MBP 13 vs 15

[fa.ce]

I know: one more thread about decision to buy: the little great just released 13 MBP or wait for the new upcoming (june 2015?) MBP 15.

I've used for last 5 years an i7 MBA 1.8 4GB 256 GB.
Unfortunately it was just stolen ... DAMN !

I know that 13 MBP 2.9 GHz 512 GB SSD 8GB RAM (about 2k euros) would be an HUGE improvements over my old MBA but the 15 screen size is admirable.

I'll use it for all my photo memories (more than 30.000 pics and counting), some coding, some video ...
For sure the larger screen will give me a better user experience.
I use my laptop normally on my sofa, bed and considering the bad experience i probably not take with me for the first time

The difference to spend is more than 700 euros (with that price i could take an Apple Watch!).

Decision ... decision ... decision ... dilemma

 

[T5BRICK]

If you plan on mostly using it at home, the 15" rMBP is probably fine. If you're going to be traveling with it eventually, I'd go with the 13" rMBP, or even another Air if the screen resolution didn't bother you.

 

[maflynn]

I think the 15" rMBP is worth the increased cost. The quad core CPU, superior GPU, larger display. You mention using it for your photos, the current version of Lightroom uses the GPU and so with the better GPU, LR is quite snappy on the 15" rMBP.

 

[snaky69]

I know: one more thread about decision to buy: the little great just released 13 MBP or wait for the new upcoming (june 2015?) MBP 15.

I've used for last 5 years an i7 MBA 1.8 4GB 256 GB.
Unfortunately it was just stolen ... DAMN !

I know that 13 MBP 2.9 GHz 512 GB SSD 8GB RAM (about 2k euros) would be an HUGE improvements over my old MBA but the 15 screen size is admirable.

I'll use it for all my photo memories (more than 30.000 pics and counting), some coding, some video ...
For sure the larger screen will give me a better user experience.
I use my laptop normally on my sofa, bed and considering the bad experience i probably not take with me for the first time

The difference to spend is more than 700 euros (with that price i could take an Apple Watch!).

Decision ... decision ... decision ... dilemma

You definitely don't need much computing power, so it all comes down to how big a screen you'd like to have.

 

[zaphodb3]

My two cents: I had a 13-in MBP for about 4 years and recently switched to a 15-in MBP. I can't imagine going back to the small screen now. I've spoiled myself

The extra power is also nice, even if you are not doing heavy computing-- in my experience, opening and using apps and moving files around just feels 'snappier' (although I'm sure a lot of this has to do with simply having a newer model).

Especially if you are just using it at home, a 15-in seems like a better choice. A smaller, lighter computer (with better battery life!) will be better if you're constantly on the go, though.

 

[fa.ce]

Thanks all, you're seriously tempting me, it's a 100% suggestion for the 15 version.
My only complains are the price and the weight (i often put the laptop on my belly ) ...)

 

[Macula]

I am on the same boat as you, buffeted by the same gusts of doubt

I have also fallen for the larger screen much I very well know that I would regret it at times, being a compulsive walker and moving around quite much. The extra ~2 inches of screen diagonal do not fully rationalize the decision to buy the 15-incher for home use because, truth be told, one could use the extra money towards a very fine 23-inch 4k display that would be hooked up to a 13-inch model. And then one gets an excellent, huge display at home, combined with the portability of portability and lightness of the smaller model.

On the other hand, I do have an iPad and could see that device serving me adequately in a large percentage of use cases on the road.

For me, it actually boils down not to screen size but processing power: I have strong reasons to believe that the quad-core CPU would serve me better, at least in the long run. I am also not a frequent buyer—I am currently typing an a 2008 black Macbook (the machine and I are both suffering), and want to prolong the life cycle of the new machine as much as possible. (I regret buying that 2008 Macbook, by the way, and not a Macbook Pro, which would have allowed me run 10.9 and 10.10).

The trouble is, none of us knows whether the 15-inch model will be upgraded before Skylake…

 

[vladi]

Thanks all, you're seriously tempting me, it's a 100% suggestion for the 15 version.
My only complains are the price and the weight (i often put the laptop on my belly ) ...)

If price is the determining factor, use your head please. I just got 13' rMBP 2015 for my people and I have also commented in the other thread regarding CPU pricing and how top of the line CPU price diminishes any performance benefits.

In my book 15 rMBP as a whole is diminished by its price. It's way too overpriced for obsolete hardware they offer in it. For that much money there are a lot better alternatives from PC manufacturers that no matter how much you don't like Windows the difference in performance and features is simply too staggering to turn the blind eye. For that much money you can get the same or even better screen, same slim form factor, better CPU, SSD in RAID and latest gen GPU. Practically no trade offs unless you see OSX and aluminum chassis something beneficiary.

If you need 15' or bigger screen go with the PC, if you are OK with 13 go with rMBP. My honest opinion and I hope no 15 rMBP owners will slam me here

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Just not true

If price is the determining factor, use your head please. I just got 13' rMBP 2015 for my people and I have also commented in the other thread regarding CPU pricing and how top of the line CPU price diminishes any performance benefits.

In my book 15 rMBP as a whole is diminished by its price. It's way too overpriced for obsolete hardware they offer in it. For that much money there are a lot better alternatives from PC manufacturers that no matter how much you don't like Windows the difference in performance and features is simply too staggering to turn the blind eye. For that much money you can get the same or even better screen, same slim form factor, better CPU, SSD in RAID and latest gen GPU. Practically no trade offs unless you see OSX and aluminum chassis something beneficiary.

If you need 15' or bigger screen go with the PC, if you are OK with 13 go with rMBP. My honest opinion and I hope no 15 rMBP owners will slam me here

If you don't count the dGPU version (where the 750M is out of date) then all the hardware in the current 15 inch is the top of the line most current available hardware. Any windows laptop made of premium materials and specced to the same standard (IRIS PRO, PCIE SSD, Thunderbolt 2, Retina screen, premium materials) will have the same retail price.

Of course they'll come down in price much quicker and have far more oppurtunities to buy at a discount but they will be the same retail price...

 

[fa.ce]

@Macula welcome on board
To tell the truth i also own an old iMac 27 (late 2009) that is quite at the end of cycle ... if i sum all the money needs to replace it, buy the 13/15 MBP, an AW Stainless (obviously ) ...

@vladi
Sorry i'll never trade for Windows (i'm not a fan Apple boy, i've no the age for that ) and don't want to buy the actual rMBP 15 but i'm struggling to understand - as Macula has pointed - WHEN the 15-inch model will be upgraded before Skylake ... and to invest a very_important_sum for a 'durable_long' time ...

 

[Samuelsan2001]

There is nothing to understand

@Macula welcome abroad
To tell the truth i also own an old iMac 27 (late 2009) that is quite at the end of cycle ... if i sum all the money needs to replace it, buy the 13/15 MBP, an AW Stainless (obviously ) ...

@vladi
Sorry i'll never trade for Windows (i'm not a fan Apple boy, i've no the age for that ) and don't want to buy the actual rMBP 15 but i'm struggling to understand - as Macula has pointed - WHEN the 15-inch model will be upgraded before Skylake ... and to invest a very_important_sum for a 'durable_long' time ...

Apple will update the 15 inch when Intel release the appropriate i7 quad core mobile chips for them. That may be broadwell in the next couple of months and it may be skylake that could be any time from early autumn to next summer.

the only current Skylake info from Intel suggests Desktop processors in august and gives no information on any of the others.

 

[fa.ce]

Skylake over Broadwell

Skylake over Broadwell will be an huge improvement ?

 

[mlts22]

I have been in this dilemma as well. The 13" is more portable, and because I have the first model unibody MacBook, I'm used to that size factor. However, having two additional cores, especially because I do a lot of virtualization with VMWare Fusion, is a nice thing as well. For me, the MBP will spend about 50% of the time plugged into a monitor, external drive, and USB hub. The rest of the time, it is with me while I'm off on some project, so portability is key. I've used larger PC laptops, found them awkward after a while.

I am doing decent virtualization on an older i5 with a SATA SSD, so with a faster SSD, 16 GB of RAM, and an i7, even though it is a two core model, I should expect the same, if not faster performance than what I'm using now.

 

[maflynn]

Skylake over Broadwell will be an huge improvement ?

Broadwell is primarily a die shrink, though the iGPU is supposed to be much improved.

I'm not sure about Skylake though

 

[Samuelsan2001]

What for???

Skylake over Broadwell will be an huge improvement ?

If you are talking pure CPU performance probably not.

But there are a crapload of benefits coming with it mainly increasing bandwidth all over the place to provide much faster connections between all your computers components.

The major expected changes between the Haswell and Skylake architectures include the abandonment and removal of the fully integrated voltage regulator (FIVR) introduced with Haswell,[13] and the integration of the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) onto the die for Skylake's H, U and Y variants, effectively following a system-on-chip (SoC) design layout. The S variant will remain a two-chip design. On the variants that will use a discrete PCH, Direct Media Interface (DMI) 2.0 will be replaced by DMI 3.0, which promises speeds of up to 8 GT/s.

Skylake's U and Y variants will support one DIMM slot per channel (of type LPDDR3 only, for the models announced as of June 2014), while H and S variants will support two DIMM slots per channel.[11] Skylake's launch and sales lifespan occur at the same time as the ongoing SDRAM market transition related to a dropoff in the DDR3 SDRAM memory as it gradually becomes replaced by the DDR4 memory. Rather than working exclusively with DDR4, the Skylake microarchitecture is expected to remain backward compatible by interoperating with both types of memory. Accompanying the microarchitecture's support for both memory standards, a new SO-DIMM type capable of carrying either DDR3 or DDR4 memory chips, called UniDIMM, was also announced.[14]

Other expected enhancements include PCI Express 4.0 support on the "-E" (extreme) version (for which the release is expected in 2017[15]), Thunderbolt 3.0, SATA Express, Iris Pro graphics with Direct3D feature level 12.0 with up to 128 MB of L4 eDRAM cache on certain SKUs.[16] The Skylake line of processors is expected to retire VGA support, while supporting up to five monitors connected via HDMI, DisplayPort or Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) interfaces.[17]

Instruction set enhancements are also expected as with most microarchitecture releases; the Skylake instruction set changes include Intel MPX (Memory Protection Extensions) and Intel ADX (Multi-Precision Add-Carry Instruction Extensions). The Xeon variant will also have Advanced Vector Extensions 3.2 ("AVX-512F") and Intel SHA Extensions (for SHA-1 and SHA-256 Secure Hash Algorithms).[2][3]

Intel also announced that the Skylake-based laptops will be using wireless technology called Rezence for charging, and other wireless technologies for communication with peripherals. All major PC vendors have agreed to use this technology in Skylake-based laptops, which should be released by the end of 2015.[18]

Integrated GPU of the Skylake's S variant will support DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.4 and OpenCL 2.0 standards, as well as some modern hardware video encoding/decoding algorithms such as VP9, VP8 and HEVC.[19]