio production, music and movies, some gaming and the usually everyday use plus some school work. The 13" has a better processor for the price, a longer battery life, more portability and will allow me to buy more things for the audio production. The 15" is obvioulsy just larger and more convient when it comes to viewablility and such. It has a larger screen resolution and a better graphics card (again all for the price) which is great for movies and gaming but it doesnt have as good of a processor and it costs alot more meaning less audio gear I can afford afterwards. Tell me, what is the better choice in the end?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I can't decide between a 13" and a 15" Macbook Pro! Please Help.
- Thread starter sdmfrocker14
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I don't know what your smokin but the i5 is a better processor than the C2D.
Clock speed isnt everything
Clock speed isnt everything
Welcome to the club!
I'm in the same boat and been struggling over this decision for weeks. I thought I finally had it decided yesterday (although parts of it still bothered me)...was going to get 13" (portability is important). Then yesterday I found out the speakers are underneath the laptop. This threw a wrench in my plan and now I'm confused again.
I'm in the same boat and been struggling over this decision for weeks. I thought I finally had it decided yesterday (although parts of it still bothered me)...was going to get 13" (portability is important). Then yesterday I found out the speakers are underneath the laptop. This threw a wrench in my plan and now I'm confused again.
So what your saying is I should still go for the 15? Is the benefit of the more expensive 15 going to out way what the less expensive 13 has to offer?
if the only thing that stopped u from getting the 13 is the speakers, then you should go for it.. the mbp 13 speakers loud, i didnt even know where the speakers were until i read ur post, but when i was using my friend's 13, i was telling my self, "holy crap this is pretty loud, but where the hell are the speakers, it cant possibly be on the bottom.."
get the 13 and save ur money for all u other stuff. 600$ is a LOT of money...
i still kinda regret going for the 15 inch, cuz the 13 is so damn portable and a lot cheaper... but i did it for the peace of mind of having an i5
Well it wasn't the only thing. I went back and forth and finally settled (but either way I went would be a little unsettled about making a wrong choice). I love the 13" portability and size. I would prefer the i5 processor and anti-glare screen though. But I didn't know if it would be a hassle to lug around (vs the smaller 13").
On the speaker thing, I think it would be fine if it's on your lap...but what if it is totally sitting on a table or bed...doesn't that mean the sound will be muffled? I'm speculating on this but that is what it seems like would happen. Anyone want to share their 13" sound/speaker experience or opinions?
If I only had a magic wand and could combine the specs from each that were appealing...
No, the sound is not muffled since the sound comes through the keyboard area and not from below the laptop
it's really not as bad as you think, plenty loud
why not play a song on the 13" in the apple store to try it out for yourself
I'm going to. The times I've been to the Apple store to "research" this decision, I looked at other things (size, screen, etc). It never occurred to me to check out the speakers! So that will be my next "to do"!
Do you really love your 13"? Is it plenty fast? Does the glossy screen bother you?
I got the 15 for the i5 and 330M. Its probably the perfect size imo, since its right in between, its not too small not too big, and has decent portability. I play a couple games when I have the time on bootcamp also. Its near just as big as my physics/chemistry textbooks so I'm okay with it 
I've seen some 17" (way too big for a laptop) and owned another 15" laptop portability wasnt too bad. Overall I'm happy with the screen size 13" could seem a bit too small when you finally own the thing and look at it. Also if you plan on adding a secondary monitor the max resolution would youd get would be 1280x800 (that bothered me since my external monitor supports up to 1440x900)
I've seen some 17" (way too big for a laptop) and owned another 15" laptop portability wasnt too bad. Overall I'm happy with the screen size 13" could seem a bit too small when you finally own the thing and look at it. Also if you plan on adding a secondary monitor the max resolution would youd get would be 1280x800 (that bothered me since my external monitor supports up to 1440x900)
I really do love my 13" great size, weight and better battery life
If you'll be using it outdoors then I wouldn't recommend the glossy screen but I won't be so it's not a problem for me.
And it's not slow, I don't run intensive apps but CS5/Final Cut and Aperture run smoothly to say the least and that's all that I ask for from my apple.
For me, the extra few hundred $ didn't justify a faster proc/video card (won't be gaming that much, though left4dead2 and MWF2 run quite smoothly on the 320M, was quite impressed)
I got the 15 for the i5 and 330M. Its probably the perfect size imo, since its right in between, its not too small not too big, and has decent portability. I play a couple games when I have the time on bootcamp also. Its near just as big as my physics/chemistry textbooks so I'm okay with it
I've seen some 17" (way too big for a laptop) and owned another 15" laptop portability wasnt too bad. Overall I'm happy with the screen size 13" could seem a bit too small when you finally own the thing and look at it. Also if you plan on adding a secondary monitor the max resolution would youd get would be 1280x800 (that bothered me since my external monitor supports up to 1440x900)
Umm.. you can hook up any monitor to the macbooks and the monitors would display in their native resolution no matter what the resolution is.
CS5/Final Cut (this is what Phoroshop is in right?) is the most intensive thing that I plan to do on my MBP (I am interested in getting more into photography in the future as a hobby and would use Photoshop). Besides that, I plan on doing ordinary stuff with it (but do want to be able to have multiple applications or web windows going at the same time and it be able to handle it.
I might use it outside every once in awhile. The screen (the AG option) is one of the main things that is causing my indecisiveness between the 13 and 15.
Thanks to everyone for your opinions and advice...and keep them coming! It's very beneficial!
Totally. Plastic is just as durable and scratch resistant as aluminum. Not having edge to edge glass protects the screen just as well. Backlit keyboard is totally useless. Firewire is not even faster than USB 2.0. Having less ram and hard drive space doesn't mean squat. Quality of the screen (contrast and color mostly) doesn't really mean anything, it's all just a sales pitch.... oh wait.
You don't need the extra processing power or stronger gpu so i would just get the 13" and a nice external display. If you are doing serious or semi-serious audio stuff odds are no built in laptop speaker will do it for you. Get a nice pair of open ear cans and odds are it'll end up outlasting the laptop.
The macbook pro screen is superior to the standard macbook. If you are set on the 13", consider a refurb pro before a standard.
The i5 and i7 are significantly faster, especially in transcoding.
The discrete GPU is faster and comes into play with programs that defer processing to it (more than you might imagine, which is a substantial advantage that the new macbooks have over the previous generation). Better for gaming as well.
The extra real estate on the 15" screen is handy for viewing extra tracks.
The 17" model has the express card slot, which evidently is useful for serious audio techs.
The best choice is the one which feels most comfortable and is in your budget.
The i5 and i7 are significantly faster, especially in transcoding.
The discrete GPU is faster and comes into play with programs that defer processing to it (more than you might imagine, which is a substantial advantage that the new macbooks have over the previous generation). Better for gaming as well.
The extra real estate on the 15" screen is handy for viewing extra tracks.
The 17" model has the express card slot, which evidently is useful for serious audio techs.
The best choice is the one which feels most comfortable and is in your budget.
Totally. Plastic is just as durable and scratch resistant as aluminum. The feel is completely different, if you're getting a plastic mb, mind as well get a pc -_-.Not having edge to edge glass protects the screen just as well. Backlit keyboard is totally useless.Looks pretty useful for a bunch of people. Having the backlit keyboard while the room is dark is always a + especially if you can control the brightness. Firewire is not even faster than USB 2.0.They've already said it
You don't need the extra processing power or stronger gpu so i would just get the 13" and a nice external display. If you are doing serious or semi-serious audio stuff odds are no built in laptop speaker will do it for you. Get a nice pair of open ear cans and odds are it'll end up outlasting the laptop.
Just my 2 cents :]
I would recommend the 13" and use the extra money (as compared to the 15) to upgrade the ram and HDD for more performance. I have a 15 and a 13 and while I use the 15 for work, the 13 is quite a bit more portable. I got my 15 before the i5 but am very happy with the C2D.
C2D will be a dinosaur in another year. Go 15 for i5 to future proof yourself. Don't be silly with out dated processor. Ya want to pay very good money for dinosaur technology ? You decide......
