Macbook Pro 13in Vs 15in

[SouthernStar14]

I am looking into buying my first mac and I had a few questions.
I will be using it for browing the web, school work, some gaming like Sims 3 and Nancy Drew games. Maybe photoshop, not 100% on that, but if I did it would be for personal enjoyment more than anything else. Also I do plan on installing Windows 7 to my machine so i can run some of my older ND Games.

I have been planning on buying the 13 inch with the 2.9 i7 processor, but I was wondering if the 15 inch with quad core would be worth it? I don't exactly have the budget for the extra 700 dollars. Would the 13 inch dual core be sufficent? Also will the dual core last me four years of college or will it be too outdated by then?

Thanks,
Amber

 

[Liquinn]

I am looking into buying my first mac and I had a few questions.
I will be using it for browing the web, school work, some gaming like Sims 3 and Nancy Drew games. Maybe photoshop, not 100% on that, but if I did it would be for personal enjoyment more than anything else. Also I do plan on installing Windows 7 to my machine so i can run some of my older ND Games.

I have been planning on buying the 13 inch with the 2.9 i7 processor, but I was wondering if the 15 inch with quad core would be worth it? I don't exactly have the budget for the extra 700 dollars. Would the 13 inch dual core be sufficent? Also will the dual core last me four years of college or will it be too outdated by then?

Thanks,
Amber

Hi, I'd get the 15" if you really need the extra real screen estate; I got the 13" and sometimes wished I got the 15" for the extra screen size; but I couldn't justify it at the time since I have two Mac desktops D:

I'd get the 15" if you need the extra power but the 13" is a lot more portable.

I hope I've helped to a degree.

 

[SouthernStar14]

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking the 13 inch would be okay for me since I mostly use my laptops for web browsing, when I game I like to hook my computer to the television anyway. I'm just not sure about the processor. Oh and my local Best Buy doesn't sell Macs and the closest Apple Store is 2 hours away so I haven't gotten to check them out yet, but I plan to really soon. I really appreciate the reply though thanks for the help!

 

[Liquinn]

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking the 13 inch would be okay for me since I mostly use my laptops for web browsing, when I game I like to hook my computer to the television anyway. I'm just not sure about the processor. Oh and my local Best Buy doesn't sell Macs and the closest Apple Store is 2 hours away so I haven't gotten to check them out yet, but I plan to really soon. I really appreciate the reply though thanks for the help!

Yeah I see. An i5 or i7 processor would be good, hell; I can even use Photoshop CS4 on my Powermac G5 You can buy Macs from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk for cheaper than Apple; that's what I did with my Macbook Pro; saved some money that way.

Good luck with the purchase.

 

[SouthernStar14]

Thanks again. I'm probably going to go with the 13 inch, but I'll most likely go with Apple, or Best Buy. I would love to buy it on amazon and save some money, but I'm the type of person who really needs the warrenty.

 

[Liquinn]

Thanks again. I'm probably going to go with the 13 inch, but I'll most likely go with Apple, or Best Buy. I would love to buy it on amazon and save some money, but I'm the type of person who really needs the warrenty.

You get a warranty if you buy from Amazon; it's up to you really!

Good luck with the purchase and feel free to PM me or post a thread here if you have any problems or questions/queries.

I hope I helped and sure, the 13" is a nice portable machine

 

[Wilbah]

I've had both... a 2011 13" MBP; and now a 2012 15".

I am a video editor, so processor is important, as is screen size.

Having said that, for non processor intensive work, I would take the 13" any day of the week.. the battery lasts almost 3x's as long (not kidding); it runs WAY cooler for normal stuff (no fans blowing while doing light web stuff- the 15" turns up the fans when you hit a busy page with video), and its lighter.

On the 15" I appreciate the real estate for editing on the fly, and the processor is faster- although if your not doing heavy lifting you might not notice. I'd hang on a few weeks and see the specs on the 13" Retina. I really miss the form, weight, quietness and battery of the 13"- not to mention its less expensive!

 

[Liquinn]

I've had both... a 2011 13" MBP; and now a 2012 15".

I am a video editor, so processor is important, as is screen size.

Having said that, for non processor intensive work, I would take the 13" any day of the week.. the battery lasts almost 3x's as long (not kidding); it runs WAY cooler for normal stuff (no fans blowing while doing light web stuff- the 15" turns up the fans when you hit a busy page with video), and its lighter.

On the 15" I appreciate the real estate for editing on the fly, and the processor is faster- although if your not doing heavy lifting you might not notice. I'd hang on a few weeks and see the specs on the 13" Retina. I really miss the form, weight, quietness and battery of the 13"- not to mention its less expensive!

Good to see your view about how you prefer the 13" over the 15". You're paying 500 pounds more for 2 extra inches and not much more I guess. I have the 13" and it's good for the portability, but the 1200x800 isn't great