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MacBook Pro 15vs13

J

jmachin

Member
I'm about to buy a MacBook, and I can either buy the 13 or 15 inch model. If I got the 13 inch I would completely max out the specs, and if I got the 15 inch I'd have the discrete GPU, with the 2.3ghz i7 and 512GB ssd. My worries are that the 15 inch will be too large/heavy, and the 13 inch won't last long enough / be powerful enough.

I recently built a desktop with an i7/gtx770 which I can use at home for power hungry activities / games (although recently I've lost my interest in the latter). The laptop will be used for studying mainly, and I'm lost as to which model would best suit my needs. I'd be carrying it in to uni every day. I'd really appreciate comments from owners of the 15 inch version who travel with it a lot!

Thanks for any replies!
 
My worries are that the 15 inch will be too large/heavy, and the 13 inch won't last long enough / be powerful enough.
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For the use case you describe the first of these is very relevant, the 2nd is not. The 1lb difference between ~4.5 and ~3.5 is a big difference if you're carrying it around everyday.

I'd go with the 13'' model. You might even consider a 13'' air for carry-every-day studying. It comes in just under 3lbs, every 1/2 lb adds up if you're carrying a couple of things in your bag and bringing it everywhere.
 
What are you studying in school? Would a 13" MBA, with it's MUCH longer battery life be a better fit?

The screen is hands down much nicer on the rMBP13, but the battery life and weight are much better on the Air.
 
I have the 13" rMBP, with 512GB SSD, 8GB RAM, and CPU and I love it. It gets great battery life, usually at least 8 hours when I'm multitasking, with 50 tabs open plus 5 or six more apps open.
 
I love the 15 inch. I couldn't do without quad core. But you're just using for studying which shouldn't require the extra power. But on the other hand, the discrete GPU is only available in the 15 inch.

I sometimes carry multiple computers in my bag and the extra pounds make a difference. Maybe the retina model might be up your alley.
 
Your best option is probably the MBA unless you're studying involves doing anything more than reading and typing. If you're doing computer science, I'd go with the rMBP 13' with at least 8gb of RAM.
 
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Had a 13" rMBP from work for a while. It was a dreamboat.

If you have a rig at home to get "real work" done I wouldn't worry about any of the limitations. I get a lot of use out of LogMeIn though. (Or did until they started charging for it.) It works way better than TeamViewer, though, and I'm considered spending the money.

I've had a 13" Macbook (5 pounds, white plastic) for about 4 1/2 years. I used it daily at my old job, and for school. It's been fine.

I'd say 13" is plenty of space for most tasks. (Maybe not graphic design, but everything else works.) I do more and more work with terminals, so anything over 80 columns wide is almost a waste, and I don't mind the low res.

I wouldn't worry about the weight one way or the other. You're young. When I was in undergrad, a 7 pound laptop was considered "thin and light" and we turned out okay.

These threads happen a lot, and somebody always is knocking the 3, 4, 5 pound laptops as being too heavy. I say man up* - if it weighs less than a baby, it'll be easier than your mom carrying your sorry ass around the house was.

*Exceptions for back injuries, etc., of course.

When I meet a thin'n'light nut IRL, it's always somebody carrying around a 3 pound laptop in a 5 pound bulletproof super-bag, and enough other garbage in it to bow the table they set it on. Scan in that paperwork, lose the water bottle, and the laptop will seem a lot lighter.
 
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dave_the_nerd said:
If you have a rig at home to get "real work" done I wouldn't worry about any of the limitations. I get a lot of use out of LogMeIn though. (Or did until they started charging for it.) It works way better than TeamViewer, though, and I'm considered spending the money.
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What do you like about LogMeIn that you can't do in TeamViewer?
 
dave_the_nerd said:
When I was in undergrad, a 7 pound laptop was considered "thin and light" and we turned out okay.
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Back in my day, it took 10 minutes to boot up your computer so you could print out last week's sales reports on the dot matrix printer. And we LIKED it.

Every phone is pocket sized when you're wearing parachute pants.

oldcellphone.jpg



I've carried a number of different laptops over the years and the extra 2 pounds makes a huge difference when it's in your hands for several hours a day.
 
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