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MBP 15" Late 2011: Hi-Res Upgrade Choice

D

DKeyX3

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 30, 2011
4
0
Hey all, I'm getting the new 15" Macbook Pro (Base Model) anytime now, and will be using it for many purposes, such as Image Editing (Mainly Photoshop CS5), minor Video Editing, watching videos (DVDs, 1080p YouTube, etc.), and the casual gaming.

Now there are two upgrades available for the screen: the hi-res anti-glare or the hi-res glossy.

I would like to ask if first of all, in relation to my above usage, will I need an upgrade at all? And if so, could anyone please state real-world changes in how the screen looks to the user. And if I should upgrade for these purposes, which screen upgrade should I purchase?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
never thought I would do this, but...

Search Forums, Google...etc. are great tools to find topics that have been asked gazillions of times..
 
MVRL said:
never thought I would do this, but...

Search Forums, Google...etc. are great tools to find topics that have been asked gazillions of times..
Click to expand...

I've done this, but I could never find any up and close, personal opinions, which is what I need in this situation :\
 
I think it something you need to compare yourself. I was just in the apple store early in the week. The first time I spent some real time on the 15". For me, I drooled over the 15" Hires Antiglare. That would be my choice but just personal preference. Coming from an MBA with higher res, I would not go backwards. I love the 15" HiRes antiglare screen.
 
Matte or Glossy is a matter of taste but the higher resolution should be standard on the 15" screens.
 
i actively contribute to photo wire services and often have to transmit from the various venues--some outside. the folks i work with have both the glossy standard and the hi-res matte screens (don't know if any have the hi-res glossy).

generally, if you are going to do image work outside, the matte wins, big time. even if you use a towel or cover over your machine, menacing glare can come in from the background. but that being said, some of the top shooters i work with live with the glossy screen because that's what their agencies gave them.

if you work indoors, the matte is nice, but not required. the photo geeks will tell you that either the glossy or matte have better color, or even effect your sharpening. but i haven't found this.

sometimes i grab my 13" air (i7) and use it at football games to process and transmit live--however the smaller screen wears me out after awhile. my 15" is glossy and I use it at NHL and other venues where I get to work indoors--like press tents. I like the bigger screen because i can blow up an image and check sharpness and contrast before i transmit it.

so it sort of depends where you are going to use the machine. i tend to like the matte better, but enjoy the glossy screen too. actually the MBA's glossy is sort of the best of both worlds (just wish I could get a 15"), it doesn't reflect glare that badly.
 
Glossy (but hi-res) for sure. Colors look more vivid, and the number one reason is durability. If you have the glossy one your screen is covered with glass. If you have anti-glare it's not, and it will scratch much easier, etc etc.
 
i like the glossy more! i think the colors pop more, and it's just a glass front, which is easy to clean. And I guess the 17" counts as high-res, in which case, I love having awesome resolution.
 
you really benefit from the extra L3 cache with the middle and high spec if you are batch processing files.
 
adamvk said:
Glossy (but hi-res) for sure. Colors look more vivid, and the number one reason is durability. If you have the glossy one your screen is covered with glass. If you have anti-glare it's not, and it will scratch much easier, etc etc.
Click to expand...

But the glass can break, while the other one can not. Probably a non-issue though.


For me its matte. The glossy reflects a lot, which in some locations makes reading the screen hard. Nothing will help in direct sunlight though :)
And yes, I would definitely go for the high-res upgrade.
 
I cannot stand the glares from so closing distance. The laptops should not even be this glossy.

Go for glossy if you like

1. Vivid colors
2. Prefer black bezels
3. Cheaper price

Go for Matte if you like

1. Accurate colors
2. High resolution
3. Prefer screens to not reflect every god damn thing
4. less glare means less eye strain

Good luck.
 
After reading a ton of threads with the same question, I went to the Apple Store on the weekend to check out the 15" standard and hi-res. The hi-res definitely looks good and the text is crisp, however me and my girlfriend (she has glasses, I don't) both prefer the feel of the standard res for long term use.

In terms of PPI (relative size of characters), standard is similar to the 13" MBP and hi-res is similar to the 17" MBP. I know that some people prefer the higher resolution and can fit more on the screen, and that's totally cool. It would drive me bonkers though; so I highly recommend going to a store to check it out for yourself.

(Edit: One thing I'm not sure about is if it's any different for Windows use, because I thought I read that OSX and MS both use different DPI for screen? I don't know if that matters.)
 
DKeyX3 said:
I've done this, but I could never find any up and close, personal opinions, which is what I need in this situation :\
Click to expand...

Did you really?
I know I'm not really contributing here but I couldn't let this particular one go.
There are a TON of topics about the EXACT same question and they are ALL full of personal opinions. What on earth would creating another topic would give you any more insight than what you already have at your disposal?

Here is just a fraction, and believe me when I say so, a fraction of topics about this question:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1110274/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/897778/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1110778/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1094797/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1102188/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1016906/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1082341/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/898021/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1139363/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1204771/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1102465/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1181979/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1105101/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1181063/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1104995/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1139147/

For the love of god people, SEARCH!
 
adamvk said:
Glossy (but hi-res) for sure. Colors look more vivid, and the number one reason is durability. If you have the glossy one your screen is covered with glass. If you have anti-glare it's not, and it will scratch much easier, etc etc.
Click to expand...

I have never scratched an anti-glare screen but glossy ones are easier to clean, fingerprints and smudges show up easier but they are easier to remove.
 
get glossy. you can always install an anti glare film, which is what I did for this year as I have to work in some high glare areas. In a few months when I can get out of the high glare areas, I'll pull off the film and go back to glossy. Or I may keep the film on, it does a great job of protecting the screen, I can now touch the screen all day and not care about ruining it!

For glossy at home, I just connect to an ATD.
 
bniu said:
get glossy. you can always install an anti glare film, which is what I did for this year as I have to work in some high glare areas. In a few months when I can get out of the high glare areas, I'll pull off the film and go back to glossy. Or I may keep the film on, it does a great job of protecting the screen, I can now touch the screen all day and not care about ruining it!

For glossy at home, I just connect to an ATD.
Click to expand...

I had this same problem when I had the HP Touchsmart Tm2T tablet. The glare was unbearable so I bought an EXiM anti-glare screen cover and bam, problem solved. I went back and forth between glossy or anti-glare on the MBP and honestly, I have yet to have any problem with glare on these things. Mind you, I use mine for music not for video or image editing outside so I couldn't tell you. Plus, when I am at home I usually have it connected to a bigger monitor anyways.
 
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