Will 17 inch be too big?

[DonaldChou]

Hey guys！I am a college student who lives in school now. Spend the most time with my laptop in the dormitory room and sometimes take it to classrooms which are about 10-minute walk away.I love the 1920*1200 screen and express card of 17. But will it be too heavy for me to carry in the campus? Wanna hear your opinions. Thanks!
PS：I'm a 75kg man

 

[spinnerlys]

If you have a backpack, you will hardly notice it.

I have that MBP and despite being big, it is quite portable. I had a 14" PC laptop once, which was clunkier and heavier than that 17" MBP.

 

[Grimace]

If you only need a 17" for the screen size (and not for the top of the line specs) you could get a 13" for portability and dock it to a 20+ inch screen when you're in your room.

Attach a keyboard/mouse to the monitor, and you run the laptop in closed screen mode. Plus, you can get a huge screen for the $$ differential. It works wonderfully, and it's far more portable!

 

[splitpea]

If you have a backpack, you will hardly notice it.

I have that MBP and despite being big, it is quite portable. I had a 14" PC laptop once, which was clunkier and heavier than that 17" MBP.

Yeah, I agree with this. You'll notice the weight more in a shoulder bag or carrying it in your hand.

That said, depending on the types of desks your school has, the 17" may be awkward. Mine always had those ones with the writing surface attached to the chair, and they were barely big enough for a spiral notebook, let alone a 17" laptop.

 

[2contagious]

If you only need to take your MacBook Pro in every 2-3 weeks to show some work like me, then I'd get the 17". If you need to take it in every week or every few days, I'd go for the 15". If you walk around with your laptop on a daily basis, maybe even several times a day, I'd go for a 13".

To me, the 15" always has been the perfect compromise between screen size and overall size & weight, but I now went for a 17" as I really like the Full HD screen and do not need to take my laptop into uni very often.

 

[ubercool]

Yes, gianormous!

 

[jkester]

If you have a backpack, you will hardly notice it.

I have that MBP and despite being big, it is quite portable. I had a 14" PC laptop once, which was clunkier and heavier than that 17" MBP.

I totally agree. And I had a 17" for half of college with no problems.

 

[DonaldChou]

If you only need a 17" for the screen size (and not for the top of the line specs) you could get a 13" for portability and dock it to a 20+ inch screen when you're in your room.

Attach a keyboard/mouse to the monitor, and you run the laptop in closed screen mode. Plus, you can get a huge screen for the $$ differential. It works wonderfully, and it's far more portable!

Beautiful desk and gorgeous monitor,thank you! But I'm afraid my desk is not that big as yours. Actually, it could only afford a 17 inch MBP and several books. And what's more, our dormitory is out of power after 11:00pm everyday and that makes it annoying when using an external LCD Anyway, thanks!

 

[psingh01]

I think a 17" is too big to be carry around all day and taking in and out of your bag. It may not be that heavy, but it has a big foot print. If your college is anything like mine was then the classroom chairs with desks attached are way too small to be comfortable. It'd be like using the 17" on an airplane in coach class. If your class uses the conference type tables then that would be ok.

A 15" is a more ideal size for this environment IMO. It's what I used in college. I now own a 17" and took it to a conference and man was it a hassle. It was as close to a college campus environment that have used it in. After a while I just gave up and left it in my car.

 

[DonaldChou]

If you have a backpack, you will hardly notice it.

I have that MBP and despite being big, it is quite portable. I had a 14" PC laptop once, which was clunkier and heavier than that 17" MBP.

Does a backpack really work?Great! I finally figure it out why even 13-inch feels that heavy for me, coz I always use the shoulder one! thanks!

 

[diazj3]

not really - it's not too heavy...

http://store.apple.com/us/tab?node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro&tcid=tg_tabcontroller&tab=2

 

[Mirabella]

I don't find the 17" MBP too big, nor too heavy to carry around, and I'm less than 75 Kg.

 

[scaredpoet]

And what's more, our dormitory is out of power after 11:00pm everyday and that makes it annoying when using an external LCD Anyway, thanks!

Not to go off topic here, but, what college in Washington DC cuts power to their dorms at 11:00 p.m.?!

 

[GeneKam]

MY macbook is in repairs s i got a 17 as a loaner from best buy. It is great! The screen size and everything is perfect. is good enough to be used anywhere and i am not a fan personally of the external monitor, too much stuff. i would recommend the 17, thats my next laptop , Defiantly!

 

[wishfulllama]

Did anyone else find the title of this thread quite amusing?

 

[stevespa]

Not to go off topic here, but, what college in Washington DC cuts power to their dorms at 11:00 p.m.?!

That's exactly what I was thinking too. Very strange.

 

[Reapur]

No it doesn't feel any different than my 15" MBP i used to own.
The bigger screen + resolution is the stuff dreams are made of.

If Steve Jobs was describing it he would undoubtedly say it was "magical"

 

[Mirabella]

Did anyone else find the title of this thread quite amusing?

Yes, it did occur to me.

 

[Mirabella]

Not to go off topic here, but, what college in Washington DC cuts power to their dorms at 11:00 p.m.?!

I wondered the same.

 

[mdatwood]

I had a 17" SR MBP that I literally carried all over the world. It worked fine in grad school and I was never wanting a smaller computer.

I just bought a new 17" i7 MBP and it's less bulky than the previous one.

Just make sure to get a good bag and you'll be fine. I have a booq book bag style bag that fits a laptop, books, cables, etc... Actually, no matter what size laptop you get a good bag is crucial IMHO.

 

[LucidPsychosis]

If you only need a 17" for the screen size (and not for the top of the line specs) you could get a 13" for portability and dock it to a 20+ inch screen when you're in your room.

Attach a keyboard/mouse to the monitor, and you run the laptop in closed screen mode. Plus, you can get a huge screen for the $$ differential. It works wonderfully, and it's far more portable!

I like your setup (and I LOVE your Obama poster )

 

[DKatri]

I like your setup (and I LOVE your Obama poster )

I love Shepard Fairey's work.

 

[tim100]

If you only need a 17" for the screen size (and not for the top of the line specs) you could get a 13" for portability and dock it to a 20+ inch screen when you're in your room.

Attach a keyboard/mouse to the monitor, and you run the laptop in closed screen mode. Plus, you can get a huge screen for the $$ differential. It works wonderfully, and it's far more portable!

for me I dont want to sit at a desk. i spend enough time at a desk at work. i want to sit on the couch or various places in my house. the 17 gives you a desktop experience anywhere. its not that much bigger or heavier than the 15. i am old so i am not in college or have a one room apt. for college i would not have purchased a 17 inch.

 

[Pagga]

No

 

[shadygrove]

I downsized from a 17'' Powerbook to a 15'' MBP i7. My boss has a 17'' MBP and it's still too big for me. 2'' of screen isn't worth the loss in portability. They are just too big for my preference. The 15'' MBP HiRes is a perfect balance between size, portability, and resolution IMO. I think it's as close to a perfect computer you can get, while still having it's (very) minor flaws (like anything else in life).