rMBP to take everywhere - 15" too bulky?

[pscl]

Personally I don't see very much value in some of the power 13" rmbp options. I tried configuring the 13" to 2.6/16/512 and I was very close to the top stock configuration for the 15" rmbp. I paid the difference and I got two more cores and a gpu to show for it, as well as the ability to run at 1900x1200 without having to squint my eyes.

Also, if you're going into engineering/computer science, you'll want those two extra cores. I can max this 15" rmbp quite easily. I just run 2-3 virtual machines, and when doing networking labs I need at least that many to actually verify that my setup works.

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Only 2000? You mean you didn't get the optional gold backplate? </joke>

FU§$ it!!!! Where is the gold option??????? DAMN.

 

[Starfyre]

15'' is very light in contrast to many notebooks, very easy to carry around and long battery life.

 

[Arid]

As much as I like my 13 MBP, I just returned it for a 15 and the extra footprint is not noticeable. I commute to work by train and I plan to take it with me on flights; 15 is the perfect size. The screen is absolutely gorgeous! If you think the 13' screen is nice, the 15' screen will blow you away!

 

[jmthigpen]

As much as I like my 13 MBP, I just returned it for a 15 and the extra footprint is not noticeable. I commute to work by train and I plan to take it with me on flights; 15 is the perfect size. The screen is absolutely gorgeous! If you think the 13' screen is nice, the 15' screen will blow you away!

Did the same thing, returned my 13 rMBP for the 15 yesterday, very happy with my decision. The 15" screen is just glorious, not to mention 1440x900 is the optimal laptop resolution in my opinion.

 

[richard371]

I wouldn't touch the 15" for me its just to big and bulky. Unlike my 13 it will not fit in my messenger bag. Also paying close to 3K including tax just to get the dedicated GPU is not practical for me. I will be better off selling my 13 in 2 years and getting the newer model then keeping the top of the line 15 for say 4 years. In 2 years the 13 will be comparable in performance to the current 15.

 

[jmthigpen]

If only there was a 14" rMBP with the current 15" rMBP's screen.. that would be perfect! Edge to edge screen...

 

[FrozenDarkness]

i think the problem for me is that the 13 rmbp is still too weak for my purposes (running visualization software, VM, and occasional gaming). Sometimes power requirements trump any weight advantages

 

[FrozenDarkness]

I wouldn't touch the 15" for me its just to big and bulky. Unlike my 13 it will not fit in my messenger bag. Also paying close to 3K including tax just to get the dedicated GPU is not practical for me. I will be better off selling my 13 in 2 years and getting the newer model then keeping the top of the line 15 for say 4 years. <b>In 2 years the 13 will be comparable in performance to the current 15.</b>

certainly nothing multi-threaded

 

[PDFierro]

As much as I like my 13 MBP, I just returned it for a 15 and the extra footprint is not noticeable. I commute to work by train and I plan to take it with me on flights; 15 is the perfect size. The screen is absolutely gorgeous! If you think the 13' screen is nice, the 15' screen will blow you away!

Glad to see someone speak positive of the 15" in this matter. Like you, I will need to take my Mac on trains/planes, and always thought that the 15" would be too big.

But I really do love the 13" size.

 

[cekaai]

I have the 15" late 2013 and as a girl the weight is absolutely nothing.
My empty leather purse that I carry everyday is heavier than my new rMBP.
It's amazing how light and thin it is.

 

[FastEddiebags]

As a student, I don't feel like the weight is even the issue. If you can't carry that around, how can you carry your books. The biggest difference for me would be the surface area of the 13" vs 15" because of desks.

 

[ipodlover77]

I have the 15" late 2013 and as a girl the weight is absolutely nothing.
My empty leather purse that I carry everyday is heavier than my new rMBP.
It's amazing how light and thin it is.

Your empty leather purse weighs more than 4.5 pounds?

Thats pretty heavy.

 

[Essenar]

Personally I don't see very much value in some of the power 13" rmbp options. I tried configuring the 13" to 2.6/16/512 and I was very close to the top stock configuration for the 15" rmbp. I paid the difference and I got two more cores and a gpu to show for it, as well as the ability to run at 1900x1200 without having to squint my eyes.

Also, if you're going into engineering/computer science, you'll want those two extra cores. I can max this 15" rmbp quite easily. I just run 2-3 virtual machines, and when doing networking labs I need at least that many to actually verify that my setup works.

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Only 2000? You mean you didn't get the optional gold backplate? </joke>

I can agree with this. I'm an engineering major and as much as I loved the basic 13" for notes, videos and 'being a college' student, the power of the 13" left me wanting. You'll be writing code, using MATLAB, compiling programs and you'll be doing a lot of this, regardless of which engineering branch you choose. You'll want the quad-core. The discrete graphics are a bonus but think of it this way:
The base 15" late 2012/early 2013 gives you a 256GB SSD, 8GB of ram, a 2.3 ghz quad core i7 and a 1GB discrete GPU for around $1800 if you shop around. The upgraded 13" Retina with 256/8 and a dual-core Haswell i7 is the same price but with two less cores and no discrete graphics.

The discrete graphics REALLY hurts when gaming or doing rendering. It hurts a lot. And the two cores? The Ivy Bridge 2.3 i7 Quad is FASTER than the dual core Haswell i7. Newer doesn't always mean better.

The weight? It's 1 pound lighter, the 13" Retina. One pound. You ever carried one pound? A package of bacon weighs a pound. A guinea pig weighs a pound.

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I wouldn't touch the 15" for me its just to big and bulky. Unlike my 13 it will not fit in my messenger bag. Also paying close to 3K including tax just to get the dedicated GPU is not practical for me. I will be better off selling my 13 in 2 years and getting the newer model then keeping the top of the line 15 for say 4 years. In 2 years the 13 will be comparable in performance to the current 15.

Falser words haven't been spoken.

The late 2013 Retina isn't the only Retina in this dogfight. I'd put my money on people being able to find Late 2012/Early 2013 Retina MacBook Pro's brand new in the box on clearance for $200-300 off. They're new so you get the full warranty and given their late manufacturing date, you'll probably score well on the screen.

I know I did.

So you save money, get discrete GPU, more powerful processor and you don't have to make compromises. I'm not happy with Apple's decisions about the 15" base for 2013 so I think 2013 is an era to skip unless you have massive expendable income. The performance of the 650m from last year is comparable to the performance of the 750m (the 650m last year was a rebadged 660M with higher clocks and better thermal management) but you jump to nearly $3000 to get the 750m. I'd rather have a Late 2012/Early 2013 model and an iPad Air on the side and an iPhone 5S in my pocket if I were spending $3000.

 

[phsphoenix]

The really really sad part is that most engineering colleges have caught on that students are buying laptops. We don't even have enough computers to go around at school anymore. If you try and work in the computer lab during daytime hours you'll run a high risk of getting thrown out because the lab is booked for a class. Also, when trying to use the school computers all you get is the apps they want you to have and a mere 500mb disk quota. Not exactly useful for most of the work we're expected to do.

This is why I would pick the quad core over the dual core and the 15" over the 13". The 13" is really wanting if you use it as a primary machine. It simply doesn't have enough juice to do some of the stuff we need to throw at it.

 

[isephmusic]

someone sold me an i7 3.0hz 526ssd 8gb ram and it runs VM fine, its fast as all hell, portable and 7 hours battery life. could not ask for a better laptop at $1500. could never go back to my 15in classic goliath felt like i was moving my house with me. no ssd vs ssd is huge !

 

[kittencounter]

Don't buy bigger laptop because you fear you won't have enough power. Even the MBA can handle most of the tasks pretty well. The 15" MBP has its place for ppl works because of it's screen real estate. If you do lots of writing and "check on things" works, 13" machines will be enough to be carried around. You will appreciate the 15" if you have to work with tools with complex UI most of your time. Like space for outlines functions, debug windows, inspect windows, complex tool boxes...etc. With more space available at your sight and more space to view the content you are working on, it saves so much work for "micro thinking" and "micro handling" (remember the content, scrolling, resizing..).

In my experience the best way to know which machine is the right one for you is to work and observe ppl around handle things on their Macbooks, doing the same tasks you have to do with your future Macbook. It gives you a good reference to make the right decision.

 

[Heli0s]

I have been going through almost the exact same dilemma. If you have been checking out your options in a local store I would assume you are already seeing Education pricing (http://store.apple.com/us-hed.) A 13" 2.8 i7, 16, 512 would cost you $2,059 vs. a 15" 2.3 i7, 16, 512 at $2,399. Thats a difference of $320 or a 15.4% up charge for the 15". Not such a huge difference, but I personally was also looking for portability, and actually prefer the smaller form factor of the 13". Although it is disappointing they don't offer a 13" with quad-core and dGPU, for me it was the cost that eventually tipped the balance. If your options are nearly identical in terms of desirability, might as well let the bank account weigh in as well.

 

[Wishbrah]

I wouldn't touch the 15" for me its just to big and bulky. Unlike my 13 it will not fit in my messenger bag. Also paying close to 3K including tax just to get the dedicated GPU is not practical for me. I will be better off selling my 13 in 2 years and getting the newer model then keeping the top of the line 15 for say 4 years. In 2 years the 13 will be comparable in performance to the current 15.

So a late 2013 13" is comparable to a late 2011 15" in computing power?

 

[myxomatosis]

I used to carry around a big bulky 17" Dell laptop, so no need to say the 15" rMBP is a lightweight and a pleasure to carry/use in comparison.

I don't think the 15" is too big, it's very thin and not that heavy.

 

[AJP123]

Hey everyone,

Wow, lots of interest in this thread! Well, I finally made a decision today, and bought the 15" rMBP with 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, i7 2.3GHz processor, and discrete graphics (which I don't really care about, but I read there's a download available somewhere which allows you to turn it off manually if you want to do that, so I thought it was better off to get it now, rather than not get it and regret it later).

My primary "tipping reasons" were:

1. I won't actually be taking it to uni, since I'll have an iMac provided for me there. Thus it won't actually be a go-everywhere laptop, and the 15" is still portable enough, regarding weight and battery life.
2. My mum had the brilliant, yet simple idea of trying my dad's 13" laptop on my desk with my monitor and laptop stand set-up. I found it a little small for my liking, thinking to myself, I wouldn't actually use this portability (for the above reason).

My experience at the Apple store was lovely. I got there at 6:30pm tonight, and couldn't resist rattling off the exact specs of the machine I wanted super-confidently to the welcoming lady at the door. She found me a salesman (or whatever their official title is ), who got me the rMBP with all the accessories I needed. I bought a "Specky" brand case, but unfortunately, the first two didn't quite fit the rMBP right - they may have been warped. He patiently tried them, while I tried to calm myself, worrying that the rMBP would be scratched. The third one, whilst not completely perfect, fit reasonably well. Mum and I ended up being the last customers to leave the shop, at 7:30pm (the store shuts at 7pm), and the salesman cheerfully sent us on our way .

Thanks heaps to everyone for your feedback

 

[tobeornottobe]

It's not really the weight I'm worried about - my current laptop is 2.3kg, and I'm okay with carrying that around everywhere (along with a charger and a bunch of cables). It's more the size and bulkiness of it compared to the 13", and how comfortable it will be to use when out and about (cafes, planes, cars, buses, etc.)

Definitely 15" on a bus and plane is insanity. You probably need first class seats on planes to use 15"laptops. Even 13"is pushing the limits on a bus. If you really need to use a computer in transport I suggest you go for 11mba or iPad.

 

[empireofpassion]

Hey everyone,

Wow, lots of interest in this thread! Well, I finally made a decision today, and bought the 15" rMBP with 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, i7 2.3GHz processor, and discrete graphics (which I don't really care about, but I read there's a download available somewhere which allows you to turn it off manually if you want to do that, so I thought it was better off to get it now, rather than not get it and regret it later).

My primary "tipping reasons" were:

1. I won't actually be taking it to uni, since I'll have an iMac provided for me there. Thus it won't actually be a go-everywhere laptop, and the 15" is still portable enough, regarding weight and battery life.
2. My mum had the brilliant, yet simple idea of trying my dad's 13" laptop on my desk with my monitor and laptop stand set-up. I found it a little small for my liking, thinking to myself, I wouldn't actually use this portability (for the above reason).

My experience at the Apple store was lovely. I got there at 6:30pm tonight, and couldn't resist rattling off the exact specs of the machine I wanted super-confidently to the welcoming lady at the door. She found me a salesman (or whatever their official title is ), who got me the rMBP with all the accessories I needed. I bought a "Specky" brand case, but unfortunately, the first two didn't quite fit the rMBP right - they may have been warped. He patiently tried them, while I tried to calm myself, worrying that the rMBP would be scratched. The third one, whilst not completely perfect, fit reasonably well. Mum and I ended up being the last customers to leave the shop, at 7:30pm (the store shuts at 7pm), and the salesman cheerfully sent us on our way .

Thanks heaps to everyone for your feedback

Congratulations with your choice. Would you please give feedback here about your impressions, and tell whether switching off the dGPU works well? Thanks in advance...

 

[SarcasticJoe]

I've carried a 15" MBP with me back and forth to university lectures since the fall of 2008 (I have a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering and working on my Master's right now) and since then I'm on my second 15" Macbook Pro. Once I slipped on ice and fell straight on my back, but thanks to a good backpack the Macbook that I had in it survived without a scratch.

Sure, some (lazy) people think it plus the note materials and occasional (hardcover) textbook are too much, but if you have a good backpack I don't think it's that bad once you've gotten used to it. The days I don't have the Macbook with me don't feel that much tougher than the ones that I do have it with me. However I can understand the appeal of the now much cheaper 13" rMBP for people who don't need the graphics boost and wouldn't fault anyone for buying one because of the price.

 

[DarwinOSX]

Video encoding is in fact dramatically faster than on a dual core.
You are explaining your rationalization for what you bought and not answering his concerns. All too typical of forum posts.

A little bit of video encoding or gaming is not serious work... I really doubt the extra performance of the 15" would affect you in any way. In fact, given what you said, the choice would be obvious for me.

The relief I feel now that I have the MBA instead of a 14" Windows laptop (sounds familiar? ) is just amazing. I walk around with this thing all the time and I absolutely can't imagine getting a 15", it's just not a mobile laptop. It is a "mobile" workstation, but it just doesn't seem to me like you need one.

You can always make a case for buying the most powerful thing out there, even just to make yourself feel better (oh my I'm so "pro"), but the trade-off here is so obvious that getting a maxed out rMBP is just silly in this case. You'll appreciate the weight and size of the 13" much more than the obsolete power you have idle. I'm pretty sure that it can easily last you 3-4 years, unless you get caught up in getting the latest and greatest for no apparent reason

To be honest, I think that your supervisor was right and you would easily get a few years out of an MBA. I do understand that the retina screen is a major factor for some, so if you feel this way then do go ahead. The 15" would be an overkill imho and just wouldn't fit your usage well.

----------

How easy and comfortable it is in a case makes all the difference. The Incase retina MacBook Pro case sold only in Apple stores works well for me and has a sleeve for my iPad.
http://store.apple.com/us_epp_11516...-for-macbook-pro-with-retina-display?fnode=50

Hey everyone,

Wow, lots of interest in this thread! Well, I finally made a decision today, and bought the 15" rMBP with 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, i7 2.3GHz processor, and discrete graphics (which I don't really care about, but I read there's a download available somewhere which allows you to turn it off manually if you want to do that, so I thought it was better off to get it now, rather than not get it and regret it later).

My primary "tipping reasons" were:

1. I won't actually be taking it to uni, since I'll have an iMac provided for me there. Thus it won't actually be a go-everywhere laptop, and the 15" is still portable enough, regarding weight and battery life.
2. My mum had the brilliant, yet simple idea of trying my dad's 13" laptop on my desk with my monitor and laptop stand set-up. I found it a little small for my liking, thinking to myself, I wouldn't actually use this portability (for the above reason).

My experience at the Apple store was lovely. I got there at 6:30pm tonight, and couldn't resist rattling off the exact specs of the machine I wanted super-confidently to the welcoming lady at the door. She found me a salesman (or whatever their official title is ), who got me the rMBP with all the accessories I needed. I bought a "Specky" brand case, but unfortunately, the first two didn't quite fit the rMBP right - they may have been warped. He patiently tried them, while I tried to calm myself, worrying that the rMBP would be scratched. The third one, whilst not completely perfect, fit reasonably well. Mum and I ended up being the last customers to leave the shop, at 7:30pm (the store shuts at 7pm), and the salesman cheerfully sent us on our way .

Thanks heaps to everyone for your feedback

 

[AirThis]

The 15" rmbp is inadequate for trains and planes if you ask me. It's simply too big to work with comfortably. You can barely put it on a plane tray, and when you can, the person in front of you is sure to recline his/her seat. 11 inch MBA is a much better candidate IMHO. Or an Ipad...

Otherwise, it is easy to transport. It's a good machine to travel with just as long as you have the desktop real estate to put it on.