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Should i buy 13" rMBP i7 or 15" rMBP base model for college?

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phillyfan9090

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 31, 2013
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I want a fast machine that will handle anything that I throw at it. I will be using it for college needs and video watching as well as some gaming and photoshop. And of course, portability is important because Ill be carrying it around campus.

Down to these 2 models: rMBP 13" with the i7 and rMPB 15" base model.
Which laptop would be worth the investment?
I understand that the 15" has all the power that I want, but does the upgraded i7 with the 13" dramatically improve performance? The 13" is very portable, but if the performance on the base 15" if far superior, then I would sacrifice a little weight for faster speeds
 
If you want power, Id say the 15. The 13" are all dual cores even with the i7, all the 15" are quad cores. The 15" also has dedicated graphics while the 13" doesnt. The 15" will be far more superior, but will have a bigger footprint on your desk. But right now, the 15" is thinner than the 13", if that helps any.
 
phillyfan9090 said:
I want a fast machine that will handle anything that I throw at it. I will be using it for college needs and video watching as well as some gaming and photoshop. And of course, portability is important because Ill be carrying it around campus.

Down to these 2 models: rMBP 13" with the i7 and rMPB 15" base model.
Which laptop would be worth the investment?
I understand that the 15" has all the power that I want, but does the upgraded i7 with the 13" dramatically improve performance? The 13" is very portable, but if the performance on the base 15" if far superior, then I would sacrifice a little weight for faster speeds
Click to expand...

Not worth the money for that upgrade. Might as well go for the base 15".
 
The 15" rMBP is a great computer. :p Also getting it for college. It's lightweight & very powerful~!!
 
Price/Performance: 13" i7 for Portability vs Faster rMBP 15"
On the rMBP 13" there is a 16% performance difference between the i5 base model and i7 chip.

I'd suggest getting a Refurbished rMBP 13" with i7 processor. Or if you can use the educational discount and get the base model. Refurb with i7 should run the same price as Edu. with i5. If you're a little tight on your budget get the 13" rMBP Base Model with Edu discount or Refurb if you can.

Now consider the price you've just spent. At that price with the i7 you can get a base model rMBP. You want a fast machine for Gaming, then go for the 15"... The 13" can handle PS just fine. However, there is a 47% difference in CPU performance with the 15" base model compared to the 13" i7 chip. It doesn't mean the 13" is slow, it is a fast machine but the 15" is faster.

On the topic of gaming, with the dGPU in the 15" not only will applications benefit with CUDA but you can run OS X games including; F1 2012, Dirt 2, GRID, Mafia II, COD Black Ops etc. at maximum settings.

Portability: 13" rMBP feels much more portable.
I have both the 13" Air and 15" rMBP and I find the 13" Air to be far more portable. Even considering the thickness and weight of the 13" rMBP, it still feels far more portable. I have used the 13" rMBP outside of the Apple Store (friend). Consider bringing your notebook to lectures, do you really want to show off a $2200 15" rMBP (taxes in retail price)?

Conclusion:
If you're set on portability bunt also want a little more performance and don't mind paying for it then consider getting the 13" rMBP with the i7 chip. If you want far greater performance for the same price tag and don't mind loosing out on portability then consider the 15" rMBP.

Source: Based on GeekBench scores.
 
Last edited:
The only two I would consider are the 13" air and the 15" rMPB. That said, if you want power, definitely go for the rMBP!
 
thank you for the replies... does anyone feel that the 15" is too heavy and big for school? if it is portable like you guys say, then i want it because it seems the performance is worth buying
 
phillyfan9090 said:
thank you for the replies... does anyone feel that the 15" is too heavy and big for school? if it is portable like you guys say, then i want it because it seems the performance is worth buying
Click to expand...

The 15" retina is lighter than the standard non-retina 13" MBP. It might be a bit big on the tiny auditorium desks that some colleges have but in those cases you can just use it on your lap.

I also agree with the poster above who linked the refurbished 15" rMBP. That will save you some money and it still has the same warranty as a new MBP.
 
phillyfan9090 said:
I want a fast machine that will handle anything that I throw at it. I will be using it for college needs and video watching as well as some gaming and photoshop. And of course, portability is important because Ill be carrying it around campus.

Down to these 2 models: rMBP 13" with the i7 and rMPB 15" base model.
Which laptop would be worth the investment?
I understand that the 15" has all the power that I want, but does the upgraded i7 with the 13" dramatically improve performance? The 13" is very portable, but if the performance on the base 15" if far superior, then I would sacrifice a little weight for faster speeds
Click to expand...

Don't let some fool fool you... For the usage you specified, either i5 MBA or i5 13" rMBP will be enough...
 
sofianito said:
Don't let some fool fool you... For the usage you specified, either i5 MBA or i5 13" rMBP will be enough...
Click to expand...

I will be gaming too and I dont want to worry about not having enough power. anyway I may sell the laptop in a few months when the Haswells come out so i need to strategically think which one will help get the most money back.
 
phillyfan9090 said:
I will be gaming too and I dont want to worry about not having enough power. anyway I may sell the laptop in a few months when the Haswells come out so i need to strategically think which one will help get the most money back.
Click to expand...

If the Haswell models do trade the Nvidia 650M for Intel's Iris 5200 (as the leaked benchmark showed) then sticking with the current 15" rMBP would actually give you the best game performance. We don't know for sure if that will happen but it seems like a decent possibility.
 
The 13" rmbp line is frustrating because its the perfect college size but the specs aren't there
 
phillyfan9090 said:
I will be gaming too and I dont want to worry about not having enough power. anyway I may sell the laptop in a few months when the Haswells come out so i need to strategically think which one will help get the most money back.
Click to expand...

Windows platform is best for gaming. Have you considered a Hackintosh laptop which allows you to have both worlds... Here is the ML 10.8.4 HCL laptops
 
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