MBP purchase opinions please.

milltown

Considering a MBP purchase and would appreciate some opinions from you guys.

Use will be mainly music, stuff like Traktor and Logic. Maybe some mobile photo stuff but the 27" iMac at home will fill the big screen needs obviously.

On the face of it, the vanilla 13" i5 seems to fit the bill. I love the size and portability and with a bit of additional aftermarket RAM would probably want for nothing. Except a bigger screen? In real life is the smaller screen and lower resolution really a problem?

Next there would be the 15" 2ghz i7. Probably waay more power than i'd need but the obvious benefit of the higher res, bigger screen. Discrete graphics would be an added bonus if I end up doing more graphical stuff out and about. Is the bigger brother worth the €500 premium over the 13" though. Can anyone who has used both comment on whether the extra 2" is really that noticable?

I guess resale should be a consideration too. Come upgrade time, is either one more desirable to the second hand buyer?

Lastly, am I right in thinking that I can plug any of them into my 27" iMac to use it's display? I can't remember where but I seem to recall that being one of the reasons I bought the bigger iMac.

Thanks in advance!

fasty

The res on the 13" is pretty low tbh, but if it's a 2nd machine you might get away with it. I see you're in Dublin, drop into CompuB and see for yourself.

I wouldn't worry about the discrete graphics card, the built in one is okay for general use and light graphics.

If I was in a position to buy atm, I'd wait a few months for a Sandy Bridge based Macbook Air.

Sad Professor

All Macs have good resale value.

Re: screen size, what's best for you depends on how you'll be using it. Like fasty said, if it's a secondary machine and you plan to be carrying it around a lot, I'd recommend the 13-inch. I have a 13-inch MBP and I've never had an issue with the screen size or resolution. However, since getting it, it's kind of become a desktop replacement for me (I retired my iMac and now use my iPad for carrying around), so I'll probably be going for a 15-inch next time, mainly for the added power and superior graphics.

Lastly, am I right in thinking that I can plug any of them into my 27" iMac to use it's display? I can't remember where but I seem to recall that being one of the reasons I bought the bigger iMac.

Yes, see here.

milltown

Sad Professor wrote: »

I have a 13-inch MBP and I've never had an issue with the screen size or resolution.[/URL].

Mind me asking what it's mostly used for?

Sad Professor

It's mostly used for posting on here tbh.

But I also use it for college work and a bit of photography. I have it hooked up to a 24-inch ACD when at home.

fasty

For what it's worth, I've gone from a 13" to a 15" high rest screen and don't regret it. The 15" is less portable than the 13" but when you place them side by side, the difference isn't HUGE.

I use mine for development and graphics work so the extra real estate was really needed. Despite owning a desktop PC which I use for games and more development, the MBP is my main machine, I don't even keep files on my desktop.