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Worth the upgrade?
- Thread starter hr10
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...if its screen size you want, you can surely get a larger monitor for much less than $500... do you also want to carry around a heavier/larger footprint machine?
I have a macbook and a new uMBP 15" top of line(with a little extra, 3.06) it is not significantly heavier, nor bigger than the 13", for me that is, the 13 is smaller and more portable, but for me(i am tall, and have big hands) the 15" is perfect, in terms of performance, it blows any of the 13" uMBP's out of the water, look at benchmarks at various review sites, the 2.8 w/512 9600gt is an incredibly powerful machine, using it with FCP 6, it is faster than my DP g5, and handles beautifully, in terms of usage, it is overkill unless you use it professionally(FCP, Photoshop, extreme gaming, etc) so it may be better to stick with your machine, but here are a couple of big differences to me
1) the screen is better, yeah they improved the 13" screen, but Apple still keeps some advantages to the 15" and 17" despite what they may advertise. The Colors are amazing, and they pop of the screen, having seen both the 13" and the 15" in person, and having the new 15" i can say that it is much more beautiful
2) I love having the choice of 9400m/9600gt, because i do not always use or need the full potential of my machine, but when using FCP it is not too difficult to switch
3)bigger touchpad
4)Run's cool, i have never had a burnt hand or had the machine break 56c yet, under intense usage
5) the speakers are louder and sound better
6) the screen is bigger
7) it looks cooler, i mean, there is just something about the 15" that screams beauty, and the 13" lacks it
but it comes down to you, it sounds like you do not need it, but you want it, so if you can justify it, go for it, but if not, be happy, or make the choice that is best for you, and do not base your choice on others opinions, even mine, I was just stating what i love about the 15" and why i would not have bought the new 13"
Is your friend's computer a June 09 MBP? I mean I guess either way, I'd say that's a pretty solid deal. I'm always biased toward the 15, though.
Today, the difference is around $1000 so you're saving $500. Like others have said, why does he want to downgrade? AppleCare shouldn't be a problem since you can get it yourself. If you don't mind the 15", I think you could benefit from the 9600M GT since you're going to be gaming and 9600M GT > 9400M in that regard. Also, you'll have upgrades in CPU, HDD and RAM for only $500. So depending on if there's anything wrong with it, I think it's a good price.
in my opinion yes it is worth it. you not only get the bigger screen but also dedicated graphics and more L2 cache. so yes do it.
I pulled the trigger purchased my friend's 15" mbp.
I am planning to use the HD from my 13" mbp so that I can just archive and reinstall.
I have a question, do i have to keep the existing HD that comes with the 15"? If I bring it in repair, would they ask for my original 15" HD?
Thanks
I am planning to use the HD from my 13" mbp so that I can just archive and reinstall.
I have a question, do i have to keep the existing HD that comes with the 15"? If I bring it in repair, would they ask for my original 15" HD?
Thanks
i think it's a good idea to hold on to it. and whenever you bring it in for repair just swap it in.