Running Scaled Resolution

[smc333]

Hi Everyone,

Seeing the news of the upcoming new MacBook Pros, I will be looking to move from my 2012 r15 to a new r13' since I am docked 75% of the time, portable 25% of the time (and 13 is a much better portable size).

My biggest problem, the effective 1280x800 is just a bit too small, the 1440x900 of the 15 and 13 Air is perfect for a device this size, IMO. The rumors seem to suggest that though the displays will be upgraded in quality, it is likely they'll retain the same resolution. I've done a lot of searching, but I've got mixed results on the below two questions:

1. What is the current performance impact of running a scaled resolution, both performance and any impact to battery life?

2. Is there any noticable bluriness or degradation in quality running at a scaled resolution? Retina resolution is beautiful, I only wish it was 1440x900 native on the 13 inch pro.

 

[T5BRICK]

1. What is the current performance impact of running a scaled resolution, both performance and any impact to battery life?

Almost non-existent. I run my 13" rMBP at 1680x1050 and the performance and battery life seem unchanged from stock.

2. Is there any noticable bluriness or degradation in quality running at a scaled resolution? Retina resolution is beautiful, I only wish it was 1440x900 native on the 13 inch pro.

It looks fine to me, but I don't nit-pick the little issues.

 

[wegster]

Similar experience as T5 - the ability to run scaled resolutions finally makes the 13" a decent system (to me; I've had a 13" previously and it was OK...as long as it was always plugged into an external display).

RE: blurriness - I suppose it's possible you're lowering the 'effective' DPI but text and visuals are crisp - they would need to be, running a higher effective resolution on a small screen, and doing so compares well to my 1680x1050 CTO cMBP.

 

[smc333]

Similar experience as T5 - the ability to run scaled resolutions finally makes the 13" a decent system (to me; I've had a 13" previously and it was OK...as long as it was always plugged into an external display).

RE: blurriness - I suppose it's possible you're lowering the 'effective' DPI but text and visuals are crisp - they would need to be, running a higher effective resolution on a small screen, and doing so compares well to my 1680x1050 CTO cMBP.

Thanks both for the feedback, helps me feel better about the decision. I went a similar path from a 1680x1050 cMBP to rMBP 15. I much prefer the 13 inch size, again esp since most of the time I'll be docked with a MM2/MK2 and 21.5 inc Lenovo LED display.

Any other opinions and input will still be welcome!