New MacBook Pro - 15" or 17"?

[ApplePu]

After a long time of waiting, the new mbps have finally arrived. and now they're out, I can't decide which one to get

i was sure to order the 15", now as it is finally possible, with the hi-res display of course. but after comparing the 15" to the 17", i'm not too sure anymore, especially as they are pretty close in pricing.

i guess i'll use it for pretty usual stuff and for imaging with aperture 3 and photoshop. as i'm not directly planning to buy an external display, it would be good to have a nice big screen. is the real estate on the 17" much larger than on the hi-res 15"? i like the smaller and lighter form factor of the 15" and i'm a bit afraid of using the 17" on the go due to its size and weight. on the other hand i like the look of the 17", especially the narrower bezel around the display.

what have you got / would you recommend?

 

[tekmoe]

I fell into the same trap. I wanted the 15" i5 2.53 GHz with the Hi-Res display. After doing the math I could get the 17" i5 2.53 GHz with TWICE the VRAM and more screen real estate (1920x1200 compared to the 15" 1680x1050) for only $160 more (educational pricing). It was a no brainer.

 

[Scott6666]

I'm on this fence as well. Wondering if the 17" is just too large for couch working / surfing and a carrying around in general.

 

[ApplePu]

exactly that is my problem as well: i guess from a technical point of view, you'll get much more bang for the buck when going for 17". But i'm just not sure if this thing is still portable enough to be a notebook in the practical sense....