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I can't decide between a 13" and a 15" Macbook Pro! Please Help.

I've been wanting to buy a macbook pro for over a year now ever since the unibody came out, so I've done my fair bit of comparison throughout that time. I recently was in the market and decided to buy the 15" the day the new i5 came out. I bought it mainly because of two things, the screen and speakers. These speakers are easily loud enough(and good sound quality), even if they were in a room of 15-20 people.
Plus, with a mac, you can't help but having multiple apps up and running and having them spread out looking nice...i found having a 15" allows TREMENDOUS room compared to the 13" in terms of app windows.
the new i5 is superb...I think the new baseline one is 2x faster than the previous upgraded 15".
If you have the funds, I highly recommend the 15". It's portable unless you can't carry a few pounds
 
sdmfrocker14 said:
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?
Click to expand...

If you plan on carrying the MBP around campus everyday then DEFINITELY get the 13". I've got both and the 13" is awesome for its portability and battery life. If I had to have just one it would be the 13". I never would have guessed that until after I purchased it.

cheers
JohnG
 
I went for the 13" and this is why I prefer it over the 15"

•As far as I can tell the speaker quality is just as good as the 15".

•Its pretty light, and its really portable! I take it on the train and it seems to weigh almost nothing...

•It costs a LOT less than the 15", for similar specs.

•I thought screen size would be a problem, but it isn't. The 13" screen is great!

•The battery life lasts JUST as long as the 15".

•It seems to be able to handle eveything a 15" could (so far).
 
mrsir2009 said:
I went for the 13" and this is why I prefer it over the 15"

•As far as I can tell the speaker quality is just as good as the 15".

•Its pretty light, and its really portable! I take it on the train and it seems to weigh almost nothing...

•It costs a LOT less than the 15", for similar specs.

•I thought screen size would be a problem, but it isn't. The 13" screen is great!

•The battery life lasts JUST as long as the 15".

•It seems to be able to handle eveything a 15" could (so far).
Click to expand...

it's supposed to last longer...
 
Meever said:
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.
Click to expand...

Ummmmmm, guys? I think he was being facetious........:eek:
 
RedRaven571 said:
Ummmmmm, guys? I think he was being facetious........:eek:
Click to expand...

X2....me
led

On another note I purchased a MBP13 inch a couple weeks ago.
I too anguished over the choice between 13 and 15, but my bottom line was the 600 dollar price difference.....because I wanted to get the *soon* to be released MacPro.....<grins>....for my desk top and I knew for something more intensive I would eventually have a desktop for it.

Anyway, I also liked the more portable size of the 13 over the 15 for what I wanted, travel and wifi around the house, coffee shops etc.
I upgraded the hard drive from base 250GB to the next one up 320GB for $50. Base other than that. I could see the extra for the slightly more speed in CPU.
I was so busy working over for the 3 evenings after it arrived at the door that it laid un-opened for the 3 days in my room....and that was torture, <lol>.
But I LOVE IT so far.
Apple technical support is far superior to anything I have ever had, WOW!
BTW, this is my first Apple computer and I am loving the learning curve, with the changeover from windows.

I would carefully consider if this is going to be your only computer for a while and really think about getting the 15 if it is. But having said that I think you could get by and love the new 13 inch MBP like I do. The screen size is really great for travel and plenty good for around the house etc.

I love my new MBP13.....
led



1st post from my new MBP 13 inch....
...led
 
It's up to you but the 15" i5 is what I have and do music (occasionally) and the extra power from the 15" and screen real estate will make a difference. Although many people will use a separate mixer it's still a great addition that the 15" has a separate line in and headphone jack for recording. The 13" has a combined line in and headphone jack which makes it impossible to monitor your recordings.
 
The 13" has a better processor for the price
Click to expand...

i did ROTFL and LMAO at that one :D

i wanted the 13" myself but besuase of the lack of "pro" features on the MBP13 like high res, antiglare, core i processor i decided it iw as too expensive for what you get.

The MBP15 costs even more especially with the HR AG screen, but it is much more value for money in my opinion. A comparable 13" C2D shared RAM videocard windows laptop costs about 300-400 whereas a 15" HR AG i5-520M nv 330m windows laptop isn't *that* much cheaper then the MBP15.

S.
 
If you don't plan on working on an external monitor most of the time then you will definitely prefer the 15 vs 13" macbook pro. If the ~$600 is a big deal to you then shop around for a 15" refurb with the exact specs you want from Apple (http://www.refurb.me/) for 20% discounts.

Now, if you do or will soon have an external monitor and will not be gaming (no need for additional graphics card) then get the 13" for the added portability. I know many professional academics that work solely on their 13" hours on end. I feel for them in the end, partially because I plug my 15" into the Apple 24" LED display (pardon my bragging).

Good luck deciding. Hope I could help.
 
I have just got a new MBP 13" yesterday, after MUCH thinking and research.

To cut a long story short (and waste of some money), I once bought a 15" MBP. After a week I couldn't used to it, the small text and widescreen (odd I know). So I sent it back and got the 24" iMac.

Have had the iMac for 9 months ish, liked it a lot, but didn't 'love' it. Thought I'd play more games on it, didn't really, didn't even watch many films.

So, decided to sell the iMac and go for a laptop because I really really wanted to be able to simple watch TV in the living room and go online. Didn't want an iPad though because I want to also do my web design, music production and bit of gaming.

Opinion? LOVE the 13" MBP. Love it. Lots. Perfect screen size and my GF thinks the same. I almost want to call it 'cute', lol. Very fast, very portable and everything is great.


13" MBP all the way (if you think you will move it around a lot and want to save a few hundred pounds)
 
I went through just the same thing before buying the 13".

I spent a lot of time in the apple store and online, but the 15" is seriously bigger and heavier, not to mention a lot dearer, and I would just never notice the extra flops. I do use CS4 etc, but the few seconds an i5 would save me just aren't worth the extra.

The 13 is fabulous. It's like a piece of jewellery. I can sit watching TV with it on my lap, and it's not too big, not too heavy, great screen, great battery life, portable etc.

I worried about the C2D/i5 thing - but I know I made the right choice.
 
well besides the c2d the 13 also just has that horrible mirror of a screen. i hate the fact that the 15 is bigger and heavier but the lack of AG on the 13 "pro" disqualifies it immediately. even the white MB has less glare.
 
stefan1975 said:
well besides the c2d the 13 also just has that horrible mirror of a screen. i hate the fact that the 15 is bigger and heavier but the lack of AG on the 13 "pro" disqualifies it immediately. even the white MB has less glare.
Click to expand...

Err...some (a lot of) people prefer the glass screen. Why do you think Apple stuck with it and plasters it on it's main products? Because they aren't stupid and people like it.

1. Quality is better in my opinion
2. It just looks overall better and attractive
 
MacBook Pro 15" Dude...

Dude, get the 15"...STOP Playing with 13" kids toys... 15" is just perfect, dedicated video memory, better Intel i5/i7...
If you want a 13" you will be better with an :apple:iPad.
:cool:
__________________
:apple:2010 MacBook Pro 15",i7 2.66GHz,Nvidia GeForce-GT 330M/512MB,8 GB DDR 3 Memory-Crucial,128 GB SSD-G.SKILL.
:apple:iPhone 4 32 GB
:apple:iPhone 4 16 GB
 
erasr said:
Err...some (a lot of) people prefer the glass screen. Why do you think Apple stuck with it and plasters it on it's main products? Because they aren't stupid and people like it.

1. Quality is better in my opinion
2. It just looks overall better and attractive
Click to expand...

well of course some people prefer the glass, it's just lame that a "pro" machine like the MBP13 doesn't come with a matte option.

Anyone using the MBP professionally would prefer a HR AG option i am sure, the colors imho are just as good (if not better, not as overly saturated as the glass and more real), it is easier on the batteries.

Even though i would use mine indoors only, i personally cannot stand the glare and reflection. Even with just the indoor lights burning I can see a kazillion reflections in the screen.

The Glossy does look better when both are turned off, i agree to that. It has more of a "bling" factor and i guess lots of people choose it for those looks alone.
 
Get the 13-inch.

$600 is just WAY too much extra for the 15-inch i5.

The battery life and portability make the MBP 13-inch one little machine to be taken seriously in this laptop jungle.
 
Personally, I love the 15". Perfectly sized, great real estate and largely because I wanted a discrete graphics card in addition to the integrated one.

Up to you...
 
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