Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MBP 15' or 17' for college student?

E

Emrtr4

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 6, 2006
186
0
Okay, so I've already ruled out the MBA because while the size is great, it simply isn't powerful enough.

So now, do I go with the 15' MBP or the 17'.

I have heard mixed things though about how much college students actually take their computers to class. Next year I will be a starting freshman studying international relations and I cannot imagine that I will need to bring my computer with me too often. If I get the 15 I will need an external monitor, but if I get the 17 I will not; and could save room on my desk-heck, I wouldn't even need to buy an external keyboard with the 17.

Thoughts? Am I an idiot to even consider the 17' for college?
 
Tallest Skil said:
Well, dorm room space is limited. I don't know how well a seventeen foot MacBook Pro will fit in there...

But a 17" MacBook Pro should be no problem whatsoever. Go for it!
Click to expand...

ahaha, my bad. Yes, I think a 17" mbp will fit just fine.
 
I am college bound as well and I just got my MBP. I went with the 17'' with the High Def screen and I couldn't be happier :). I'm fully confident that you will be more then happy with it. I think having 30% more screen real-estate for only 2'' more if definitely worth it.
 
Tallest Skil said:
Well, dorm room space is limited. I don't know how well a seventeen foot MacBook Pro will fit in there...

But a 17" MacBook Pro should be no problem whatsoever. Go for it!
Click to expand...

lol, beat me to it


Why do you say you'd need an external monitor with the 15 though?
 
I just got mine for school (Engineering) and I got the 15" for a couple reasons:

1. It was the only one I could afford :D
2. The 15" seemed less obtrusive (not like 17" is any more)
3. Didn't have a need for the higher resolution or 512MB VRAM
4. 1440x900 doesn't require the resources as much as the 17" (negligible though)

I probably would have gotten a 17" if I could have affored it more.
 
I went with the 15" when I got mine two years ago. I think it was a good choice. It's easier to carry around and if I need more screen real estate I hook it up to a 20" external monitor.
 
I would say 15 myself for portability reasons. 2 inches doesn't sound like much until you are carrying it around. I used to think Id never take my laptop to class when I went to a campus....boy was I wrong. I used it all the time to type notes in class (us left handers have horrid writing) and I found it easier to organize my notes too on the computer. Not to mention if the prof was talking about something I wanted more info on I always had the internet at my finger tips. Not to mention the time between classes as well I had internet to play on.

If you want to use an external in your dorm by all means do, its a great option. Back in my living area where I work (which is smaller then a dorm) I have a 26inch monitor set up that I plug into each night and work on. In the daytime I carry my laptop to the office and work on it there. Its a great setup.
 
Get the 15"

It's a much better form factor for carrying around. The 17" is a desktop replacement.
 
Have you had a chance to really play around with a MBP or even a MB? 13.3" really is more than enough space for your everyday computing.
 
help

I'm an engineering student and somehow survived my first 3 years using a dell inspiron (idk how) but im switching to a mac. Do I need to spend 1700 + applecare on a MBP? Can I get away with a macbook for matlab and maple, cad, etc?
 
Get the 17". I love my 15" as it is just perfect for me (sure I'd like a HD 17" but it would be all want and no need) but I'm sure you wouldn't want to have to hook up an external monitor (and pay for a monitor) every time you go back to your dorm room. I just started back to school this past spring for my MBA and while most students don't bring their computers to class I definitely do as it makes for taking notes a lot easier and faster and I can browse the internet when the lecture or classroom discussion gets a little boring.
 
I went with the 15" for the portability. You can get a 20" LCD for the price difference, and it wouldn't really take up all that much space on your desk.
 
moranej said:
I'm an engineering student and somehow survived my first 3 years using a dell inspiron (idk how) but im switching to a mac. Do I need to spend 1700 + applecare on a MBP? Can I get away with a macbook for matlab and maple, cad, etc?
Click to expand...

I don't know why you'd want to use Matlab over Mathematica, but a plain vanilla MB would handle what you've stated easily.
 
Emrtr4 said:
Okay, so I've already ruled out the MBA because while the size is great, it simply isn't powerful enough.

So now, do I go with the 15' MBP or the 17'.

I have heard mixed things though about how much college students actually take their computers to class. Next year I will be a starting freshman studying international relations and I cannot imagine that I will need to bring my computer with me too often. If I get the 15 I will need an external monitor, but if I get the 17 I will not; and could save room on my desk-heck, I wouldn't even need to buy an external keyboard with the 17.

Thoughts? Am I an idiot to even consider the 17' for college?
Click to expand...

well,i have the same problem with you...I can't decide whether i should get a 15 or a 17 MBP.....Tough decision.....
 
If you plan on taking it to class, get a 15", the 17" form factor becomes unwieldy if you are constantly taking it in and out of your backpack.

Considering the base MBP runs $2000 and the 17" Hi-Res runs $2900, the extra money could go towards a very nice 24" Monitor, you could even pick up a used 30" at that price point.

Tracer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back