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Which one to buy? 13 or 15 inches.

M

MrRoyksopp

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 4, 2010
134
0
Hello everyone.
-As many of you, I'm looking forward to the new MBP lineup, that comes tommorow.

I've been wondering to buy a new one. My previous one is the 2009 15" model.
I figured out, that it could be an great idea, to update it this time.
But I couldn't really figure out, if it should be the 13 inch, or the 15 inch?
-Can someone please explain me the pros and cons with both of them? Just to give me some advice.

Things to point out:
- I'm gonna use the computer to study a lot, which means a lot of carrying around.
- When I'm home, I'll hook it up to a 23" monitor.
- I'll be using it to a lot of web browsing, and a little bit "light" gaming. Not heavy/big games at all.


Thank you very much!
MrRoyksopp. :)
 
But are the MBA able to handle some games?
Not heavy games though, but still games that are from this century.
 
No brainer for me, the 13".

You want portability and you are going to use an external display at home, save some money and get the 13"
 
The only thing that I'm wondering..
As I said, I have the 15" lower end from 2009, but isn't the specs probably better now on the new 13", than it is on this one?
 
I would probably go for the 13". Mainly because it's portable so you will have no problems carrying it around with you. I use my 13" 2010 model to run GTA 4 on Boot Camp with no lag or problems, so you should be ok playing other games.
 
danetello said:
I would probably go for the 13". Mainly because it's portable so you will have no problems carrying it around with you. I use my 13" 2010 model to run GTA 4 on Boot Camp with no lag or problems, so you should be ok playing other games.
Click to expand...

That's the answer I'm looking for! Perfect. Helps a lot.

- Anyone else?
 
The Macbook Air will be way faster because of it's ssd. It's also cheaper, and lighter to carry. It's definitely capable of playing games like GTA4. I know MW2 runs smoothly in Bootcamp.
 
I had the MBA 2010 ultimate model but sold it recently. Light and speedy for a laptop but the fan noise was too much for me. When connected to my display (23 ACD) and running a couple of browsers and and excel, the fan goes off easily. The base 2000 rpm is fine but when it hits 4000 rpm...it was too much for me.

If this is your main computer, I would go MBPro.
 
So a conclusion:
Right now as I said, I have the 15" 2009 MBP, 2,53 core 2 duo, 4gb ram etc.
So should I upgrade it to the new 2011 13" model?
 
Don't even bother with the 13". With the specs that have been leaked, unless it's $900 and there's a version with a better res screen and graphics, the MacBook Air outperforms the MacBook Pro in almost all aspects.
 
If you want potability you would probably want to go for the 13", although the 15" is more comfortable on the eyes when using for longer periods of time - however if you are going to hook it up to a monitor that doesn't really matter. If you go for the 13", also consider the MBA - most people underestimate their power.
signature_silverapple.jpg
 
mattk3650 said:
Don't even bother with the 13". With the specs that have been leaked, unless it's $900 and there's a version with a better res screen and graphics, the MacBook Air outperforms the MacBook Pro in almost all aspects.
Click to expand...

How does the MBA outperform the new 13" mbp in all aspects??

i5 is significantly better than core 2 duo. Trust me its going to be a difference in night and day once people get their hands on one.

I think a geekbench score of about 5400/5800 would be right for the i5's. It'll play back hd content much better with higher frame-rates as well as most of it is cpu bound, also a much overall better OSX experience.
 
Sounds like the 13 is perfect for you. 15 just gets to be too chunky and heavy.
 
mattk3650 said:
Don't even bother with the 13". With the specs that have been leaked, unless it's $900 and there's a version with a better res screen and graphics, the MacBook Air outperforms the MacBook Pro in almost all aspects.
Click to expand...

For starters, there will definitely be a version of the 13" MBP with an SSD. I think it's also possible the $1499 model will have a 1440x900 screen. Also, the Core i5 will blow away the Core 2 Duo, though the Intel graphics will be a bit slower on some tasks.
 
KPOM said:
For starters, there will definitely be a version of the 13" MBP with an SSD. I think it's also possible the $1499 model will have a 1440x900 screen. Also, the Core i5 will blow away the Core 2 Duo, though the Intel graphics will be a bit slower on some tasks.
Click to expand...

I dont see the big deal about the SSD argument, sure it lets you house a bigger 2nd harddrive to store files but you can always stick an intel SSD in yourself and replace the optical with optibay.
 
I own both...

I own both a 15" 2009 MBP and a 13" MBA. I'm about to return the MBA. Actually, I'm trying to decide whether or not to return it today or wait for the new MBP line to be available.

I like the new air. I've had only one issue with it: a repeated problem with kernel panicking, which appears to be related to Flash. I actually bought the MBA for my wife for Christmas; we're on our third Air to resolve the kernel panicking. She's done and wants a 13" MBP instead. When I warned her that it appears the 2010 MBP has the same kernel panic issue, she said "at least the Pro will play DVDs."

That said, I'm a moderate Mac User. There's nothing I've tried on the Air that hasn't been nice and snappy. However, I've not tried video editing (not enough memory in our configuration for that). If not for my wife, I'd keep the Air despite the panicking.
 
Get the higher end 13", will be good for your gaming and its good for carrying it around! :)
 
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