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Thoughts on 2007 15" vs 09 13

B

bbadalucco

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 4, 2009
459
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I'm looking for a MBP to use as a carry around laptop. I have a MP that I use for the grunt of my work, but am looking something to carry around the house. I'd use the laptop for really basic stuff (email, internet, iTunes).

I'm looking at a used 2007 15" MBP or a new 13" MBP. I like the look and size of the 15" better but would like to get around 3-4 hours of use out of the laptop...not sure a used 15" 2007 MBP can provide that.

Just curious to anyone's thought who have used either of these laptops.

Thanks
 
I've used both sizes, and I really find the 13" to be the perfect size for portability. The 15" just seemed a little much for me.

Plus, the battery on my 2009 13" MBP is outstanding.
 
I had the 2007 15" MacBook Pro and have also used the 13" MacBook Pro. I would be slightly worried about the 8600M GT GPU problems that plague the Laptop. Although, as far as battery life is concerned it should get about 4 hours or so in my experience on a good battery. The 13" MacBook Pro has a longer lasting battery, yes, although with the 2007 MacBook Pro, you can get another battery for extended usage.
 
Go with the 13" MBP for portability and to dodge the utterly bad quality of the Nvidia 8600. That one is just a time-bomb waiting to go off. That is why there are so many on sale after the users have had a warranty repair and dumped them to get as much money back as possible.
 
bbadalucco said:
I'm looking for a MBP to use as a carry around laptop. I have a MP that I use for the grunt of my work, but am looking something to carry around the house. I'd use the laptop for really basic stuff (email, internet, iTunes).

I'm looking at a used 2007 15" MBP or a new 13" MBP. I like the look and size of the 15" better but would like to get around 3-4 hours of use out of the laptop...not sure a used 15" 2007 MBP can provide that.

Just curious to anyone's thought who have used either of these laptops.

Thanks
Click to expand...

if you carry it around the house an use it for light stuff only, there is no need for a 15", except if you REALLY favor the screen size. i'd get a 13". with 7 hours of battery life there is nothing more to ask for... and it's slightly lighter.
 
bbadalucco said:
I'm looking for a MBP to use as a carry around laptop. I have a MP that I use for the grunt of my work, but am looking something to carry around the house. I'd use the laptop for really basic stuff (email, internet, iTunes).

I'm looking at a used 2007 15" MBP or a new 13" MBP. I like the look and size of the 15" better but would like to get around 3-4 hours of use out of the laptop...not sure a used 15" 2007 MBP can provide that.

Just curious to anyone's thought who have used either of these laptops.

Thanks
Click to expand...

i had the 2007 mbp and it was great. i would just be careful of the 8600GT - they are known to fail, even though you get a 3 year warranty on them (which looks like it will run out in 2010 for that laptop).

i would stick with the 13" mbp, its built a lot better and has components that wont fail. however, there are tradeoffs that you should know. the 13" mbp doesnt have a matte display (the 15" mbp might or might not), an expresscard slot, no optical audio in (but analog in/out and optical out), slower graphics (8600GT > 9400M), and the resolution is 1280x800, compared to the 15" mbp's 1440x900. its also a lot easier to upgrade the har d drive in the 13" mbp than the 15" mbp, and of course, weight/portability is a lot better in the 13" than the 15" (obviously).
 
Since your just doing common and not processor intensive activities, go for the 13"It's newer, better battery, and have an amazing unibody design. Also, you got the great new multi-touch trackpad.

However, the only things that put me off is the glossy screen (aka "The Mirror") and the screen size itself. I personally found 15" to be my ideal notebook size...with 17" being too big for a portable and the 13" not having enough screen.
 
Echoing what has been said here, 13" - unibody design is great, multitouch/bigger trackpad, great battery life. Possible negatives (keyword, possible because for me they haven't been): glass screen, reduced resolution, bigger bezel around the screen.. There are more pros and cons but if you take a look at a lot of the 13" vs 15" you can get some other opinions as well.
 
I'd concur with the consensus and say that the 13" makes a great portable machine. I'd go for that over the 15"
 
With the last refresh, the line has once again been blurred between the 13" MB and the 13" MBP. If you only need it for basics, and don't need the SD slot, save $200 and get the basic 13" MB. Unibody design, multi-touch and a bigger hard drive than the base 13" MBP.
 
bbadalucco said:
I'm looking for a MBP to use as a carry around laptop. I have a MP that I use for the grunt of my work, but am looking something to carry around the house. I'd use the laptop for really basic stuff (email, internet, iTunes).

I'm looking at a used 2007 15" MBP or a new 13" MBP. I like the look and size of the 15" better but would like to get around 3-4 hours of use out of the laptop...not sure a used 15" 2007 MBP can provide that.

Just curious to anyone's thought who have used either of these laptops.

Thanks
Click to expand...

...for this basic stuff, I'd get a 10" or 12" netbook, why spend ~$1200 on this basic need when you could spend ~$350?
 
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