Trade 15" rMBP for 13" rMBP?

I posted my Mid 2012 15" rMBP (QC i7 2.3 8/256) on craigslist because a couple of weeks ago, I purchased a maxed out 27" iMac (QC i7 3.4 32/3TB Fusion/680MX 2GB). The dilemma I'm facing since I got the iMac is I feel like my 15" rMBP is too big and powerful (and superfluous) for my needs. Someone locally on craigslist is interested in trading their 13" rMBP for my 15" rMBP and said they would also pay cash in addition to that for the difference in value. Do you think a 13" rMBP would fit into my setup better? Also, is the 13" all that much more portable than the 15" or should I just go to the extreme with something like an 11" MBA?

The 15" rMBP is AWESOME, don't get me wrong, it's just a much better primary machine than it is a secondary machine. I'm hoping the 13" rMBP would be a better secondary machine.

I realize as a primary machine, the 15" rMBP is superior from a performance perspective in every imaginable way, but I would like to compromise some of that performance for more portability, as my iMac now takes care of 90%+ of my intensive applications/tasks.

 

It's the base 13" rMBP... DC i5 2.5 8/128. Seems like a pretty good way to go. I'm just waiting to hear from them how long the ALW is valid through because I know I'll want to buy AppleCare for it if I pull the trigger!

 

Well, I've been talking with the craigslist person back and forth and they're just wanting to do a straight-across trade. I was hoping that they'd pay some cash for the difference in value. I want to do it, but it's not a wise financial/investment decision to step down to something less valuable, with no other compensation. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens with these Haswell MBA/MBPs next month at WWDC (hopefully) and then I can sell my 15" rMBP elsewhere. I have to admit, an 11" Retina MBA would probably be my dream laptop, considering I have a 27" iMac maxed-out to the gills.

 

Yeah, exactly. That would entirely work to their advantage, but not do a whole lot for me, except take a pound or two off my back. I can wait for a better opportunity to come along. Thanks for your input though!

 

Did you not read my original post? I have a 27" iMac (QC i7 3.4 32/3TB Fusion/680MX 2GB) maxed out. Since I've gotten it, I've felt like my 15" rMBP is a bit overkill. I bought my 15" rMBP with the intention of it being my primary machine, but now it's become my secondary machine and seems like a bit much. I do 90%+ of my intensive things on my iMac, so what's the point of having such a beast of a laptop as well? It's overkill. I'm losing value/investment on it by not using it to its fullest capability.

 

The 15" rMBP was originally used to handle my needs in FCPX, Logic Pro, Lightroom, the Adobe CS, Maya, Unity, and software development (I'm a CIS major) in Xcode, Eclipse, Visual Studio, etc. However, I found that since having my 27" iMac, I do the majority of that stuff in a desktop situation, not on the go. I might do some programming on my laptop, but for the most part, that doesn't get too intensive to justify a quad-core CPU or discrete GPU. I know at the minimum, I need the maxed-out 27" iMac. Cutting it out of the equation is out of the question. I'm just trying to get a laptop that's a little less bulky (not that the 15" rMBP is a rock, it's just awkward to bring everywhere). I'm willing to compromise some of the performance I'm getting in my laptop to regain a bit of portability by either stepping down to a 13" rMBP or even an 11" MBA once they get refreshed with Haswell chips.

I entertained the idea of the iMac/iPad setup and while I love my iPad 2, as a college student, I can't quite get by with it. Working on team collaborative projects, taking notes, etc. is just not quite as practical as having a laptop at this time, for me at least. Plus, I can't code on an iPad, plain and simple.

Ultimately, I'm looking for a setup to satisfy both extremes. I would like an 11" MBA since it's so tiny and I could bring it along anywhere and then come home to my massive 27" iMac, which is a beast of a machine. Right now I feel like I have two "primary" machines and it just seems like overkill.

TLDR; I only need one beast, not two. It's superfluous.

If you're still puzzled, this should give you a better idea of what I'm trying to go for: http://tpitale.com/dream-setup-imac-and-macbook-air.html