New to Macs. Need help picking a Macbook Pro!

[DomLando]

This will be my first Mac purchase. I have been a PC user for 10 plus years. I am looking to buy a Macbook Pro but I am unsure which one to get. I basically will be using the computer for work and home use, internet browsing, watching movies and music, some photo editing and not to much more.

I am trying to pick between the stock 13 inch and the 15 inch with a high res screen. The 15 inch will be a lot more and I am not so sure if it is worth it. How big of a difference is the high res screen? Do i get glossy or matte? Also how big of a difference are Duo Core Processors and i5 chips? Is 4 MB of RAM enough?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Anything you can add to help me make my decision would be great as well. Like I said this will be my first Mac purchase so I need as much help as I can get. Thanks!!

 

[NOTORIOUS187]

This will be my first Mac purchase. I have been a PC user for 10 plus years. I am looking to buy a Macbook Pro but I am unsure which one to get. I basically will be using the computer for work and home use, internet browsing, watching movies and music, some photo editing and not to much more.

I am trying to pick between the stock 13 inch and the 15 inch with a high res screen. The 15 inch will be a lot more and I am not so sure if it is worth it. How big of a difference is the high res screen? Do i get glossy or matte? Also how big of a difference are Duo Core Processors and i5 chips? Is 4 MB of RAM enough?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Anything you can add to help me make my decision would be great as well. Like I said this will be my first Mac purchase so I need as much help as I can get. Thanks!!

Search the forums. All your questions have been answered in previous threads.

 

[Ronnoco]

Dom,
Most of this is purely subjective as to someones needs or tolerances...
Clearly the 13" is preferred for portability and seems to be the choice of most of the high school and college students along with those professionals that have a commute or small workspace or simply prefer the smaller form factor...

There is quite a difference between the HiRes and the standard displays but for many, the standard 1440x900 glossy seems fine...others who find the glare factor of the glossy screen too much to handle or work as professional photographers need the color match of the matte display and/or the increased screen real estate of the HiRes...

The Core ix is going to show it's increased power in CPU intensive operations such as video editing and advanced photoshop editing as well as some gaming [the Core i7 has twice the video RAM as the i5 as well]. In real world use, the HD is probably more a factor than the CPU for most people (7200rpm vs. 5400rpm or for fastest read/write, an SSD)...
IMO, the base 15 is the best overall "bang for the buck" in the new line of MBP's and the base 13" also appears to be a very good choice for those who prefer portability and mostly do email, web surfing and word processing with some gaming and lite video editing...many have stated that the C2D in the 13" provide all the power needed for most anything you need to do..
Again, it is very dependent on your personal needs and usage but whichever you choose, you will be purchasing one fine computer...

 

[jmdMac]

Search the forums. All your questions have been answered in previous threads.

MRoogle would be your best bet. Check the link in my sig.

 

[robotmonkey]

Performance: A Core 2 Duo will be more than enough for what you are doing, no you won't need more than 4 gb of ram. Yes, an i5 is faster but you aren't going to be noticing it unless you are rendering some 3d graphics, compiling code, editing large HD videos, or playing some cpu intensive game.

Size: Gotta love the 13 inch's small form factor, but a 15 inch is still portable. I personally wouldn't want a 15 inch, especially since I am a student and I need it to fit in a bag. Also, the 15 inch is about a pound heavier

Screen: Contrary to popular belief, 13 inches is plenty large enough, but the hi-res 15 inch screen is beautiful. Definitely don't get the standard screen of you go 15.

Battery: 13 inch has a 1-2 hour advantage

Price: All of apple products are overpriced, but one glaring example is the difference in price between the different sizes of macbook pros. I don't think the extra cost of a 15 inch can be justified unless you really want that extra bit of screen.

Sound: The 13 inch doesn't have any speaker grilles and the decrease in performance from this is very apparent, though they aren't bad speakers. It's just that the 15 does have noticeably better sound, though if you plan on using it at home both are still inadequate for serious use; you'll want external speakers for home use for both.

Ports and plugs: My biggest complaint about the 13 inch, namley the combined audio in/out jack. Some of us actually do need to use both at the same time, and the 15 and the 17 have separate in and out jacks. I am sure there are other stuff you can get on the 15, but idk.


For me personally, the 13 inch is the best. For what you are doing I would have to say the same, but you might want the 15 inch with the hi res display I suggest you spend some time with both in a store.

 

[elpmas]

Performance: A Core 2 Duo will be more than enough for what you are doing, no you won't need more than 4 gb of ram. Yes, an i5 is faster but you aren't going to be noticing it unless you are rendering some 3d graphics, compiling code, editing large HD videos, or playing some cpu intensive game.

Size: Gotta love the 13 inch's small form factor, but a 15 inch is still portable. I personally wouldn't want a 15 inch, especially since I am a student and I need it to fit in a bag. Also, the 15 inch is about a pound heavier

Screen: Contrary to popular belief, 13 inches is plenty large enough, but the hi-res 15 inch screen is beautiful. Definitely don't get the standard screen of you go 15.

Battery: 13 inch has a 1-2 hour advantage

Price: All of apple products are overpriced, but one glaring example is the difference in price between the different sizes of macbook pros. I don't think the extra cost of a 15 inch can be justified unless you really want that extra bit of screen.

Sound: The 13 inch doesn't have any speaker grilles and the decrease in performance from this is very apparent, though they aren't bad speakers. It's just that the 15 does have noticeably better sound, though if you plan on using it at home both are still inadequate for serious use; you'll want external speakers for home use for both.

Ports and plugs: My biggest complaint about the 13 inch, namley the combined audio in/out jack. Some of us actually do need to use both at the same time, and the 15 and the 17 have separate in and out jacks. I am sure there are other stuff you can get on the 15, but idk.


For me personally, the 13 inch is the best. For what you are doing I would have to say the same, but you might want the 15 inch with the hi res display I suggest you spend some time with both in a store.

This basically answered the thread question haha. Get a Mac and no worries about viruses again! Plus, simplicity is be-a-u-tiful!

 

[runebinder]

Based purely on your usage, go with the 13", will be more than powerful enough for your needs.

Screen wise is defintely subjective as someone has already said. Best bet is to go down to an Apple store or a reseller and have a look for yourself to see what you prefer. I have the 1440x900 screen and love it.

 

[Lambros]

Out of interest though, how long would a 13 inch last in terms of usage and continuously being able to complete tasks such as light photoshopping, light video rendering, word docs, youtube vids (in HD) etc?

 

[Ronnoco]

Out of interest though, how long would a 13 inch last in terms of usage and continuously being able to complete tasks such as light photoshopping, light video rendering, word docs, youtube vids (in HD) etc?

My six year old G4 PowerBook still does those things just fine...I'm sure you'd get at least 3 or 4 very good years out of the 13" C2D...