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Why Did You Choose 13 Inch MBP?

  • The 13 Inch MBP is perfect for me!

    Votes: 90 61.2%
  • The 15 Inch MBP costs more and I can't afford it, so I settled on a 13 Inch MBP.

    Votes: 57 38.8%

  • Total voters
    147
hi

i put 8g ram and a 256g ssd into my current-model 13", and i can do everything i need to do well (including Logic and Photoshop).

it's (especially at this size and weight), a beast...

hi fisher, as for the SSD you mounted into your computer, which brand would you recommend?
 
Had a 17" HP laptop that was just too big to lug around everywhere and Windows was giving me the ******'s. So, went a 13 inch MPB.
 
hi fisher, as for the SSD you mounted into your computer, which brand would you recommend?


i got the 256G crucial M4, been running it for almost 6 months, love it.
i've owned a lot of macs, this one )13" late2011 mbp) is my fave, and the 8gigs ram and ssd seem essential...
 
I dont have either yet but if and when I get one it will be the 13 inch. 15 is too big for my tastes. I currently have a 14' laptop and a 14' Macbook would be ideal, but I'll settle for the 13'. Also helps that its alot easier on the wallet
 
Got the 27" iMac, 13" does the job just fine for portability. The iMac for heavy duty.
 
When I bought mine I had never used OS X before, and I really didn't want to spend the money on the 15". I did, however, buy the higher end 13". Now I regret not getting the 15", but at the time I really just wanted to computer to carry to school for web browsing, word processing, etc. Now it's my main computer and I'm suffering from the lack of a dedicated GPU.

I guess the reason it's the best seller is because it's the cheapest, and a good "gateway" into Macs for most people. Just look at how many first time Mac users got the baseline 13". It's perfect for college/school too if you don't need a very powerful machine. And the larger HDD options and ability to change RAM/HDD gives it a huge advantage of the MBA, which is important if it's your only computer.
 
It seems that the discussion is going the "I need/don't need ODD" way.
Not an expert, but it's probably safe to assume that the 15" Macbook is better than 13" - more power, bigger screen, better resolution, graphics card, better speakers...
So what? Everyone buys what one wants/needs.
If someone wants a laptop as their desktop replacement they should probably go with the 15" or 17". Then again if they have a external display then 13" might be just fine. If someone does heavy computing on their laptop then 15 or 17" will be better obviously. But if someone doesn't need it the power and needs portability then 13" is perfect.
Personally I like having a desktop as a desktop and a laptop as a mobile computer - I'm simply conservative in that matter. At first I was considering getting the 15", but when I compared them at iSpot the 13" convinced me. Therefore I consider the 2,8 GHz 13" I have as perfect for me, honestly it's even too powerful and could've gone with the basic model (but it was a great deal on refurbished, so I couldn't resist:).
If I ever need a more powerful and bigger (screenwise) laptop then I will get the 15".
But if someone needs the 15" then go with it and be happy!:)
 
for a while, i had an iMac and a macbook, but found i worked better with everything on one machine; just made more sense to me.

i do EVERYTHING on my 13", and it works. logic is my main app...and am having a great time with it. i also use photoshop, etc...also works great.

i LOVE carting this thing around in my backpack; i do the starbucks thing, sometimes 2 hours, often without an AC adapter.

whatever works, works. for me, this is a near-perfect experience.:cool:
 
When you speak about portability, it is clear than 13" has a big difference with 15" (not only size, but mostly weight).
But the BIG power of 15" (quad core i7) high resolution and antiglare screen, best GPU,... all these points are the reason because my main computer is MBP 15". And for very light portability, when you need not the "power of the beast" my MBA is my choice.
 
My 2cents, I have 13" 2010 model, 2.4Ghz, 4GB. Bought it because it was the cheapest. Now I repent for not having the processing speed.

I do lot of HTML design (13" screen not enough for D'weaver so not using it), photography (using aperture, mbp is very slow with aperture).

If you are into these, I would suggest to buy the high spec'd machine you could afford.

May be changing RAM might help my situation, but not sure.
 
To be honest, I'm waiting for the new MBP and I'll buy the 15 Inch model, although it's more expensive. I'm, however, intersted in knowing what are the reasons the 13 Inch MBP model is the best-seller - is it because people can't afford the 15 Inch or maybe people do prefer the 13 Inch over the 15 Inch. :)

The 13 inch is the most popular MBP model (mainly with college students) because it offers great portability and power at a reasonable price. This is the reason that the MB Airs are becoming even more popular than the MB Pros at college campuses.
Personally, as a student and a 13" MBP owner, the issue of price was secondary to portability factor. I'd say the only reason to need to have a display larger than ~14" for a college student is if you're a programming or graphic design major.
 
My 2cents, I have 13" 2010 model, 2.4Ghz, 4GB. Bought it because it was the cheapest. Now I repent for not having the processing speed.

I do lot of HTML design (13" screen not enough for D'weaver so not using it), photography (using aperture, mbp is very slow with aperture).

If you are into these, I would suggest to buy the high spec'd machine you could afford.

May be changing RAM might help my situation, but not sure.

Well, your MacBook Pro still has the Core 2 Duo processor so I'd say it'd be like complaining about a PowerPC G4 not being capable of handling Flash very well.
You see, your machine is getting older. That means you'll have to cope with the fact that it may not be able to run new software as good as, say, a 2011 i5 MBP. Therefore it's wrong to say that the 13" MBP is underpowered but your machine is.
 
May be changing RAM might help my situation, but not sure.

Use Activity Monitor to see if the 4GB of RAM is maxed-out. If you are running Lion 8GB is the minimum I would suggest using; in your situation 16GB might be an option to consider. Upgrading RAM to 8GB also increases the amount of VRAM available to the integrated graphics card.

I have 8GB RAM and it is plenty for my needs. I like being able to disconnect my 24" display and having my primary computer with me on the road. Sure beats keeping two Macs in sync; I saved a ton of money too!
 
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Because I finally wanted my own computer and not share one with my brother and the 13inch MBP was the most affordable pro portable mac. Also I find it easier to lure around but if i could have i would have most likely bought a 15".
 
At the time I felt the smaller form factor would work to my advantage, as its smaller and lighter for traveling. at this point I'd rather have more screen real estate and to that point I'm planning on getting the 15" MBP when it comes out (hopefully in a few weeks).
 
It really came down to money. While I would have liked a 15", and I could have afforded it, it would have been far to tight. I needed a new laptop since my 2006 15" MBP was about to kick the bucket, so I just went with the 13", and actually I prefer the 13". What luck! :D
 
I had a 17-inch PC laptop and it wasn't even remotely portable - more like a desktop in a laptop format. It was very heavy, bulky and cumbersome. I have a 20-inch PC desktop for professional power use on graphics and photo processing. The 13-inch is PERFECT for everything else. I love it!!! AND, it's very capable and portable!
 
My 2cents, I have 13" 2010 model, 2.4Ghz, 4GB. Bought it because it was the cheapest. Now I repent for not having the processing speed.

I do lot of HTML design (13" screen not enough for D'weaver so not using it), photography (using aperture, mbp is very slow with aperture).

If you are into these, I would suggest to buy the high spec'd machine you could afford.

May be changing RAM might help my situation, but not sure.

Plug in an external monitor and up the ram to 8gb and you'll be fine.

I very much doubt processing speed is your problem for those applications, you'll likely find that they are starved for RAM.
 
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