2010 MBP i5 15" vs 2011 MBP i5 13"

Hey Guys,

I am looking for opinions from users of each of these laptops (or someone who knows the difference with the sandy bridge processor, as I am not that educated in terms of sandy bridge)

I have the option of getting either of these two laptops for the same price, and am having a tough time deciding.

MacBook Pro 13" 2.3 Ghz i5 (2011)
8 GB Ram
320 GM HDD

or

MacBook Pro 15" 2.4 Ghz i5 (2010)
4 GB
500 GB HDD

I just want mobility and all the good stuff a MBP brings. I do not use extremely intensive programs like final cut. I do, however, want to have the "best option" available. So I am open to some opinions. Both are in mint condition and SLIGHTLY used. the 13" has been used for a month and the 15" has been used for 4 months.

Let me know

I would go with the MBP 15" simply because it has a larger display and discrete GPU in addition to the Intel HD 3000 integrated one. And, a larger hard drive. (I absolutely love the 15" MBPs, but just can not afford to buy a new one.)

I'm not entirely sure what the bench mark differences are when comparing the Sandy Bridge, however, you should be able to get an idea by going to the MacWorld web site and looking them up. They recently (maybe two issues ago) did a very good comparison.

I forgot to mention above that the newer MBP 13" also has Thunderbolt which the MBP 15" you're thinking of buying does not have.

chscag said:

I would go with the MBP 15" simply because it has a larger display and discrete GPU in addition to the Intel HD 3000 integrated one. And, a larger hard drive. (I absolutely love the 15" MBPs, but just can not afford to buy a new one.)

I'm not entirely sure what the bench mark differences are when comparing the Sandy Bridge, however, you should be able to get an idea by going to the MacWorld web site and looking them up. They recently (maybe two issues ago) did a very good comparison.

I forgot to mention above that the newer MBP 13" also has Thunderbolt which the MBP 15" you're thinking of buying does not have.

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Thanks for the reply!

Yeah I am aware of the Thunderbolt, but I do not use any peripherals which would utilize the port anyway; so its not a big deal to me.

Any more opinions?

Im a fan of the 13'' mbp. because of ease of portability. I say if you are actually going to be mobile most of the time get the smaller computer plus it now has the latest technology. But having a bigger screen at times isn't bad, my real purpose for a 15" is watching movies, as my bro has a 15" an I have 13". But it really is your money an your choice on what you get. Good Luck

Thanks Dj Gose. Although I know it will ultimately come down to my choice. I am looking for some solid opinions just in case a personal experience strikes a chord with me.

Thanks again

all boils down to your needs of course... but if you're after mobility as you said nothing beats the 13in as it's much mobile than it's bigger brother.

and i noticed that you have the baseline 2011 15in model so why get another 15in model?

I just updated my signature, I decided to go with a different model, the i7 2.0 Ghz 15"

It will suit all my needs. Although the 13" is nice for portability, I really wanted the performance of the 15".

Although the 13" is nice for portability, I really wanted the performance of the 15".

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Good choice.

Yeah, when I saw the benchmarks and it dominated my iMac I was sold.
This machine is absolutely amazing.

chscag said:

Good choice.

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Now all I have to do is purchase a nice OWC SSD and swap out my Superdrive and it will be a perfect configuration for me