New MBP ix 13in vs Refurb MBP 15in

[monkey52892]

Hello MacRumors Members,

This fall, I am going to be a freshmen in college (pharmacy major) and have finally decided to make the conversion from Windows to Mac. Based on the title, you can probably see I am in a dilemma between choosing which MBP to get, having read the forums and guides.

New Macbook Pro 13in ix (Arrandale) [base model] & iPod Touch for $1100
(I will probably buy an external monitor if I vouch for this option)
- or -
Refurbished Macbook Pro 15in 2.53Ghz (current generation) for $(Any estimates?)

Factors:
- Money is a major factor, as I am willing to spend $1300-1400 max
- Web Browsing, Email, Word, etc. for 85% of time
- Play games (ie: Modern Warfare 2) for 15% of time
- Screen size "doesn't matter" but prefer larger screens
- Prefer matte, but will invest in an Anti-Glare screen for MBP 13in
- If I get a MBP 13in, I will keep the iPod touch
- Willing to sacrifice graphics for gaming in return for better grades

Questions:
- Will Arrandale really make that big of a difference in comparison to the current MBP 2.53Ghz?
- Do MBP 15in gain more "respect" than MBP 13in due to the stereotype of its high cost?

Any responses would be highly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[bananaboi]

Hello MacRumors Members,

This fall, I am going to be a freshmen in college (pharmacy major) and have finally decided to make the conversion from Windows to Mac. Based on the title, you can probably see I am in a dilemma between choosing which MBP to get, having read the forums and guides.

New Macbook Pro 13in ix (Arrandale) [base model] & iPod Touch for $1100
(I will probably buy an external monitor if I vouch for this option)
- or -
Refurbished Macbook Pro 15in 2.53Ghz (current generation) for $(Any estimates?)

Factors:
- Money is a major factor, as I am willing to spend $1300-1400 max
- Web Browsing, Email, Word, etc. for 85% of time
- Play games (ie: Modern Warfare 2) for 15% of time
- Screen size "doesn't matter" but prefer larger screens
- Prefer matte, but will invest in an Anti-Glare screen for MBP 13in
- If I get a MBP 13in, I will keep the iPod touch
- Willing to sacrifice graphics for gaming in return for better grades

Questions:
- Will Arrandale really make that big of a difference in comparison to the current MBP 2.53Ghz?
- Do MBP 15in gain more "respect" than MBP 13in due to the stereotype of its high cost?

Any responses would be highly appreciated.
Thanks.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for 1300-1400, you could only get the 13inch. MW2 would probably be unplayable for the current lineup of 13in MBPs. If I were you, I would just wait until Tuesday to see if there's a better gpu. If it's still integrated, there would probably be a 0-5fps improvement in MW2, no matter what core iX cpu they put in there. For your second question.. I'm a senior in college, and I have yet to see any student with a 15in MBP. If you go to the Apple Store and compare the two, you won't notice much of a difference in size either. If you want to satisfy all those needs that you listed, I suggest you purchase a netbook for carrying around to class, and a gaming laptop/desktop from Toshiba/Dell/Asus. 13in MBs/MBPs were never built for gaming. But then again, as a senior, I rarely ever see students still gaming on computers. If you want to play MW2, just get an xbox/ps3.. and then you'll be satisfied with a 13in MBP

 

[jmdMac]

Hello MacRumors Members,

This fall, I am going to be a freshmen in college (pharmacy major)...
Thanks.

You mean you're going into pre-pharmacy if this is just your first year of college.

Hello MacRumors Members,

New Macbook Pro 13in ix (Arrandale) [base model] & iPod Touch for $1100
(I will probably buy an external monitor if I vouch for this option)

I don't see anyway you can come out with an new mpb 13 AND an itouch for that sorry ..... i wish

 

[cys920622]

With the right settings, even the most basic 13" MBP will run MW2 with decent FPS (on Windows 7 boot camp, however). I was actually curious about gaming on the MBP too and looked up a bunch of videos on Youtube. I'm not sure what gaming is like on the Mac OS, tbh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Ba_kEdMY0
MW2 on 13" MBP, lowest specs

"The fps are constantly between 40 and 50 frames per second at low settings. In buildings or areas with not such a far viewing distance about 70-90"

 

[tbobmccoy]

You mean you're going into pre-pharmacy if this is just your first year of college.



I don't see anyway you can come out with an new mpb 13 AND an itouch for that sorry ..... i wish

He's no doubt referring to the Back to School promo that occurs nearly every summer where you get a free iPod with the purchase of a laptop.

Ad for your choice... Go with a refurb 15" MBP when they update. You'll get a discrete gpu, which might end up being way cheaper since it'll be the last gen laptop, and you'll benefit from the gpu immensely more than the ix processor w/ integrated gfx. Of course, I'd get the 13" if the updAte includes a discrete gfx card though...

 

[Angelo95210]

Are you going to travel around with your laptop or let it at home. Because the 13' is really smaller and I assure that makes a huge difference. Moreover if you are on the budget I would take the 13'.

 

[monkey52892]

Thanks for all the replies so far!

I guess I will be traveling with my MBP. But probably not too much, just from the dorm to the library mostly. As for the graphics, I plan to play MW2 rarely, once a week for about a hour. I'll wait tomorrow (hopefully) to see the new macbook pro lineup before making such a critical decision.

 

[avediswolf]

Go with the 17" Chicks will dig it.