MBP - 13" or 15"

[sgadher]

Hi all

Quick question please, I'm on the verge of buying a new mbp when I travel to the states on holiday in late April/ early may. I knw that an update is due shortly after but I'm still going to make a saving buying it in USA rather than uk.

I've nailed it down to two options, either the high end 13 or 15 mbp.

Based on what I need it for which would you recommend?

I use my iPad for most web surfing but need the mbp for the same, downloading and converting videos and music, photos and occasional word doc stuff. I prefer the 13" as it's cheaper but am worried that there may be insufficient screen estate for my needs. Furthermore the other differences are the graphics card (additional radeon card) and quad core processing. Based on my needs above, am I truly going to miss these additional features?

I need the hdd space so 750gb is fine for me as I do a lot of downloading.

Thanks in advance.

S

 

[LostSoul80]

Go for the 15". Dedicated graphics, quad core, more screen estate.
Defenitely you can't go wrong with it.

 

[Adamantoise]

Save your money and get a base 13" Macbook Pro. From your description you don't do anything that a 3 year old computer cannot handle.

You don't need Radeon Graphics as you did not mention computer games.
You don't need the processor in the 15" Macbook Pro as it seems you won't be spending much time outside Safari and iTunes.

Get the base 13" Macbook Pro
Get 8GB of DDR3 RAM
Get a Solid State Drive (Or a Momentus XT 750GB ... I saw you mentioned HDD space above)

It's honestly counter intuitive to get a high end 13" Macbook Pro without upgrading the hard drive to Solid State.

 

[wineandcarbs]

For your needs it sounds like the base 13" MBP would be more than sufficient. That's what I have right now (early 2011 model) and it more than meets my needs.

 

[hotgrease]

I believe the 15" will convert videos faster than the 13", so if that's important to you you may want to get the 15".

 

[J.L.Photography]

Go to the store.... Play with the different sizes..... Seems to work itself out

 

[sgadher]

I think I will go with the high end 15 inch so as to "future-proof" it so wont need an upgrade for at least 4-5 years.

One other point, I am travelling to the US to buy it in store, will I have a chance to buy a customised mbp? i just want to add the high res screen on but do apple stores only stock the standard options as advertised on their website?

Thanks

S

 

[LostSoul80]

They might have some in stores but I wouldn't bet on it. Always been told to order online for the high res screen.

 

[heisenberg123]

I think I will go with the high end 15 inch so as to "future-proof" it so wont need an upgrade for at least 4-5 years.

One other point, I am travelling to the US to buy it in store, will I have a chance to buy a customised mbp? i just want to add the high res screen on but do apple stores only stock the standard options as advertised on their website?

Thanks

S

they most likey stock more base models than anything else, im sure they have a few with upgrade specs but those might be limited

online is the way to go for any custom made orders

 

[sgadher]

Would love to order online but I am travelling to the USA as its far cheaper than compared to the UK. In order to buy online I would need a us credit card registered to an us address. however I may buy applecare from UK as there are some cheaper deals here.

 

[Mojo1]

I don't agree that a 15" MBP is more "future proof" than a 13" MBP.

Do you currently need quad core CPUs and discrete graphics? If not, do you expect to begin using apps that actually make use of these features in the next 4-5 years?

Have you compared a standard resolution display to a high resolution? You may discover that you prefer the standard resolution.

I have owned both 13" and 15" MBPs. I now own a base model 13" MBP. It has plenty of power for my needs, I prefer standard resolution and the cost is significantly less than a 15". (I paid $900 for a new MBP during an Amazon sale.) But the primary reason I switched to a 13" is because the 15" is more computer than I want to carry when I travel.

I fixed the anti-glare screen issue by installing an excellent quality film from Power Support. Problem solved.

I expect the 13" MBP to meet my needs for up to 5 years. But I will probably upgrade before then because I tend to upgrade based on the resale value of my current Mac; since I always buy discounted Macs I am usually able to recoup much of my original cost since I keep my Macs in mint condition.

I have been using Macs since 1995 with a variety of pro apps and I haven't needed a top of the line Mac. Yes, an SSD will speed up things but the cost vs. benefit doesn't pencil out for me. Speed isn't everything, especially when a stock 13" MBP running Lion is already a very fast Mac.

With the money I saved I purchased a high-quality 24" NEC display so my MBP can do double-duty as a desktop Mac. I've been using the MBP since last summer and based on my experience I expect my 24" iMac will be my last desktop Mac. The NEC is a superior display that offers ergonomic adjustments that are not possible with an iMac or Apple Thunderbolt display. Plus it is CCFL backlit so I avoid the current problems many people (including myself) have with Apple's LED displays and it is anti-glare.