Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Which do you prefer - 13" or 15" MBP?

C

carmidy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 21, 2010
20
0
In cold, cold South Dakota
I have been researching computers for the past week or so and finally decided on a mac. I've been reading a lot of posts on here and have mostly gotten more confused.

I currently have a 15" Dell that I hate bringing to class. It's sooo big and clunky and we have tiny desks. So I was thinking about getting a 13" MBP. I've been reading how the Intel Core 2 Duo processor is starting to become "outdated" and when Apple finally gets on their crap and updates the MBPs they'll either eliminate the 13" MBP all together or somehow incorporate the I5 (or whatever it would be) processor.

As you can probably see. Either way they go if I get the computer now I'm probably going to be pissed. I don't want a computer that doesn't technically exist anymore. But I also don't want a computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor when I could have the new shnazzy one if they do update it. You know what I mean?

So what I'm wondering is if you guys think I should just cave in and deal with the 15" for my last 5 months of college. Which do you guys prefer - the 13" or the 15" MBP?

P.S. I would mostly use this for web-surfing, photo editing, graphic designing, word processing, and book keeping.
 
i lifted the 2 i believe same gen i believe mid 2010 13 and 15, and the 13 is about a pound lighter you can tell quite a bit when you lift the two. It depends what you're using it for if you're doing video go big. If you want the computer for productivity and portability i suggest the new macbook air
 
The 13 for me, I do photo's and enjoy carrying my MBP with me, in my bag when I'm on the go. I don't like the weight of the 15 or 17 too heavy, kills my back. ;)
 
LikuidMetal said:
The 13 for me, I do photo's and enjoy carrying my MBP with me, in my bag when I'm on the go. I don't like the weight of the 15 or 17 too heavy, kills my back. ;)
Click to expand...

kills your back?

I always hear that around here. No offense but what's your height and weight? I just want to know out of curiosity
 
gonnabuyamacbsh said:
kills your back?

I always hear that around here. No offense but what's your height and weight? I just want to know out of curiosity
Click to expand...

I'm 5'6" and 190 but the issue is; I not only carry my MBP but I also carry my Camera equipment: Nikon D90, Lenses x3, Flash, external Backup drive, other assorted Camera accessories, batteries, Glock 23 .40 cal with 200 rounds of ammo:D, cleaning supplies, and wireless internet (Clear Internet).
 
I have a 13 and its great for college. I dont see apple dropping the 13 anytime soon. Id say go for the 13 inch.
 
Depending on what you're doing after uni, get the 13". After uni, all you're going to do is email a bit, FaceBook, etc. That, or you'll use your laptop all the time for work purposes and you'll still want the 13" MBP (or 13" MBA).

Actually, just wait and get the 13" MBP when it gets the 1440 x 900 res screen you currently see on the 13" MBA.




One more thing:

Judging from what you said, the C2D is enough processor for you, and so is the 13" MBA. The C2D is still fast....no slower than it was 2 years ago. It's still going to run all the MS Office, internet, video editing, etc. Pros were using it last year. In fact, many pros probably still are, since equipment costs money, and no pro just throws away equipment because something slightly newer came out. It's the real world, not fantasy.

Having said that, I have a 15" MBP with high-res matte screen, and I love it. It's not too big or heavy, and I usually use it at home on my lap, or at work on my desk.
 
I prefer 15" because I hate working on a screen as small as 13".
14" would work but 13 is too small for my personal taste.

I can see that in the US where they sometimes have those ridiculous table/chair combinations that give you just enough space for a small notepad, 15" would be a little too big. But a 13" doesn't really fit well either. 12" or 13,3" 16:9 is the way to go.
If you have anything like a real table both works well.

As for carrying it around I still cannot understand guys complaining about a 15" size. 15" fits in every standard bag easily and only somebody who takes the elevator up to the second floor can complain about the weight difference. I carried more stuff too and from school everyday when I was around 10. Today it is just a Laptop and a notepad that together never weighs as much as the 5kg+ of books, and math, history, whatever books we needed for homework etc.
Additionally I weigh about 3 times as much as I did back then.

I think the most important thing is the size of the screen if it is the only notebook; you don't have a desktop to get real work done at home. Screen size matters for productivity, but it is less important for writing in word than for programming Java or something. Everything else is secondary unless you are an Apple Fanboy and need to consider speed difference and money.

14" 16:10 was a good balance but they are very rare. 14" 16:9 is about as useful as a 13" 16:10 but clunkier.
 
I've used both and both have different advantages/disadvantages.

When I had a 13" MacBook, I loved the small form factor, great mobility and light weight. The screen real estate was probably the biggest detraction for me. I'm not a huge photoshop user, but when I edit photos/images I found the 13" display to be a tad cramped, especially in photoshop.

The 15" MBP for me offered a larger screen and was better at photoshop/image editing. The downside was that lugging it around often got old pretty quick, especially when I was so used to a smaller lighter laptop.

I have a 10" netbook which is great for some things, but my eyes 45 year old eyes are straining a bit, so I'm thinking of getting something a little bigger then the 10" I'm trying to decide on whether the 13" MBA with its higher resolution is better for my needs then the more expandable 13" MBP
 
preppy said:
Prefer the 13" for size (almost bought one) but own a 15" 'cause of the screen/processor
Click to expand...

I also wanted the 13" for size but couldn't bring myself to pay that much for such lackluster performance. I got the i7 15" hi-res instead.

Had the current 13" MBA been available at the time, I'd have likely bought that plus an iMac instead. As of right now, I consider the 13" MBP to be outclassed by almost everything but the plastic Macbook.
 
I would not get the mba for what you want to do. I don't see why people recommend that.

carmidy said:
P.S. I would mostly use this for web-surfing, photo editing, graphic designing, word processing, and book keeping.
Click to expand...
I would go for the 15" If you can afford it. Processor + screen real estate. I don't see the 13 air being enough power for those two things. Also the pro series has a better screen gamut. (Better color reproduction which is good for the things he listed) Why does everyone alway recommend the air all the sudden? It is not the answer to everyones need.
It has a more update processor, more screen choices, better gpu.
 
College Student

I'm a college student and for the past year and a half I used my 13'' macbook which I bought in high school. This month I decided it was time to upgrade and I was faced with the same decision.

I loved my 13'' but really wanted the better i7 processor. Then I thought about it. When I look around campus most everyone has a 15'' PC, a bulky Dell or glossy plastic HP. I figured if they can tote around their notebooks, I could certainly carry around a larger screen, less weight (then their's) Macbook Pro.

I went with the 15'' and love it.
 
maflynn said:
I have a 10" netbook which is great for some things, but my eyes 45 year old eyes are straining a bit, so I'm thinking of getting something a little bigger then the 10" I'm trying to decide on whether the 13" MBA with its higher resolution is better for my needs then the more expandable 13" MBP
Click to expand...

You will have far more eye strain on a 13" MBZ than a 13" MBP. The MBA is not only has more pixels in the vertical dimension than the MBP but it is also wider, 1.7:1 instead of 1.6:1 so the vertical space is compromised. The net result is smaller fonts, pictures and videos than the 13" MBP. My 52 year old eyes just can't handle this for any length of time even with glasses.
 
maflynn said:
I have a 10" netbook which is great for some things, but my eyes 45 year old eyes are straining a bit, so I'm thinking of getting something a little bigger then the 10" I'm trying to decide on whether the 13" MBA with its higher resolution is better for my needs then the more expandable 13" MBP
Click to expand...
I've a 15" i7. I need it for the faster processor and the Firewire/Ethernet ports. But, my wife has a 13" Air that I love. It's everything a laptop should be. If I didn't have my specific needs mentioned I would get an Air for myself. And my 57 year old eyes have no trouble with the 13" display.
 
Vantage Point said:
You will have far more eye strain on a 13" MBA than a 13" MBP. The MBA is not only has more pixels in the vertical dimension than the MBP but it is also wider, 1.7:1 instead of 1.6:1 so the vertical space is compromised. The net result is smaller fonts, pictures and videos than the 13" MBP. My 52 year old eyes just can't handle this for any length of time even with glasses.
Click to expand...

I know, I need to compare the MBP and the MBA side by side to see how my old eyes handle them.

The last time I checked out the MBA, was to compare the 11" MBA against the 13" MBA. Now, I'll need to compare MBP vs. MBA. This is probably the biggest reason why I'd not wait for a refresh as it seems likely apple will alter the resolution of the MBP in the near future
 
If you can go to the apple store and look at each side by side, it might make your mind up for you.

I was after a 13inch mbp till i went in the store (mainly to check out the matte/glossy) screens.

That sold me on a 15inch being about perfect for me.
 
TheDrift- said:
If you can go to the apple store and look at each side by side, it might make your mind up for you.
Click to expand...

That's my plan :)

Of course if I see any great deals from microcenter on black friday, that might be enough for me to take the plunge now rather then in 2011
 
I have the 13" tired of carrying around heavy Laptops, and I had the 15" but then switched to the 13" and I don't look back. I no longer game or do I need the faster GPU, so I have a mid 2009 uMB 2.4/4GB/500GB and it works perfect.

My son just bought the new 13 and his GPU seems to run a lot better but will not really know until we get Oblivion loaded on his BottCamp partition.

Can not go wrong either way, but the 15 is stretching the price higher for me as I do not like to spend a lot for a computer so the $1200 13" is good enough.
 
maflynn said:
Now, I'll need to compare MBP vs. MBA. This is probably the biggest reason why I'd not wait for a refresh as it seems likely apple will alter the resolution of the MBP in the near future
Click to expand...

I fear you are correct and I hate the 16:9 ratio. It seems the real reason for this transition is that 16:9 is cheaper to make than 16:10 so this is all about profits. I always did and always will scroll up/down so I strongly prefer the golden ratio - 16:10. I am considering moving from my 27" iMac and 13" MBP to a 15" MBP next year and a wide gamut 16:10 ratio but I also fear Apple will follow the pack with the 16:9 ratio as the did with the iMac and MBA.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back