Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

13" vs 15" MBPr for development

Options
  • 26-11-2014 12:21am
    #1
    AndyOHart
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭


    Hey.
    Going to get my first macbook soon. Graduate of computer science so I want to use for programming. I have a desktop PC I will use for taking and heavy duty stuff, pretty much getting macbook cause they are meant to be great for development.

    From talking to people, the 13" is meant to be fine with retina for coding, but some people say it is too small. The difference between the 13 and 15 will be 340 euro (getting on eGlobal).

    Just want opinions from developers about what you think. Will the extra 2 inches and better processor be worth it?
    Thanks.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    padraig_f
    Registered Users Posts: 3,287 ✭✭✭padraig_f


    I like my macbook, but don't find it particulary great for programming tbh. Just the fact of it being a laptop and having limited screen space. Ever since I went to 2 monitors for my desktop a few years ago, I find a single smallish monitor for programming pretty limiting, and think it reduces my productivity.

    I'm big on screen-space for programming....one screen for running program, one for debugger. Or one screen for code, and one for reference documents.

    I still do a bit of programming on the macbook, but don't really enjoy it, alt-tabbing between things.

    If you don't have a multi-monitor setup on your desktop, I'd invest in that first. If you already have that and still need a laptop, I'd go for a bigger monitor if you can.


  • Options
    #3
    Elessar
    Registered Users Posts: 5,239 ✭✭✭Elessar


    Bigger monitors are absolutely worth it for coding. External being the best, if you have access to one or more. I have the 2014 15" MBP and the screen is fantastic on its own, mainly because of the quality. Personally I think the 13" is too small. If there is the slightest possibility you will be working on the laptop, get the 15.


  • Options
    #4
    AndyOHart
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭AndyOHart


    Hmm. Its a tough choice just because one of my close friends uses a non retina 13" for programming and says its fine, and he has a 13" retina in work and says he thinks it has plenty of space on screen cause of the retina.


  • Options
    #5
    colm_c
    Registered Users Posts: 2,030 ✭✭✭colm_c


    AndyOHart wrote: »
    Hmm. Its a tough choice just because one of my close friends uses a non retina 13" for programming and says its fine, and he has a 13" retina in work and says he thinks it has plenty of space on screen cause of the retina.

    You won't fit any extra on the screen with a retina one, so that doesn't make sense, everything will be much sharper though.

    15" is the one to go for, you need as much screen space as possible if you're working on it all the time.

    If it's going to be plugged into a big screen more often than not, then the 13" or Air will be perfectly fine.


  • Options
    #6
    AndyOHart
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭AndyOHart


    colm_c wrote: »
    You won't fit any extra on the screen with a retina one, so that doesn't make sense, everything will be much sharper though.

    15" is the one to go for, you need as much screen space as possible if you're working on it all the time.

    If it's going to be plugged into a big screen more often than not, then the 13" or Air will be perfectly fine.

    I thought because of the high resolution everything would be smaller so could fit more
    Went for a 15 anyway. Won't be hooked up to the monitor much


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Zcott
    Registered Users Posts: 3,206 ✭✭✭Zcott


    colm_c wrote: »
    You won't fit any extra on the screen with a retina one, so that doesn't make sense, everything will be much sharper though.

    That's not the case. The retina display is double the pixels but everything is twice as big and that's why it looks so sharp. In System Preferences you can choose whether you want sharpness or more on the screen. Apple have a page about it here:

    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT5266


  • Options
    #8
    AndyOHart
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭AndyOHart


    Zcott wrote: »
    That's not the case. The retina display is double the pixels but everything is twice as big and that's why it looks so sharp. In System Preferences you can choose whether you want sharpness or more on the screen. Apple have a page about it here:

    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT5266


    Oh I get you. Thanks for explaining


Advertisement