Please help with my dilemma!

[cardinalryan]

I have purchased a late 2011 13" MBP for $950...I have an opportunity to buy a mid-2010 15" MBP for $1100. My 13" can still be returned to Best Buy for a refund.

The 15" is model # MC371LL/A, 2.4 i5, 4 GB of RAM, 320 GB HD. You know the specs of the latest, current 13" MBP.

With that knowledge, which is the better deal?

I do a lot of photo editing in Lightroom, PS5 and Aperture...also, I would like to be able to edit HD video.

Please offer some sound advice. I'm a little new to this, so please go easy on me if I'm asking questions that have already been asked.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

they are pretty similar in specs and will likely perform very similarly.

15" has a dedicated GPU, but it's not going to really make a difference in any of the tasks you mention.

Pretty much comes down to if you want a 15" screen and if that's worth $150 to you.

Also remember if you are buying used that the free year of apple care is probably up by now.

 

[cardinalryan]

they are pretty similar in specs and will likely perform very similarly.

15" has a dedicated GPU, but it's not going to really make a difference in any of the tasks you mention.

Pretty much comes down to if you want a 15" screen and if that's worth $150 to you.

Also remember if you are buying used that the free year of apple care is probably up by now.

So, are you saying that there will be little or no difference in performance? That it all comes down to screen size??

 

[ombrenelcielo]

they are pretty similar in specs and will likely perform very similarly.

15" has a dedicated GPU, but it's not going to really make a difference in any of the tasks you mention.

Pretty much comes down to if you want a 15" screen and if that's worth $150 to you.

Also remember if you are buying used that the free year of apple care is probably up by now.

I disagree with you.
GPU is useful to handle the load of most of Adobe's software dedicated to render videos or edit photos.

Besides that the screen size alone is a good thumbs up for the switch for me.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

So, are you saying that there will be little or no difference in performance? That it all comes down to screen size??

yeah one might get a few more points in this benchmark while the other will have a slight upper hand doing task B, but differences will be pretty negligible.

Differences, like I said, are screen size, and Apple Care. You usually can't add apple care after the initial free year is up, so definitely something to keep in mind when buying used.

 

[cardinalryan]

yeah one might get a few more points in this benchmark while the other will have a slight upper hand doing task B, but differences will be pretty negligible.

Differences, like I said, are screen size, and Apple Care. You usually can't add apple care after the initial free year is up, so definitely something to keep in mind when buying used.

But if you were to put apple care aside, is the 15" the better overall machine?

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

But if you were to put apple care aside, is the 15" the better overall machine?

no, like i said, only difference really is the screen size.

both computers have dual core i5's but the 13" is based on newer architecture (sandy bridge) so it will have slightly (and i mean slightly) better performance.

the 15" has a discrete GPU, and will probably perform better in more games, but like I said, the integrated gpu in the 13" is considered to be almost on par with the older 320m's. In most cases it's only slightly behind in benchmarks or tied, while in some cases it actually performs better.

Again, these are all technical differences, but none of them are going to be noticeable in day to day use.

Stop worrying so much about which computer is better because they are essentially the same. Pick the one with the screen size and price YOU want.

 

[cardinalryan]

no, like i said, only difference really is the screen size.

both computers have dual core i5's but the 13" is based on newer architecture (sandy bridge) so it will have slightly (and i mean slightly) better performance.

the 15" has a discrete GPU, and will probably perform better in more games, but like I said, the integrated gpu in the 13" is considered to be almost on par with the older 320m's. In most cases it's only slightly behind in benchmarks or tied, while in some cases it actually performs better.

Again, these are all technical differences, but none of them are going to be noticeable in day to day use.

Stop worrying so much about which computer is better because they are essentially the same. Pick the one with the screen size and price YOU want.

That said, is the Early 2011 15" appreciably better, performance wise, than the late 2011 13"? Basically, I can get an early 2011 15" for $300 more than what I paid for the late 2011 13". Forgetting screen size, will I notice a performance difference between these two models?

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

That said, is the Early 2011 15" appreciably better, performance wise, than the late 2011 13"? Basically, I can get an early 2011 15" for $300 more than what I paid for the late 2011 13". Forgetting screen size, will I notice a performance difference between these two models?

yes, huge difference... a few basics:

much faster processor (quad core instead of dual)
better graphics (integrated and discrete gpu)
larger screen (15" vs 13")
larger HDD (500gb vs 320)