MBP 15" or 13"

The_Illuminator

Hi all,

I'm considering investing in my first Mac. I've decided to go with a refub. My question now is this;

Do you think the new 15" MacBook Pro is worth the extra €300-€500 investment. It'll be a significant amount over my budget of around €1,100, for which I can get the 13" refurb. The main difference, aside from the screen size, seems to be the processor, which in the 15" is a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5, compared to a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo in the 13"

I know the 15 also has better graphics, and as I'm hoping to use the machine for video editing, do you think the extra cash is worth it? I see it as a long-term investment, and I'm hoping that whatever machine I purchase will carry me for at least 3-4 years.

Any advice?

Ham'nd'egger

The_Illuminator wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm considering investing in my first Mac. I've decided to go with a refub. My question now is this;

Yay

The_Illuminator wrote: »

Do you think the new 15" MacBook Pro is worth the extra €300-€500 investment. It'll be a significant amount over my budget of around €1,100, for which I can get the 13" refurb. The main difference, aside from the screen size, seems to be the processor, which in the 15" is a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5, compared to a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo in the 13"

The main attraction with the 13" is portability but even if you are used to a typical Windows lappy a MBP is lighter and more portable.

The_Illuminator wrote: »

I know the 15 also has better graphics, and as I'm hoping to use the machine for video editing, do you think the extra cash is worth it? I see it as a long-term investment, and I'm hoping that whatever machine I purchase will carry me for at least 3-4 years.

If it's pro editing then the bigger screen, the Graphics switch and graphics card matched with the i5 is a no brainer.

Gregor Samsa

I have a 13", my wife has a 15".

Mine is set up most of the time with a 24" monitor. I wanted the 13" for portability, knowing that when I was doing serious work on it (web development/Photoshop/lightroom) I'd have it hooked up to the monitor (with an external keyboard and mouse).

My wife exclusively uses hers on it's own (no extra monitor) so she went with the bigger screen.

Performance wise, there's not enough between them to really notice. If you're looking for pro performance, you'd be looking at a MacPro desktop and serious money.

For video editing, you'll need all the screen you can get. If you're mainly going to be doing it in a fixed place (home or office) you could get either one and a monitor. If you're going to be doing it on the road, or various different places, get the 15".

The_Illuminator

Thanks a million, that's really what I wanted to know, a direct user comparison between the two. Are the models you have the latest ones, phutyle?

In that case, I may go for the 13 and invest in a screen. Cheers!

holystungun9

I have the 13 and you couldn't really convince to buy any bigger(granted i don't do video suff) Certainly good enough for everything else.

Gregor Samsa

The_Illuminator wrote: »

Are the models you have the latest ones, phutyle?

The 13" is a Late 2009 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

The 15" is an earlier 2009 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

So there may indeed be a bigger performance difference with the 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 - but I'd personally still go for the 13" and a nice 24" monitor (I've got a Samsung SyncMaster 2443bw)

When I was doing my MA in Digital Media Technology (2004/2005), I used an old 12" PowerBook for the video editing projects using Final Cut Express (actually I used the PB for everything on that course). Despite only having a 1.33GHz G4 processor, its speed never let me down - but an external monitor was essential (I was using a 17" Samsung at the time) except for the few times I did some work while travelling by train - in which case the portability was a distinct advantage over the 15" equivalent.

Ham'nd'egger

phutyle wrote: »

The 13" is a Late 2009 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

The 15" is an earlier 2009 Intel Core 2 Duo (I can't remember exactly which one, and I don't have it in front of me now)

So there may indeed be a bigger performance difference with the 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 - but I'd personally still go for the 13" and a nice 24" monitor (I've got a Samsung SyncMaster - can't remember the exact model)

When I was doing my MA in Digital Media Technology (2004/2005), I used an old 12" PowerBook for the video editing projects using Final Cut Express (actually I used the PB for everything on that course). Despite only having a 1.33GHz G4 processor, its speed never let me down - but an external monitor was essential (I was using a 17" Samsung at the time) except for the few times I did some work while travelling by train - in which case the portability was a distinct advantage over the 15" equivalent.

The reliable G4; arguably the best CPU of all time:) There was some sort of an accelerator built into them that gave it welly when needed for number crunching so it seems to have paid off for you.

whiterebel

Hamndegger wrote: »

The reliable G4; arguably the best CPU of all time:) There was some sort of an accelerator built into them that gave it welly when needed for number crunching so it seems to have paid off for you.

Altivec or Velocity Engine it was called. Still have the 1GHz 12" PB. What a brilliant little machine. It has been passed on to my son now.