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Torn between 13" and 15"..!

I

iJabareen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 12, 2009
24
0
Hey guys , I know there have been a lot of 13" vs 15" topics , but I've searched , and I really couldn't find what I'm looking for...
anyway , I'd really appreciate ur advise and help in this matter :)
I'm in the market to buy a Macbook pro (sick of windows) , and was actually looking at the macbook pro 13" high-end , and the 15" low end... they are the same specs except for the screen size of course , and the 15" higher resolution size too...
the thing is that , is the 13" screen really enough? , will it be like clear and big enough to see stuff easily and without finding difficulty and get closer to the screen...etc
I know that these specs will do my needs , but I'm not sure about the screen size , if the 13" will do it or not , and is the 15" considered PORTABLE , I'd love to here from 15" owners... :
I'm planning on watching some 720p movies btw too...

Thanx in advance :):apple:

-----
I have a couple new questions for you guys , some i forgot to ask the previous time ...
will the mbp (top end 13" , low end 15" , and the 2.66ghz one ... specially the first two) be able to play 720p hd movies with high bitrate , and 1080p smoothly ?
and does it really worth it to get the 2.66ghz if I'm not going to play games or render heavy stuff (like cinema 4d and huge raw in photoshop...) ?
 
The 13" is very portable, and I love it. The screen is large enough for me to see comfortably, and most people have their laptops the same distance away anyways. What would be a reason that you need a larger screen? Besides watching moves what are you gonna be doing with your computer?
 
a little photoshop , and a little video editing MAYBE for youtube ,word processing.. and general internet use .I'm not planning on playing games since i have a ps3...
 
iJabareen said:
a little photoshop , and a little video editing MAYBE for youtube ,word processing.. and general internet use .I'm not planning on playing games since i have a ps3...
Click to expand...

If you're going to be doing regular photoshopping and video-editing I'd say the 15" if you're not bothered about lugging around the extra weight. The 13" is ideal though if you're not going to be doing much in the area of photoshopping etc.

Enjoy your purchase!
 
Get the 15, the amount of screen space you get is unbelievable compared to the 13, especially since the 13" bezel is freaking huge
 
A few more thoughts:

The 13" is the ideal candidate for the 24" Apple Cinema Display - if you really need more screen space.
It even gets charged while connected to the monitor so you effectively can use your MBP powerbrick elsewhere (leave it at work/school/in the living room). Convenient.

If you need more screen space (not on the go) then that monitor is your best choice.


Unless the shiny mirror surface of the display is a problem for you.
It is for some people.
In which case the 15" might be your best choice because this model has a matte screen option. The 13" doesn't.


Portability wise I compared the 13" with a 15" quite thoroughly and found the 13" to be just about 'easily portable'.
The 15" on the other hand is quite a bit bigger IMHO and not something you'd just slip in any bag and go. It kind of requires a dedicated (and bigger) laptop bag.

So if you intend to use your MBP more on the go than in one place (at home/work/school/etc.) the 13" is the ideal model.
You'd just have to live with the shiny screen.
 
13" is ok but depending on how much photoshop/video editing you do it may be too small for these tasks. (Especially video editing for me)

My solution was to get the 13" macbook and an external monitor. Best of both worlds for me. (screen size and mobility). You don't need to get the external monitor right away... save your nickels until you can.

It's a solution that works for me. I hesitated about a 13" screen at first but very glad I got it.
 
I have a 13" uMB, and text is just fine to read, I have horrible eyesight, but it's still rather manageable.

Though, is it possible at all to visit an Apple store, or an authorized seller? Perhaps you'd do better actually playing with both of them and really looking at them.
 
It depends on how much you expect to move the laptop around and if you expect to use it where an external screen is available.

I used to have a 17", then went to 15" and now 13". I can use an external screen at home or office. But 13" is OK for me.

When connected to an external screen, the internal screen doesn't really matter. When traveling and moving the laptop the smaller dimensions of the 13" does matter.
 
thanx for the replies ... about the portability.. I'm not planning on taking it to a lot of places , like school...etc , but I want it to be portable , I have an HP 530 at home , it's 15" , and I can say it's pretty portable , would the MBP 15" be the same..?
and my main concern is , whether the 13" be good for watching 720p movies? like screen big enough to enjoy a movie? because I'm planning on watching tv shows and movies on it too.
and I don't have an external screen btw , so it's gonna be my main screen.
and I've noticed that the 15" is about 200$ more than the 13" btw , so i wanna know if the 15 is the way to go , or the 13...
 
It's a tough call ... for me I'm just transitioning from the 15" MBP to the 13" MBP, for me the gain in screen real estate was definitely not with the extra weight, footprint and bulkiness. That extra pound and size makes it just heavy and big enough that you won't enjoy carrying it everywhere as you would the 13".

Just got my 13" MBP this afternoon, I really like it already for a notebook that's the size for me, the closest to a 'perfect' notebook that I can find. With the low price of external monitors it's easy to add one for TV/Movies if need be otherwise 13/15" for movies not a 'huge' deal imo.
 
If you don't mind the heat,weight and battery time issues then I would get the 15" but if you do quite a bit of traveling and don't want to carry something heavy around that doesn't have too long of battery time then I would get the 13" model and throw in a SSD after.
 
I used to use a 13" white MB, before I went with the 15" MBP. I find that, as my old eyes are not what they used to be, I really appreciate the added screen real estate. Of course, the 13 enjoys the same screen quality as the 15. Just slightly smaller.

I stare at this puppy for hours every day. I don't mind the size, weight isn't an issue to me. 15 is my vote. YMMV of course.
 
iJabareen said:
I have an HP 530 at home , it's 15" , and I can say it's pretty portable
Click to expand...
Then why are you asking about the 13" if you know a 15" works for you and you're satisfied it has the portability you'd need? 15" on the mac is the same as that HP of yours.

Flip a quarter maybe?
 
the only reason people would say pick the 13 in is because its the cheapest one out there and thats the one they got, 15 in is the perfect size not to big and not to small
 
I have the 13" Macbook Pro 2.26GHz... it's amazing.

Youtube video editing shouldn't need A LOT of editing since videos are mostly less than 10 minutes, plus if you did have a 10 minute video all 10 minutes wouldn't be edited. I'm not sure about photoshop though, I will be getting it soon though.

What I would do is buy the 13" and save the left over money from the 15" and invest it in a LED Cinema Display, which will add 11" instead of 2"(assuming you get the 24").
 
Price? ..... not at all...

Ricanlegend said:
the only reason people would say pick the 13 in is because its the cheapest one out there and thats the one they got, 15 in is the perfect size not to big and not to small
Click to expand...

I've bought both for my company, a well spec'd 09 MacBook Pro, 2.8. 256 ssd and a 13" MBP 2.53 that will also have a 256ssd drive installed, I and most here prefer the 13" MBP or the 15" ... price wasn't a factor at all.... if the 13" cost more than the 15" I'd still buy the 13" .... the 15" sits idle here too often ...
 
Ricanlegend said:
the only reason people would say pick the 13 in is because its the cheapest one out there and thats the one they got, 15 in is the perfect size not to big and not to small
Click to expand...
That only got to be your impression because Apple offers the 13" MBP as the cheapest model.

I'd love to buy a 13" MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, quad-core CPU and built-in Blu-Ray drive!
It would surely be twice as expensive as a current 17" MacBook Pro - and I'd still buy it. Because it is the smallest and by far most portable MacBook Pro model!

Yet it's physically impossible at this point to squeeze all this tech into the 13" uMBP shell. Maybe in a few years.
That's why the 13" is cheaper - as it has no room to house more expensive components.
 
If you're going to travel a lot on airplanes, buses, or trains I recommend you buy the 13" MBP. If you are just carrying it between places, I highly recommend the 15" MBP. The extra size helps for movies. The resolution is much nicer. And it overall is a better experience for entertainment/use/etc.

Good luck.
 
thank you all guys for the useful ideas :)
I think I might get the 15" , but are these specs enough (the low end 15") , i mean they are the same as the 13" , and here it's a bigger screen and a bigger resolution , will i find loss in performance and will it be able to run several tasks without lagging (as in windows...)
because that's my top budget , i doubt i would be able to buy a higher specs one..
 
Ricanlegend said:
the only reason people would say pick the 13 in is because its the cheapest one out there and thats the one they got, 15 in is the perfect size not to big and not to small
Click to expand...

More BS on the MR forums. I have a 15" uMBP for work and am buying a 13" for graduate studies because I'm tired of the 15" size. I would have bought the 13" MB in Oct had it had FW.

I love small laptops. The 12" PB is one of my favorite computers of all time.
 
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