What MBP should I get?

[Emmson]

Hi, I'm sick of those plastic-windows-poorly designed-massive production laptops that even makers forgot that they produced it after two years and I decided to go for a MacBook. My first Apple product.

I'm a student and I'm learning C++ programming, I use MATLAB, AutoCad, Maxima etc.
In my free time I'm working on my clothing brand, use Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator and later this year I want to produce/edit simple vlogs. Most of the time when I "work" I open like Lightroom, PS, Spotify and browser.

Mobility is also important to me because it has to be easy to take notes on not that much space and I also travel a lot.

And now I'm wondering if I should go for strongest MacBook Pro 13" (with 512GB) or base model of 15" version. Is there a big difference between them?

Interesting fact: strongest MBP 13" with 512GB SSD costs 3400$ in Poland.

 

[sosumi99]

Performancewise, the 13” will work for you, and it is more portable. The problem is that the screen is small, and if you’re programming with IDEs and interface designers, you will find the space extremely cramped.

The 15” loses some on portability and I find it virtually unusable on cramped public transportation and trains, but other users have said they can make it work. It’s about half a kilo / 1 pound heaier than the 13 inch, so weight wise it’s not significantly worse. It will give you better performance and much more screen real estate.

If I were you I’d try to get a look at these two machines in person and decide whether you can live with the smaller screen of the 13 inch or the reduced portability of the 15”. I think the screen size wins it for me, but this is really a personal decision.

 

[maflynn]

I'm a student and I'm learning C++ programming, I use MATLAB, AutoCad, Maxima etc.
In my free time I'm working on my clothing brand, use Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator and later this year I want to produce/edit simple vlogs. Most of the time when I "work" I open like Lightroom, PS, Spotify and browser.

if I should go for strongest MacBook Pro 13" (with 512GB) or base model of 15" version. Is there a big difference between them?

Given the apps you listed most by far will take advantage of the increased screen real estate and/or dGPU, so I think a 15" is a better option.

I recommend trying both out at your local apple authorized dealer or apple steal and get a feel for yourself.