Just bought the 13" i5...

[prism]

I had a 2010 i5 15" HRAG with which I was very happy but decided to sell it for a very good price. I was thinking of replacing it with the 2011 high end 15" but could not justify the steep price (especially here in Europe) and did not want to go for the low end with its "crippled" GPU.
So I decided to try out the entry level 13", I was very skeptical considering the "low res" glossy screen and the weak GPU but I still wanted to see for myself. I pulled the trigger a couple of days ago and all I can say is WOW!!!
This thing actually feels faster than my 2010 2.4 GHZ i5 in every day tasks, the glossy screen bothers me less than I thought it would and I can adjust the size of the text in the browser to make it smaller like it was on my hires 15".
After the initial experience I was still not sure I wanted to keep it considering the numerous reviews I had read criticizing the weak GPU and even mentioning that it was not at par with the puny 320m it replaced. I'm not much of a gamer but a good GPU is important because it contributes to "future proofness" as the OS and day to day programs are increasingly using it. So I decided to try out one last decisive test by firing up HL2 on steam for Mac. OMG, the fps turned out to be better than on the 330m that my previous 15" was equipped with. Sure, you need to factor in the larger HR screen but still!
So there you go, I'm really impressed with what they have achieved with this laptop, its a keeper. I also forgot to mention that the keyboard has a new softer touch to it, love it!!!

 

[1BadMac]

This thing actually feels faster than my 2010 2.4 GHZ i5 in every day tasks,

That's because it IS faster than your 2010 2.4 i5. In fact, in some benchmark tests, the low end 2011 i5 is faster than all but the highest 2010 i7's (2.8 ghz is roughly equal or better in some tests.)

http://osxdaily.com/2011/02/25/macbook-pro-2011-benchmarks-are-fast/

With all the commentary about the weak GPU, a lot of focus was shifted away from the fact that this was a significant performance upgrade.

 

[Demosthenes X]

So, because you were disappointed with the GPU in the 15", you decided to buy a 13" with an even worse GPU?

Either way, you got a great computer, though.

 

[ECUpirate44]

This thing actually feels faster than my 2010 2.4 GHZ i5 in every day tasks.

What are your everyday tasks? If all it is is FB, safari, email, and youtube, having the faster processor doesn't make a difference. You will notice a speed boost when your doing things such as encoding video, rendering images, exporting movies ect...

 

[Naimfan]

So, because you were disappointed with the GPU in the 15", you decided to buy a 13" with an even worse GPU?

That is not what he wrote. He said he did not buy a new SB 15" base model because of the limited graphics card.

 

[prism]

What are your everyday tasks? If all it is is FB, safari, email, and youtube, having the faster processor doesn't make a difference. You will notice a speed boost when your doing things such as encoding video, rendering images, exporting movies ect...

Actually simple things like launching apps, browsing the web and editing on iphoto really feel snappier so its more than just a multithread advantage. If i'm not mistaken, the turbo boost feature has been improved.

 

[Al Coholic]

Actually simple things like launching apps, browsing the web and editing on iphoto really feel snappier so its more than just a multithread advantage. If i'm not mistaken, the turbo boost feature has been improved.

What till your fans kick in as the thing starts to glow red.

Get the weenies ready.

I've used one. The heat issues are keeping me from buying until Ivy Bridge.

 

[prism]

What till your fans kick in as the thing starts to glow red.

Get the weenies ready.

I've used one. The heat issues are keeping me from buying until Ivy Bridge.

You gotta be kidding, I spent an hour on HL2 and the fans and temps were no different from my former MBP.

 

[josh2007]

I returned my 2011 2.2 quad and got the 13" 2.7 i7. So far it appears the temps are running same as the 15". The only heavy program I use is Logic. With moderate amount of hungry plugs and softsynths I am using maybe 5-7% of my CPU. The temps are running mid 40's celsius during audio sessions.

My 2008 2.53 15" seemed to run a lot hotter.

I can carry this thing around the house like an iPod. Not so on the 15".

 

[MrRoyksopp]

I've also got the 13" core i5 model, and this is a laptop that definatly got the three P's

Powerful
Portable
Perfect

 

[Demosthenes X]

That is not what he wrote. He said he did not buy a new SB 15" base model because of the limited graphics card.

That's what I said... although I note now I should have been clearer and said "because you were disappointed with the GPU in the base 15"..."

Point is, even the base 15" has a better GPU than the 13". So buying the 13" because one is disappointed with the graphics performance of the 15" is unintuitive logic.

 

[prism]

That's what I said... although I note now I should have been clearer and said "because you were disappointed with the GPU in the base 15"..."

Point is, even the base 15" has a better GPU than the 13". So buying the 13" because one is disappointed with the graphics performance of the 15" is unintuitive logic.

True, but I also mentioned that the 15" is too expensive over here and the difference between the low end and high end GPU on the 15" is day and night, unlike last year where it was just a difference in memory. If the GPU was identical but the low end had less memory, I might have very well gone for the low end 15". Apple decided to be more greedy this year and so I settled with the 13" and I am perfectly happy with my decision. So it is intuitive logic after all if you ask me!

 

[phaedarus]

Half-Life 2 is almost a decade old and was also coded to run well on low end specifications when it was initially released. Try something else.

 

[Demosthenes X]

True, but I also mentioned that the 15" is too expensive over here and the difference between the low end and high end GPU on the 15" is day and night, unlike last year where it was just a difference in memory. If the GPU was identical but the low end had less memory, I might have very well gone for the low end 15". Apple decided to be more greedy this year and so I settled with the 13" and I am perfectly happy with my decision. So it is intuitive logic after all if you ask me!

Fair enough. I love the 13" MBP, and I agree that the base-model 15" is a bit of an oddball in this revision. I'd love a high-end 15", but I can't justify the $2500 price tag. Wish I could, though.

 

[Mik3F]

What till your fans kick in as the thing starts to glow red.

Get the weenies ready.

I've used one. The heat issues are keeping me from buying until Ivy Bridge.

Haven't used mine then, no issues with heat or fans at all

 

[prism]

Half-Life 2 is almost a decade old and was also coded to run well on low end specifications when it was initially released. Try something else.

Good enough for me, note that I observed better performance on my new 13" versus my former 15" which was equipped with a better GPU.

 

[prism]

Fair enough. I love the 13" MBP, and I agree that the base-model 15" is a bit of an oddball in this revision. I'd love a high-end 15", but I can't justify the $2500 price tag. Wish I could, though.

My thoughts exactly ;-)

 

[M Powered]

Got mine about 3 days ago. Thinking of exchanging it for the i7 version. Processing 1500 RAW> Jpg files in Lightroom my MBP is 10 minutes slower than compared to my Desktop. Hopefully with the i7 it will make things even

Its pretty sad that apple make such a drastic upgrade to their MBP... Had I been the one who bought one last year I would be PISSED. Another reason why I stick with the 13" model as opposed to the 15/17" model.

 

[propower]

Got mine about 3 days ago. Thinking of exchanging it for the i7 version. Processing 1500 RAW> Jpg files in Lightroom my MBP is 10 minutes slower than compared to my Desktop. Hopefully with the i7 it will make things even

Its pretty sad that apple make such a drastic upgrade to their MBP... Had I been the one who bought one last year I would be PISSED. Another reason why I stick with the 13" model as opposed to the 15/17" model.

If you mean you are going to trade the 13" i5 for 13" i7..... I predict the i7 13" will be 1 minute faster........

 

[M Powered]

If you mean you are going to trade the 13" i5 for 13" i7..... I predict the i7 13" will be 1 minute faster........

Really? The difference is that marginal? Better off going with the 15" for drastic performance ayy?

 

[1BadMac]

Really? The difference is that marginal? Better off going with the 15" for drastic performance ayy?

The 13" i5 is roughly 2x faster in various benchmarks (Windows gaming excluded) from the 2010 13".

The 13" i7 is roughly 8 - 13% faster than the i5 in various benchmarks. A non-scientific way to look at this would be to think in terms of a task that takes 30 minutes, such as ripping a DVD or other encoding. If it finishes in 30 mins on the i5, it could finish 3-4 minutes quicker on the i7.

Applying the same non-scientific estimate, the base 15" should finish about 10 - 15 mins sooner. Again, this is an estimate for something that is purely CPU bound. GPU centric tasks are different.

 

[josh2007]

Its pretty sad that apple make such a drastic upgrade to their MBP... Had I been the one who bought one last year I would be PISSED. Another reason why I stick with the 13" model as opposed to the 15/17" model.

Good call. The pain is about 1/2 when you've got 1500 invested rather than 3000 at revision time.

 

[prism]

Its pretty sad that apple make such a drastic upgrade to their MBP... Had I been the one who bought one last year I would be PISSED. Another reason why I stick with the 13" model as opposed to the 15/17" model.

Actually its intel that should be blamed for this huge jump in performance. I blame apple for putting a lame GPU on the low end 15" when they could have added the same GPU as the high end with less memory like they did last year.

 

[M Powered]

Actually its intel that should be blamed for this huge jump in performance. I blame apple for putting a lame GPU on the low end 15" when they could have added the same GPU as the high end with less memory like they did last year.

No I blame Apple, Intel didn't decide what to put in the older MBP, apple did.

Apple aren't known for putting cutting edge power inside their MBP's.

 

[prism]

No I blame Apple, Intel didn't decide what to put in the older MBP, apple did.

Apple aren't known for putting cutting edge power inside their MBP's.

If you are referring to the 15"+ of last year, Apple had the latest arrandale technology. With the 13", you could argue that it was Intel that forced apple's hand in keeping older CPU's in order to offer a way more decent GPU than what intel had.