MBP 13" 2011 or MBP 15" i5 2010

[iAppleteer]

i will be buying my first ever mac soon, so i eliminated all the other macs and came down with these 2 choices. i will be using it for web browsing, watching youtube, editing vids with imovie, and playing sc2 occasionally(during weekends for 2-3 hrs). im worried that the mbp 13" hd3000 wont last long as it is a fairly weak gpu, but it has the new sandy bridge processor. the mbp 15" is a more balanced laptop in my opinion, as it has an i5 proc, and a fairly good gpu.

what would be a better buy for me?

 

[Luc13n]

I asked prety much the same question a couple of days ago, didn't get a lot of answers. I made my choice and ordered a refurbished 15" i5 2010, because of the screen size and the GT 330m GPU.

Some benchmarks that may interest you :

Geekbench

* 13" 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 3351
* 13" 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 3645
* 13" 2.3 GHz dual i5 2011: 5900
* 13" 2.7 GHz dual i7 2011, 6796
* 15" 2.4 GHz dual i5 2010: 4866

Speedmark 6.5

* 13" 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 106 - 33 fps
* 13" 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 137 - 34 fps
* 13" 2.3 GHz dual i5 2011: 140 - 26 fps
* 13" 2.7 GHz dual i7 2011, 155 - 27 fps
* 15" 2.4 GHz dual i5 2010: 132 - 63 fps

http://lowendmac.com/musings/11mm/macbook-pro-benchmarks.html

Luc13n

 

[iAppleteer]

I asked prety much the same question a couple of days ago, didn't get a lot of answers. I made my choice and ordered a refurbished 15" i5 2010, because of the screen size and the GT 330m GPU.

Some benchmarks that may interest you :

Geekbench

* 13" 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 3351
* 13" 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 3645
* 13" 2.3 GHz dual i5 2011: 5900
* 13" 2.7 GHz dual i7 2011, 6796
* 15" 2.4 GHz dual i5 2010: 4866

Speedmark 6.5

* 13" 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 106 - 33 fps
* 13" 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo 2010: 137 - 34 fps
* 13" 2.3 GHz dual i5 2011: 140 - 26 fps
* 13" 2.7 GHz dual i7 2011, 155 - 27 fps
* 15" 2.4 GHz dual i5 2010: 132 - 63 fps

http://lowendmac.com/musings/11mm/macbook-pro-benchmarks.html

Luc13n

but its more expensive by about rm1000(abt $350). im actualy planning to buy sc2 and a razer mouse too, so i was actually more inclined towards the 13 inch model to save some money. do u think the 13 inch will be enough for my needs?

 

[darknite38]

but its more expensive by about rm1000(abt $350). im actualy planning to buy sc2 and a razer mouse too, so i was actually more inclined towards the 13 inch model to save some money. do u think the 13 inch will be enough for my needs?

Get the 15 inch, you clearly don't need the processing speed, but rather the video card power. The Integrated HD 3000 is clearly inferior to the 330m. If I were you, get the refurbished i5 15" for $1269. Plus you get a larger screen, nicer speakers and the such.

 

[iAppleteer]

Get the 15 inch, you clearly don't need the processing speed, but rather the video card power. The Integrated HD 3000 is clearly inferior to the 330m. If I were you, get the refurbished i5 15" for $1269. Plus you get a larger screen, nicer speakers and the such.

Hmmm... Alright, I'll get the 15 inch model. There aren't any refurb in my country,theyre only at a apple reseller, which isn't available in my area. I'll get a 2nd hand model then. What abt the 13 inch 2010 model? Looks pike a ok deal.

 

[Luc13n]

Hmmm... Alright, I'll get the 15 inch model. There aren't any refurb in my country,theyre only at a apple reseller, which isn't available in my area. I'll get a 2nd hand model then. What abt the 13 inch 2010 model? Looks pike a ok deal.

Hmmm I choosed the 15" because it was only $70 can more AND it was refurbished from apple.. Don't know if I would have made the same choice for +$350 AND un second hand one...

The 2010 13" can run sc2 but in low settings (someone correct me if I'm wrong) :

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html

With the 2011 15" you should be able to play in medium settings :

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

 

[iAppleteer]

Hmmm I choosed the 15" because it was only $70 can more AND it was refurbished from apple.. Don't know if I would have made the same choice for +$350 AND un second hand one...

The 2010 13" can run sc2 but in low settings (someone correct me if I'm wrong) :

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html

With the 2011 15" you should be able to play in medium settings :

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

hmm... isnt medium settings playable too? i think i'll go for the 15" 2010 model then.

 

[Thares]

Similar problem

Hey folks,


My problem:
I'm just joining this thread as my problem is quite the same but also a little bit different. I am stuck in the dilemma of choosing between the 13" Air and the 15" Pro (anti-glare).


I currently got a brand new high-end 27" iMac here but I will return it as it got pixel faults. And I anticipate that I really don't need the graphic performance.


My situation:
I was thinking about buying a low-end refurb 27" iMac as I really love that huge screen. But I want a portable machine (in addition) as I am traveling to my GF or to my brothers on some weekends. Primary I want to do the following tasks with my computer:

• Writing essays, reports
• Building presentations
• Using SPSS/PASW (under windows I guess)
• Gaming (at the weekends; e. g. GTA4, Civ 5, Sims 3, Diablo 3, ...)
• Web surfing, Youtube, watching movies
• Listening to music

I never had a 15" laptop before. But I looked at the 15" MBP at a premium reseller and I really appreciated its bigger screen size compared to the 13" model. But on the other hand is's of course way heavier and bigger.


I'd love to hear your advices and comments. Please feel free to add your own thought outside of the frame I set up. Even though I get the student discount, I am aiming for a refurbished machine as they are not as expensive.


Thank you for your time!

Daniel