Right choice for me?

[GaresTaylan]

Hey everyone. I am trying to decide on a new MBP. I currently have a 2007 17" MBP (2.33GHz, 4GB RAM, ATI X1600 GPU).

I have found that I am almost never on my iMac anymore. It is upstairs and has become my fiancee's primary machine - and am looking for something portable to use downstairs or on the go when I need something beefier than the iPad. I do have a powerful desktop upstairs for gaming, but thats all I ever really use it for as Ive grown tired of Windows and more accustomed to OSX.

I want something smaller than the 17" - and the 13" is out as I would like something with a quad core processor and the possibility of adding a high res display. I will generally be using it for:

-Light photoshop & acrobat
-Light gaming (by light, I mean Knights of the Old Republic, Diablo 2, Baldur's Gate... maybe some PSX or PS2 emulation).
-Streaming Netflix/Youtube (Current MBP lags terribly on HD youtube videos)
-Everyday web browsing

Price is an issue... but if the lower end model wouldnt fit my needs... I would spring for the higher end if I had to. So here are my questions about the 15" model:

1) Are the High Res and Antiglare screens worth the additional cost?
2) Will the lower end video card suit me?

I will be adding my own SSD and upgrading the RAM on my own.

 

[TheFarmer]

1) Are the High Res and Antiglare screens worth the additional cost?
2) Will the lower end video card suit me?

I will be adding my own SSD and upgrading the RAM on my own.

1. Yes (to me anyway)
2. Yes, from your description it will do just fine

 

[nickcao]

the high res is really good for movie and normal use, but the high res will lower ur Gpu's performance as well. and for 13", there is no quad core, but only dual core available. the Gpu of 13" high end is a bit faster than new i5.

 

[GaresTaylan]

Thanks for the feedback. If you get the anti-glare you lose the black, glossy bezel, correct?

 

[ECUpirate44]

Thanks for the feedback. If you get the anti-glare you lose the black, glossy bezel, correct?

Correct.

I also suggest a high res screen. The base model will do just fine for you.

 

[T-bag]

Correct. You should note that the 17" isn't a lot bigger than the 15".

I would sell the 17" and get the more powerful 15" with highres antiglare and a ssd drive (I like having just one machine) or get a new 17".

I use a 17" and an iPad for my needs. Perfect combo for me .

 

[GaresTaylan]

Appreciate the additional information.

I really love the black bezel around the screen, but it certainly isn't worth having that over the anti-glare from the way it sounds - so i think that's the way to go.

I find that the 17" I have now is too large and uncomfortable when sitting on the couch. I have a 2008 15" model that was deployed to me by my place of work and I find it to be much more comfortable.

Any additional thoughts on the differences in GPUs? I am trying to avoid buyer's remorse - and future-proof if possible even though I know that's nearly impossible in the tech world.

 

[ECUpirate44]

I think the GPU in the base model will be just fine. I have a Nvidia 320M with 512MB in my 2010 mbp and i'm not limited at all.

 

[nickcao]

Appreciate the additional information.

I really love the black bezel around the screen, but it certainly isn't worth having that over the anti-glare from the way it sounds - so i think that's the way to go.

I find that the 17" I have now is too large and uncomfortable when sitting on the couch. I have a 2008 15" model that was deployed to me by my place of work and I find it to be much more comfortable.

Any additional thoughts on the differences in GPUs? I am trying to avoid buyer's remorse - and future-proof if possible even though I know that's nearly impossible in the tech world.

not much differents in GPUs.

i7
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52231&processor=i7-2620M&spec-codes=SR03F,SR041

i5
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52224&processor=i5-2410M&spec-codes=SR04B,SR04G

its like 100Hz different for Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency. and a bit small memory shared for graphics card when u installed 8Gb memory.

 

[adnoh]

Go with base spec but high res, you probably won't buy a high res monitor after that