Picking a MacBook Pro
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- CincodeMayo
I know I should probably just get the 15" MBP, but I need to purchase CS5 as well so I'm trying to save money anywhere I can. Has anyone tried doing work (in Illustrator and Photoshop mainly) on the new 13" MBP?
I'm currently using my MacBook (white model, circa 2008) mainly for freelance (I work on a Mac Pro full time) so I'm sure I'll notice a huge difference whether I go with the 13 or the 15, but is the 15" really worth the extra $600? If I go with the 13", is there a big different between the i5 and the i7?
Having trouble figuring out which way to go...
- abettertomorrow0
Are you going to have an extra monitor to hook up to it? If so, then you might be able to tolerate the 13" but I still prefer 15". Might want to take a look at refurbs if price is an issue.
- refusrbished are more for fear of a defective new product, you don't really save THAT muchMiguex
- I saved a few hundred at least, I'd call it worthwhile in terms of savingsabettertomorrow
- CincodeMayo0
I won't initially have an extra monitor hook up but I've thought about it. I've been freelancing on this 13" MacBook for the last 3 years, so I don't mind the size too much, but of course a couple extra inches would be a plus. And I'm not opposed to the refurbs, but a new 13" is definitely within my budget. It's the 15" that'll break the bank, but if the difference is that great I might just have to pony up.
- pressplay0
Ha, I am facing the same issue right now, but I already decided for the 13" model since I have an external monitor. My additional question would be (if you could consider this while answering to CincodeMayo): go for the slower 13" inch and put more RAM (8 GB) in it or go for the faster model with standard RAM (4GB)? I am mainly working with PS, Illy and Indesign, open at the same time.
- ShaneHolley0
It's never a great move buying the bottom within a range ey. I think you'd struggle with the 13" screen without an additional monitor but more to the point, why pay so much to go Dual 2.3 i5 when for a few more beer tokens you can get quad 2.0 i7?
If you're happy with i5 then get a refurb and save a load mate.
- maikel0
if it's just the screen, don't worry about it. plenty of space in your 13'
also great battery life
and it fits nicely in any bag/airplane seatother than processor speed that for illy/photoshop won't do much, I would say that you'll be better off adding shitloads of ram.
lastly, you can replace some of the component (hard drive, let's say) for a serious one for close to nothing...
- +1, always worth upgrading RAM. Just don't buy from Apple:)abettertomorrow
- i buy from apple to save time.. its a waste to save a few bucks to go out of the way to get ram.epill
- im in i buy what i need, then i get home with all, not outsourcing it for a few bucks..epill
- raf0
I don't understand why they didn't upgrade the 13" screens to the hi-res ones they put in the new Air. I used to have a 13" MacBook and the screen size sucked bad for doing any real work without an external monitor.
I am considering getting an Air as my main machine, once the Air gets the first upgrade. But even now, maxed out at 2.16GHz + 256GB SSD it would be already faster than my old 17" Pro, even with only 4GB RAM. And it would be portable for a change.
- doesnt it not matter at all since a 13" monitor cant see all 16million colours?epill
- i was under the idea that it is 15" n up that allows dpi to showcase the 16mil. not 13"epill
- so if it cant see the true colour, why would it make any difference if it only show 256?epill
- hence the need for the external monitor.epill
- I didn't mention colours, wouldn't expect any laptop to have accurate. It's resolution I care about.raf
- I use my laptop with external monitor over 95% of the time anyway.raf
- visual_infection0
I just got the new 13" MBP. Actually long story short, I bought the 2010 version and ten they released the 2011 so they swapped it out for me. I run Illy + PS and it works great for me. But I also have an external monitor as well.
- CincodeMayo0
So it's sounding like either go 13" with a monitor, or just do the 15". But if Photoshop/Illy/InDesign work fine on the 13" I should be ok with that. My current MacBook can only run one at a time...I'm assuming the 13" can handle running multiple programs at the same time without a problem? Good idea about adding RAM to the 13" if I go that way. Still flip flopping on this. I think the Apple Store is calling my name during lunch today.
- dMullins0
I will definitely never buy a 13" again. It's okay to work on, but I cannot get comfortable on it for periods of time longer than an hour or so.
- raf0
So, you're in California, budgeting the laptop tightly and yet you're going to the most expensive store to buy it?
I don't know about now, but I had my first macbook shipped to CA by Amazon, tax-free with $100 mail-in cheque.
Have you considered refurb options?
- CincodeMayo0
Yeah, looking at refurbs. As for Amazon, seems like a good option and a bit of a discount too. But someone just told me that although you don't pay tax upfront, you do later on when you do your CA taxes. So I'm not sure how much it really saves...refurb might be the way to go, but for a couple hundred more I'd consider new. It's the $600+ between the 13 and 15 that I keep going back and forth on.
- dconstrukt0
get an SSD drive.... they are SOOOOO fast.
- brains0
I have the 13 and a 24" cinema display. It's great. Very portable, as I travel quite often.
- cannonball19780
Please take this conversation to the genius bar
- boobs0
Get the fastest meanest one you possibly can get. Max CPU, max RAM, max screen res and refresh, max Drive Speed, etc. Anything less than full tilt will make you feel lame.
You're going to spend 16 hours a day on the thing for probably the next 3 years. That's over 5k hours/year. You're going to clock something like 15,000 hours on the thing while you own it. Even if you spend an extra $2k on it now, that will amortize out to mere pennies per hour over that time.
Go for the top!
- or get a mini + ram + screen now and the max/top later.uan