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Which one to buy? The 15" or the 17" MBP?

P

Pandabear0423

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 11, 2010
3
0
Hello everyone,
I'm going to be purchasing myself a new MBP within the next week or so for my return to school. I have had my eye on a Mac computer for several years. And am finally going to bite the bullet and buy one. However I'm really torn as to which one I should purchase and was hoping that those of you who have already taken the plunge and purchased a MBP might have some pearls of wisdom for me -since this will be my first Mac-.

I was originally looking at getting the MBP 13". However, after seeing it in person I decided that the screen was entirely too small. So then I started looking at the 15". I liked the screen size and for what I use a computer for, (internet browsing, movies, word processing and games...World of Warcraft mainly)the 15" has more than enough power -I think-. But when I told my husband of my plans to go with the 15" he told me that I should just go balls to the wall and get the 17" and give him my desktop (I have the better graphics card that he needs to play his BBC2 game) and use the 17" MBP as my new computer.

What do you guys think? What would you choose and why? :apple: :p
 
Its been said a thousand times that if you plan on carrying it around at all 17" is too big. If you're just using it as a desktop replacement go for the 17 if not then 15
 
back in the powerbook days i saw a 17 powerbook at a apple reseller and thought wow. bigger, better, faster. it had better specks and looked great. it seems with the new mbp the 17 is a bit of an outcast. i dont know if its the design or that the specs of the 15 are just as good or better. anyway i would get the 17 over 15
 
How often do you plan on carrying it around? Is it mainly going to just stay at a desk somewhere?
 
Both laptops are equally powerful. Both can be configured with i7 cpu, 330m GT with 512mb and 8GB ram and SSD.

At the end of the day the big difference is Screen real estate, do you need 1440X900, 1680X1050 or 1920X1200.

I love the 1920X1200 but I also have a 23" and 30" ACD which satisfies my needs for a large canvas. So hence I went with the 1680X1050 when I'm on the road and can't carry my ACD with me. I also travel a lot for work so a 15" is an ok size for that but I also have a ipad as well for quicker and simpler tasks.

If you don't plan on moving it much then get the 17 for sure, if you'll be moving it everyday the 15 is the way to go.
 
An alternative is to get an MBP 15 and an external monitor. This would give you both the portability and the extra screen real estate while working from home. Unless you really need the 1900x1200 resolution, the hi-res MBP 15 would be a great choice.
 
I'd go for the 15'.. great combo of portability and screen size.

The 13' doesn't seem that small imo however.
 
yeah don't get the 17" if you plan on moving around at all, because the 1 pound increase will really weigh you down unless you are hulk hogan or something :rolleyes:
 
The 17" (which I own) is a wonderful machine to use but there is no getting around the fact that is a very large and heavy computer especially if your lugging it around school all day.

I bought the 17" because the screen was the most important factor in the purchase being a photographer that shoots tethered on location. For school work I imagine 17" to be total over kill and not needed.

The best school machine IMO is the 13". Compact, light weight, powerful and as beautifully made as its bigger brothers. This can be then used with a large external monitor at a desk. As you have for some reason ruled this out :)confused:), then the 15" is the way to go.
 
If it will just sit at the desk at home or in the office (work) then I would get the 17" otherwise I would just stick with the 15".
 
stylinexpat said:
If it will just sit at the desk at home or in the office (work) then I would get the 17" otherwise I would just stick with the 15".
Click to expand...

Why would you want squint at a high resolution but small 17" screen while sat at a desk at home (work)? 13" or 15" with an nice 24" external monitor is the way to go then.

People don't seem to grasp the 17" is designed for people on the move who have to have the upmost screen real estate but in a portable machine. It has nothing to do with a "desktop replacement" because its not.

The 17" is the last computer in the line up I'd recommend if its just going to sit on a desk!
 
I wanted to thank you all for your replies. I'm very sorry for not getting a chance to reply sooner. However as a busy mom who is getting not only herself ready to "go back to school" I have also been running around getting kids ready as well.

First of all I have gone to my local Apple store and spoke with a very helpful gentleman there as well as taking into consideration all of your responses, it seems as the general consensus is that I should go with the 15".

After much thought and consideration I have decided that since this is going to be my only computer for the time being, I'm going to go with the 17". Even though everyone is telling me I don't need it and it is harder to tote around.

I feel that since I'm not decided on what my major is going to be, that I may end up wanting/needing that extra power that the 17" is going to give me. I'm also signed up for online courses this semester and I won't be traveling much with it -for now anyway-. Plus when I do travel with it, I really can't see the 1 extra pound being that much of a difference from the 15" anyway. I know that many of you as well as the man in the Apple store mentioned the external display, however I can't really afford the cost of an extra display right now. But I will keep it in mind for the future. But I'm thinking that if I really do end up enjoying the Mac as much as I hope to, then I will be making the transition into an iMac maybe early next year.

:apple: Thank you all again for your help. It is greatly appreciated! :apple:
 
Pandabear0423 said:
I feel that since I'm not decided on what my major is going to be, that I may end up wanting/needing that extra power that the 17" is going to give me.
Click to expand...

so in what way does the MBP17 have more power then the High End MBP15? I think apart from the resolution they are pretty much identical. the MBP15 + SSD would be even faster then the MBP17 is.
 
I just picked up a 17" i7 and I've carried around a 17" on campus for about a year without any problems. It is a bit big in the beginning but after a while, it feels normal.
 
The weight of the 17" isn't much different to carrying around a 15" windows machine in a lot of cases (which loads of students carry). If I was going to go with anything other than a 13" I would go with the 17". I never like to choose the middle, either go small or go big IMO:D The 15" is just Mr Average;)
 
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