Choosing between 13" or 15" MBP

azbluii · Mar 2, 2012

I can't make up my mind on which notebook to get. Any pros/cons between the 13" and 15" MBP? I'll use this for Internet, email, some documents, pics and iTunes, DVDs . Not a gamer.

Thanks

Chuckoir · Mar 2, 2012

Something to consider, is that although the 15" is a couple inches bigger, it will weigh more. So if this would be an issue, you may want to consider the 13". However, if a bigger screen is more important, then go for the 15".

For what you state you'll be using it for, I doubt you'd see much benefit from the quad cores.

There's quite a price different between the two versions however, the extra cash you'd save in buying the 13" could go towards extra RAM, external HDD for back up or software.

Having said that, if money is no object and the weight isn't an issue - Get the best one your cash will allow.

Ves · Mar 2, 2012

Chuckoir summed it up perfectly. Looking at what you're planning to do a 13" seems to be good enough. Perhaps even a MBA.

Shootist · Mar 2, 2012

I've had both in 2011 and selected the 15" for the bigger screen, faster Quad Core CPU and discrete graphics.
The 13" was OK for most of what I do but I liked the added features of the 15" along with the bigger screen.

newbimac · Mar 2, 2012

13" MBA would seem like the best choice for you. You don't need the graphics ability of the 15" MBP for your intended use and although it's only a 13" screen the MBA has the same resolution as the 15" MBP (1440 x 900), so a real win-win situation.

Also, with 4GB, an SSD drive and the i7 processor it will be a very responsive machine; especially given your limited needs. There's also something special about having such a slim and lightweight machine but at the same time knowing it's quite the little power house.

JPH675 · Mar 2, 2012

agree for your use

+1 on the Macbook Air 13 with your use

or

if you require a bigger screen, there are some nice MBP 15s on the refurb site

JimVol · Mar 6, 2012

I am not sure if this helps or not,

But when I was in Best Buy the other day they had several "Open Box" MacBook Pro's for significant savings. They assured me that the "Open Box" models have full warranty and are cleaned, inspected, and OS wiped and reinstalled before the sale. My 13 inch MBP was an "open box" and it was perfect. My Best Buy had them for $1099.00 I think.

BestBuy also upgraded my Ram from 4 gb to 8 gb for about $50.00. I thought that was a good deal over Apple's $200.00 for the upgrade.

I just moved from a 15 inch Toshiba Laptop to a 13 inch MBP. I am not sure if it is just the newness of the Mac but I do not miss the Toshiba's 15 inch screen.

My best friend has a 2011 15 inch MBP and there is a significant weight difference between the 13 inch and the 15 inch. For portability, go for the 13 inch.

I plan to purchase a 24 or 27 inch external display for those times I need more screen real estate. I also want the Apple Keyboard and Mouse for when I have to do "desktop" type work.

Good Luck, no matter what you decide.

Thanks!

Schoat333 · Mar 6, 2012

JimVol said:
I am not sure if this helps or not,

But when I was in Best Buy the other day they had several "Open Box" MacBook Pro's for significant savings. They assured me that the "Open Box" models have full warranty and are cleaned, inspected, and OS wiped and reinstalled before the sale. My 13 inch MBP was an "open box" and it was perfect. My Best Buy had them for $1099.00 I think.

BestBuy also upgraded my Ram from 4 gb to 8 gb for about $50.00. I thought that was a good deal over Apple's $200.00 for the upgrade.

I just moved from a 15 inch Toshiba Laptop to a 13 inch MBP. I am not sure if it is just the newness of the Mac but I do not miss the Toshiba's 15 inch screen.

My best friend has a 2011 15 inch MBP and there is a significant weight difference between the 13 inch and the 15 inch. For portability, go for the 13 inch.

I plan to purchase a 24 or 27 inch external display for those times I need more screen real estate. I also want the Apple Keyboard and Mouse for when I have to do "desktop" type work.

Good Luck, no matter what you decide.

Thanks!

This is exactly what I just did a few days ago. My BB had the open box for 1024.99. I talked the guy into giving me an additional $75 off too.

The other nice thing about buying an open box item is you can try to haggle the price a little bit. No way to do that on a new one.

SemperFi · Mar 6, 2012

13" mbp

For your needs I feel like a 13" MBP would be a better choice over the 13" MBA. If you are planning on storing your music collection and photos 256 GB might seem a little confining, while the MBP offers a 500 GB capacity (Granted it is a HDD instead of the MBA SSD), and a faster processor..for $400 less.