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would a 13" work for me?

S

skylrr5

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 5, 2010
18
0
Well I'm getting a macbook pro soon and I was wondering if a 13" would be good for what i'll be doing. I already have an external display ready, anyway. I just need to get the mini DVI adapter and such.

but anyway, all I'd do is surf the web, i'd use iChat, play sims 3 and maybe WoW, and a little video editing and possibly music editing (but as a hobby).

oh, and i'm talking about the 2.4GHz one.

what do you think? :D
 
skylrr5 said:
Well I'm getting a macbook pro soon and I was wondering if a 13" would be good for what i'll be doing. I already have an external display ready, anyway. I just need to get the mini DVI adapter and such.

but anyway, all I'd do is surf the web, i'd use iChat, play sims 3 and maybe WoW, and a little video editing and possibly music editing (but as a hobby).

oh, and i'm talking about the 2.4GHz one.

what do you think? :D
Click to expand...

If you want to save some money, the 13" is perfect for you. Even a 12" PowerBook from 2005 can play WoW pretty well, the MacBook Pro 13" runs it with everything maxed out. Surfing the web is fine, if not phenominal on the 13" and as long as you don't plan on doing anything super intensive when music editing, you'll be fine.

However, If you feel limited by the 13" Screen Resolution (1200x800) or want a better graphics card with dedicated memory instead of the shared the 15" uses, I would reccommend a refurbished i5 15" for near the same price, or even a refurbished 2.4 if you want to get the 13" and save even more money.
Links:

13" http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC374LL/A?mco=MTgwOTc3Mjg
15" http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC371LL/A?mco=MTgwOTc2ODA

The only difference between refurbished is you get a plain white box instead of a nice one with a picture on it. Same 1 year warranty and everything otherwise.

Good Luck!
 
mgartner0622 said:
If you want to save some money, the 13" is perfect for you. Even a 12" PowerBook from 2005 can play WoW pretty well, the MacBook Pro 13" runs it with everything maxed out. Surfing the web is fine, if not phenominal on the 13" and as long as you don't plan on doing anything super intensive when music editing, you'll be fine.

However, If you feel limited by the 13" Screen Resolution (1200x800) or want a better graphics card with dedicated memory instead of the shared the 15" uses, I would reccommend a refurbished i5 15" for near the same price, or even a refurbished 2.4 if you want to get the 13" and save even more money.
Links:

13" http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC374LL/A?mco=MTgwOTc3Mjg
15" http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC371LL/A?mco=MTgwOTc2ODA

The only difference between refurbished is you get a plain white box instead of a nice one with a picture on it. Same 1 year warranty and everything otherwise.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

thanks for all the good info =D I think I'm gonna go with the 13" and maybe the refurb. I think i'll be good with the screen and hook it up to the external monitor.

aeboi said:
for your needs, definitely go for the 13"
Click to expand...

sounds good, thanks =D
 
I just picked up a 13" MBP of the same specs you are looking at. Works great for whatever I throw at it. Not planning on WOWing it up myself, but am pleased with its performance. I was a bit hesitant on the 5400RPM drive, but I have yet to see any issues.
 
mgartner0622 said:
If you want to save some money, the 13" is perfect for you. Even a 12" PowerBook from 2005 can play WoW pretty well, the MacBook Pro 13" runs it with everything maxed out. ....
Click to expand...

Stop misinforming people!

I had a PowerBook G4, which I played Wow on, it ran oki in elwynn forest, but when we started SSC raiding it got hopeless, 4-6 FPS.. (sold it in 2007..)
My iMac G5 hardly manage to load Dalaran, it takes two minutes to get from the inn to the bank..

I replaced it (PBG4) with a 2007 MBP, which could keep 30-60 FPS in SSC, with almost everything maxed. In WOTLK, it would dip below 20 FPS in Dalaran from time to time, with most settings on medium. In 25 man ICC raids it would dip below 15 FPS on Marrowgar (settings still medium), but everything else ran at 20-40 FPS inside ICC, and questing in the 30-60 FPS range.

The 2007 MBP (with 8600m) is almost identical to the 13" MBP in terms of gaming performance.

I now have the i5 15 inch, and it runs everything maxed, except AA and shadows. I'm getting 40-80 FPS in raids, with occasional drops to 20-30 on Marrowgar and in Dalaran. When whelps spawn in ony25, my fps goes down BELOW 10 FPS for a few seconds as well.

To max WoW, you need something else than a MacBook Pro, because you cannot max it on the 15 inch, unless you want FPS drops below 15-20 FPS from time to time.

The 13-inch MBP will run WoW great, if you can turn down a few things, but maxed no..


edit:
mbp25_wow.gif

stolen from barefeats.com

26.6 FPS on ultra setting in Thunderbluff...
The 15 inch gets 57 FPS, which makes conclude you would get half the performance in raids..
 
I got the MBP you're talking about and I must say, it fits my needs really well. I do play WoW on it, just started playing actually, and it runs it very well! Might even try some StarCraft II on it when I get the game!

Get the 13"! With the small form factor and it's capabilities under the hood, it's a great buy and I'm sure you'll love it! :)
 
I have the same laptop you are talking about. I use it for extremely similar purposes as well and it suits me perfectly. It is easily portable and not as heavy as the 15" models. Speed is great as well. Mine boots in under 30 seconds and turns of in about 8 seconds. I do some photo editing and find it perfect. I am going to buy an external monitor to use at home as 13" is a bit small to be staring at for a long time, however when using it anywhere else I find the screen fine with being able to use gestures to change between open windows. I'm hoping mine lasts for a long time as well.
 
Like what everyone else said,
the 13' MBP is perfect for your needs.

Personally,
I wouldn't buy a refurbed MBP.
Other than that,
go for the MBP.
 
MonkeyET said:
I just picked up a 13" MBP of the same specs you are looking at. Works great for whatever I throw at it. Not planning on WOWing it up myself, but am pleased with its performance. I was a bit hesitant on the 5400RPM drive, but I have yet to see any issues.
Click to expand...

sounds good =)

cluthz said:
Stop misinforming people!

I had a PowerBook G4, which I played Wow on, it ran oki in elwynn forest, but when we started SSC raiding it got hopeless, 4-6 FPS.. (sold it in 2007..)
My iMac G5 hardly manage to load Dalaran, it takes two minutes to get from the inn to the bank..

I replaced it (PBG4) with a 2007 MBP, which could keep 30-60 FPS in SSC, with almost everything maxed. In WOTLK, it would dip below 20 FPS in Dalaran from time to time, with most settings on medium. In 25 man ICC raids it would dip below 15 FPS on Marrowgar (settings still medium), but everything else ran at 20-40 FPS inside ICC, and questing in the 30-60 FPS range.

The 2007 MBP (with 8600m) is almost identical to the 13" MBP in terms of gaming performance.

I now have the i5 15 inch, and it runs everything maxed, except AA and shadows. I'm getting 40-80 FPS in raids, with occasional drops to 20-30 on Marrowgar and in Dalaran. When whelps spawn in ony25, my fps goes down BELOW 10 FPS for a few seconds as well.

To max WoW, you need something else than a MacBook Pro, because you cannot max it on the 15 inch, unless you want FPS drops below 15-20 FPS from time to time.

The 13-inch MBP will run WoW great, if you can turn down a few things, but maxed no..


edit:
mbp25_wow.gif

stolen from barefeats.com

26.6 FPS on ultra setting in Thunderbluff...
The 15 inch gets 57 FPS, which makes conclude you would get half the performance in raids..
Click to expand...

eh, whatever, it's only a thought. i'll just see how it goes doesn't matter much if it's not the best. but thanks for the info :)

chrisvee said:
I got the MBP you're talking about and I must say, it fits my needs really well. I do play WoW on it, just started playing actually, and it runs it very well! Might even try some StarCraft II on it when I get the game!

Get the 13"! With the small form factor and it's capabilities under the hood, it's a great buy and I'm sure you'll love it! :)
Click to expand...

oh, alright =D i can't wait to get it

jake.f said:
I have the same laptop you are talking about. I use it for extremely similar purposes as well and it suits me perfectly. It is easily portable and not as heavy as the 15" models. Speed is great as well. Mine boots in under 30 seconds and turns of in about 8 seconds. I do some photo editing and find it perfect. I am going to buy an external monitor to use at home as 13" is a bit small to be staring at for a long time, however when using it anywhere else I find the screen fine with being able to use gestures to change between open windows. I'm hoping mine lasts for a long time as well.
Click to expand...

wow, sounds good. boots way faster than my pc :p sounds good for me, thanks.

tonywang.xmpt said:
Like what everyone else said,
the 13' MBP is perfect for your needs.

Personally,
I wouldn't buy a refurbed MBP.
Other than that,
go for the MBP.
Click to expand...

thanks :D
 
skylrr5 said:
Well I'm getting a macbook pro soon and I was wondering if a 13" would be good for what i'll be doing. I already have an external display ready, anyway
Click to expand...

For video editing, the 15" is maybe 25% to 50% faster during the render. A few minutes extra waiting is quite tolerable for most people.

I got an external VGA monitor for $0 on Freecycle, and I use it with my 13", which I got on sale for $999, and together they are fine. Some day I'll get a 33", or not, it's not a big deal.

The 13" is great because it's more portable and because the $600-$800 you save will buy a lot of stuff.
 
pinsrw said:
For video editing, the 15" is maybe 25% to 50% faster during the render. A few minutes extra waiting is quite tolerable for most people.

I got an external VGA monitor for $0 on Freecycle, and I use it with my 13", which I got on sale for $999, and together they are fine. Some day I'll get a 33", or not, it's not a big deal.

The 13" is great because it's more portable and because the $600-$800 you save will buy a lot of stuff.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hijack this thread, but what size is your VGA monitor? How exactly does freecycle work?
 
cluthz said:
Stop misinforming people!

I had a PowerBook G4, which I played Wow on, it ran oki in elwynn forest, but when we started SSC raiding it got hopeless, 4-6 FPS.. (sold it in 2007..)
My iMac G5 hardly manage to load Dalaran, it takes two minutes to get from the inn to the bank..

I replaced it (PBG4) with a 2007 MBP, which could keep 30-60 FPS in SSC, with almost everything maxed. In WOTLK, it would dip below 20 FPS in Dalaran from time to time, with most settings on medium. In 25 man ICC raids it would dip below 15 FPS on Marrowgar (settings still medium), but everything else ran at 20-40 FPS inside ICC, and questing in the 30-60 FPS range.

The 2007 MBP (with 8600m) is almost identical to the 13" MBP in terms of gaming performance.

I now have the i5 15 inch, and it runs everything maxed, except AA and shadows. I'm getting 40-80 FPS in raids, with occasional drops to 20-30 on Marrowgar and in Dalaran. When whelps spawn in ony25, my fps goes down BELOW 10 FPS for a few seconds as well.

To max WoW, you need something else than a MacBook Pro, because you cannot max it on the 15 inch, unless you want FPS drops below 15-20 FPS from time to time.

The 13-inch MBP will run WoW great, if you can turn down a few things, but maxed no..


edit:
mbp25_wow.gif

stolen from barefeats.com

26.6 FPS on ultra setting in Thunderbluff...
The 15 inch gets 57 FPS, which makes conclude you would get half the performance in raids..
Click to expand...


12" 1.5GHz 1.25GB RAM can run most parts (non-raid) @ 800x600 with medium-low settings at around 27FPS. This is with processor set to highest and the AC cord plugged in. When raiding, it's usually pretty bad, although bearable on low settings.

My 13" can run it at full resolution with high graphics quality. That's what I meant by maxed out, not things like antialiasing, and other advanced graphics settings.

My last generation 2.53GHz 13" with the 9400M does great and I can do eveything you want to do. I just like extra screen real estate, which is why I have my 23" Cinema Display. If you don't mind the screen, 13" is the way to go!
 
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