I am currently in the position to where I could sell my 13in MBP and get a 17in instead. My only problem is that nowhere can I actually use a floor model of the 17in to know how heavy or portable this thing really is. What would you pick>?
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Keep 2012 13in MBP or Trade for 2011 17in MBP
- Thread starter pbmagnet4
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I am at quite the crossroads with this, seeing as I can get the latest 17in Macbook Pro for 1300$. Seeing as I bought my 2012 13in MBP in July for 999$ I could maybe sell it for 1000$ with its 8gb of RAM. I am currently using my 13in with a TB display and I am loving the docking capabilities with this. The only issue I have been experiencing is FCPX slow downs. Not the biggest deal but I am concerned that I will wish I had purchased 17in down the road instead of the 13in as far as processing power goes. Will I notice a significant difference in Sandy Bridge Quad Core i7 to Ivy's Dual Core i5?
Quite the difference...
Only personal experience, I bought 3, late 2012 13" MacBook Pros for my nieces and nephews for university, where one of them was a 13" (i7) r-MB, anyways - we have dinner a lot together and we all always have our notebooks with us cos we travel a lot to see each other, we are natural multi-taskers, so we work and be leisurely together.. They start to complain about sluggish and high temps quickly, regularly all of them - especially my uncle who has the maxed out 15" r-MB, notice I don't use the prefix PRO with any of the retinas? This is due to that they are just about the retina display, there isn't anything pro about them, the only true pro is my 17" MBP - in that situation.
Mine runs cool, snappy and zippy I get all my things done in a timely, and most comfortable manner, it takes about 5 hours of continual heavy / demanding mastering / multi tasking - with my video/graphics/audio before it really starts to feel warm to the touch, just warm (keep in mind the fans do not kick off). Their machines get scorching hot within minutes with the 15" r-MB roaring like 5 jet engines in the house and then the other 13 inchers follow suite (haha).
I read a lot online that IVY Bridge runs really hot.
I wont be getting a 'new' MBP until the next 17" MBP makes its return.
Only personal experience, I bought 3, late 2012 13" MacBook Pros for my nieces and nephews for university, where one of them was a 13" (i7) r-MB, anyways - we have dinner a lot together and we all always have our notebooks with us cos we travel a lot to see each other, we are natural multi-taskers, so we work and be leisurely together.. They start to complain about sluggish and high temps quickly, regularly all of them - especially my uncle who has the maxed out 15" r-MB, notice I don't use the prefix PRO with any of the retinas? This is due to that they are just about the retina display, there isn't anything pro about them, the only true pro is my 17" MBP - in that situation.
Mine runs cool, snappy and zippy I get all my things done in a timely, and most comfortable manner, it takes about 5 hours of continual heavy / demanding mastering / multi tasking - with my video/graphics/audio before it really starts to feel warm to the touch, just warm (keep in mind the fans do not kick off). Their machines get scorching hot within minutes with the 15" r-MB roaring like 5 jet engines in the house and then the other 13 inchers follow suite (haha).
I read a lot online that IVY Bridge runs really hot.
I wont be getting a 'new' MBP until the next 17" MBP makes its return.
I went from a 2008 17" to a 2011 15". Sometimes I miss the big display, photo editing mainly, but don't miss the size and weight. For me the 15" was an acceptable compromise. At home I have a 23" external that meets my big screen needs.
I use a backpack and the weight difference was noticeable when carrying it around.
I use a backpack and the weight difference was noticeable when carrying it around.
That's a smokin' deal! I've got a pair of 2011 17" MBPs...they're excellent computers with a ton of room to upgrade your internal drives. You've also got a TB port for your scratch drives (for FCPx)
Not sure what is wrong with the uncle's 15". I've got the same machine as well as the afore mentioned twin 2011 17" MBPs. The 15" lays waste to the 17. Sorry man...something is wrong with his if he's hearing the fans Like you say. We use them constantly...up to 12 hours a day doing audio and video production. FCPx, Premier, photoshop, after effects, Maya and Cinema 4d. I love the 17" models. We used them for 7 years as our primary show rigs. However, the 15" rMBP is an entirely new level of performance. The speed of ivy bridge, the internal SSD is as incredibly fast--I've upgraded our 17s with twin Samsung 830s. The addition of a second TB port...USB 3 alone makes these a better 'option' as a professional rig...as external scratch storage is vital to image, motion and audio post production. Not to mention...the display, easily the best, most accurate display I've owned in a laptop in two decades. Unlike the 17", you don't need an external monitor for accurate color correction. Very cool! Same real estate if you scale the screen to 1920, just a helluva lot sharper and less glare, while retaining the 'pop'.
I was curious about your temperature claims as well. My early 2011/2.3ghz machine runs at around 80-84° while rendering or transcoding AVCintra to pro res. The late 2011 17"/2.5ghz runs at about 82-88° running the same tasks. Fans are up to 6,000rpm. Not annoying but definitely audible. Running the same pro res transcode on my rMBP spikes CPU temp to 72°, fans at 4,250, and I've got to put my ear up to the machine to hear the fans.
Again....something is wrong with your uncle's rig. They're less than a year old, he should have it looked at. I'm a huge fan of the 17"--unfortunately, regardless of you not giving a 'flip', the 17s are gone. They're not coming back, and that's unfortunate. However, one can't do better for a professional, money making laptop than the 15" rMBPs. They're absolutely the pinnacle of professional computing. I can't speak to the 13s.
However, the OP didn't ask about the rMBP...I just wanted to clarify this silly response (from vpro) isn't 'real world' nor true.
What the OP did inquire about is the 2011 17" for 1300 bucks. Big. Time. Bargain! That's a smokin deal!! I'd grab it ASAP. Spin that 13" off, you'll never miss it! Cool thing about The 17" MBP is the weight. It's quite svelte for its size. At around 6 pounds, it's extremely portable. You'll get a second graphics card which will help you in your video production endeavors, incredible real estate, awesome battery life...and it's the last model to still have the PCMCIA slot!
Don't think twice! Make the deal
J
Costs more.
Those geniuses at the store takes one look at my uncle and judges him cos he is a tall, handsome - successful man, they want his money and quoted him a ton of money to get his "baby" looked after (hahaha), while I noticed a young lady, not very handsome person, who had some issues with her MBP and they didn't even pay her any mind for over 45 minutes.
Those guys in the store are trained to go towards people like my uncle, anyways, I piped up and exclaimed that what my uncle should do is get a refurbished 17" MBP. So my uncle agreed and got all his money back, cos I made quite a scene showing them a print out of all the problems people have been whining about on here and other forums all over the web regarding the 15" retina, and they got really flustered and just punched in a few codes so that uncle could save his money. He got a full refund and I got some gift cards too out of it which I've gifted to my God-children at breakfast this morning!
I'm just doing my own little part to send a message across however and every which way I can creatively muster - to protest that the 17" MBP got ripped off, she deserved at least one last refresh and make over (outer and inner) before making her big exit! Instead we were totally thrown into the abyss / oblivion, not fair at all, so I'm just making sure people understand how many of us PROS feel, we want full customizable and consumer fixable / upgradeable work tools. That option is no longer respected by Apple.
We're all good now, so yes, I agree with the above post, jump on the deal for that 17"MBP
Those geniuses at the store takes one look at my uncle and judges him cos he is a tall, handsome - successful man, they want his money and quoted him a ton of money to get his "baby" looked after (hahaha), while I noticed a young lady, not very handsome person, who had some issues with her MBP and they didn't even pay her any mind for over 45 minutes.
Those guys in the store are trained to go towards people like my uncle, anyways, I piped up and exclaimed that what my uncle should do is get a refurbished 17" MBP. So my uncle agreed and got all his money back, cos I made quite a scene showing them a print out of all the problems people have been whining about on here and other forums all over the web regarding the 15" retina, and they got really flustered and just punched in a few codes so that uncle could save his money. He got a full refund and I got some gift cards too out of it which I've gifted to my God-children at breakfast this morning!
I'm just doing my own little part to send a message across however and every which way I can creatively muster - to protest that the 17" MBP got ripped off, she deserved at least one last refresh and make over (outer and inner) before making her big exit! Instead we were totally thrown into the abyss / oblivion, not fair at all, so I'm just making sure people understand how many of us PROS feel, we want full customizable and consumer fixable / upgradeable work tools. That option is no longer respected by Apple.
We're all good now, so yes, I agree with the above post, jump on the deal for that 17"MBP
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I have the early 2011 17in and it is astonishingly fast.
For FCPX, the extra screen size is great.
Couple upgrades and it will be powerful.
Put some 16GB DDR3 and SSD and it will be blazing fast.
For FCPX, the extra screen size is great.
Couple upgrades and it will be powerful.
Put some 16GB DDR3 and SSD and it will be blazing fast.
That's a smokin' deal! I've got a pair of 2011 17" MBPs...they're excellent computers with a ton of room to upgrade your internal drives. You've also got a TB port for your scratch drives (for FCPx)
Not sure what is wrong with the uncle's 15". I've got the same machine as well as the afore mentioned twin 2011 17" MBPs. The 15" lays waste to the 17. Sorry man...something is wrong with his if he's hearing the fans Like you say. We use them constantly...up to 12 hours a day doing audio and video production. FCPx, Premier, photoshop, after effects, Maya and Cinema 4d. I love the 17" models. We used them for 7 years as our primary show rigs. However, the 15" rMBP is an entirely new level of performance. The speed of ivy bridge, the internal SSD is as incredibly fast--I've upgraded our 17s with twin Samsung 830s. The addition of a second TB port...USB 3 alone makes these a better 'option' as a professional rig...as external scratch storage is vital to image, motion and audio post production. Not to mention...the display, easily the best, most accurate display I've owned in a laptop in two decades. Unlike the 17", you don't need an external monitor for accurate color correction. Very cool! Same real estate if you scale the screen to 1920, just a helluva lot sharper and less glare, while retaining the 'pop'.
I was curious about your temperature claims as well. My early 2011/2.3ghz machine runs at around 80-84° while rendering or transcoding AVCintra to pro res. The late 2011 17"/2.5ghz runs at about 82-88° running the same tasks. Fans are up to 6,000rpm. Not annoying but definitely audible. Running the same pro res transcode on my rMBP spikes CPU temp to 72°, fans at 4,250, and I've got to put my ear up to the machine to hear the fans.
Again....something is wrong with your uncle's rig. They're less than a year old, he should have it looked at. I'm a huge fan of the 17"--unfortunately, regardless of you not giving a 'flip', the 17s are gone. They're not coming back, and that's unfortunate. However, one can't do better for a professional, money making laptop than the 15" rMBPs. They're absolutely the pinnacle of professional computing. I can't speak to the 13s.
However, the OP didn't ask about the rMBP...I just wanted to clarify this silly response (from vpro) isn't 'real world' nor true.
What the OP did inquire about is the 2011 17" for 1300 bucks. Big. Time. Bargain! That's a smokin deal!! I'd grab it ASAP. Spin that 13" off, you'll never miss it! Cool thing about The 17" MBP is the weight. It's quite svelte for its size. At around 6 pounds, it's extremely portable. You'll get a second graphics card which will help you in your video production endeavors, incredible real estate, awesome battery life...and it's the last model to still have the PCMCIA slot!
Don't think twice! Make the deal
J
Thank you for your input, I do believe I will jump on this deal!
You could, but there's no official documentation (that I could find, anyway) on what ExpressCard/34 specification Apple used in the 17" MBP's. Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that it would be just 1.0, and not 2.0, because if it were 2.0, Apple would have most likely said so in the specifications listed for the 17" MBP.
If it is indeed 1.0, then you're not going to get true USB 3.0-type speeds. In fact, they will probably be closer to USB 2.0 speeds with real-world usage.
There is. There was thread on how to install the USB3 adapter.
I cant find the thread right now, but I saw one this month on how to get the unofficial adapter working.
Firewire is always a secondary option, but how do you think it would hold up with eSATA speeds?
If it's ExpressCard/34 1.0 spec, then I'd say that you'll probably get similar speeds whether or not you use a USB 3.0 or an eSATA card in the slot. The 1.0 spec is a lot slower than 2.0 spec. 2.0 spec, you can get up to 5Gb/sec, theoretically. Real world is probably somewhat lower. 1.0 spec is faster than USB 2.0, but closer to USB 2.0 speeds than they are USB 3.0 ones (don't have the numbers in front of me anymore, so I can't give specifics.)
I would probably go with the USB 3.0 card. That way, when the time comes that you no longer have a need for the 17" MBP, you can at least get some more life out of whatever USB 3.0 accessories you get. Won't be able to do that with any eSATA stuff, since the ExpressCard/34 slot is gone now (and you're taking a gamble hoping that Apple will bring it back) and also your choice of what to use with eSATA is limited to storage only.
I would probably go with the USB 3.0 card. That way, when the time comes that you no longer have a need for the 17" MBP, you can at least get some more life out of whatever USB 3.0 accessories you get. Won't be able to do that with any eSATA stuff, since the ExpressCard/34 slot is gone now (and you're taking a gamble hoping that Apple will bring it back) and also your choice of what to use with eSATA is limited to storage only.