2013 Haswell Retina MacBook Pro...

mattyy said:
Thats hardly the best advice. If I had an unlimited supply of money then I would, and you would be right, then I would also buy an iPad for the sofa, apple TV to replace the skybox... etc...

I don't and I'm trying to find the best Macbook for my needs to replace my current aging desktop and be portable.

Forget the screen, I'm trying to figure out if I would actually use the performance the 15" offers over the 13". Difficult to advise I know.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat and here is my thinking.

I have always used 15" laptops do I thought the 15" rmbp would be best. However I intend to take this laptop with me most of the time so the 13" would be so much better. The only I save will also go towards a nice monitor so I won't be missing the screen space.

Then comes the performance, I think I will miss this, I currently have a i7 sandy bridge laptop so it will be a step down, however I think it's worth it for a smaller package that I will use more often. Also outside of video converting which I can leave running over night it was overkill.

Do you personally have anything that needs a quad core cpu? Do you gave access to a monitor most of the time?

Those are what I've thought through and the 13" makes sense, also if I don't like it I can always return it and get the 15".
 
mattyy said:
Thats hardly the best advice. If I had an unlimited supply of money then I would, and you would be right, then I would also buy an iPad for the sofa, apple TV to replace the skybox... etc...

I don't and I'm trying to find the best Macbook for my needs to replace my current aging desktop and be portable.

Forget the screen, I'm trying to figure out if I would actually use the performance the 15" offers over the 13". Difficult to advise I know.
Click to expand...

Well getting a 13inch plus a monitor is the best advice for your needs IMO.
 
I think the issue for pro users is also the 13inch workspace v the 15inch workspace, most pro users dock up with a external monitor or if they have been using a mac pro before.

I love the battery life of the MBA but the poor quality screen drives me nuts.

I am trying to decide if I am happy lugging a 15inch machine around allt he time. I did hold both in my hand at the same time, although there is a difference, I wouldn't say either the 13 or 15 is a massive weight compared to the MBA.
 
interesting Glen, made my choice more difficult.

glen8 said:
I spent yesterday lunch time comparing the 13" against the 15"

Luckily the shop was quiet so I was able to do the same things on both.

Unfortunately after using them for a good 15-20 minutes my mind was made up. The 15" was absolutely the one to go for (I really wanted the cheaper 13").

The 15" screen is in another league. ok, yeah they are both retina, and the 13" actually has the higher dpi (if only .7 of a difference) but the extra 2" screen size is a dream. The 13" is just too small.

It's not just the screen size though, the 15" has the quad core processor with iris pro graphics (plus it is a higher resolution). I think for the extra few hundred, it's worth it.
Click to expand...
 
So it seems I'm not the only one pondering over which one!

I guess the way Apple have designed them have made MBA, 13RMBP and the 15RMBP pro overlap when your always wanting a feature the next model up has.

The MBA has everything bar the screen really (I've read the i7 is better than the pros equivalent?) Then again the external monitor can be used here.
So you step up to the 13 pro for the retina screen, extra ram and maybe the extra ports float your boat.
Now you're thinking.. 'Heck, if I've got the extra ram I want the extra speed.' so you step up to the 15".
The choice is so hard because the price between the base models is little.

I have always used 15" laptops do I thought the 15" rmbp would be best. However I intend to take this laptop with me most of the time so the 13" would be so much better. The only I save will also go towards a nice monitor so I won't be missing the screen space.
Click to expand...

This is the idea I was going for but after reading about the 15" in here. If I was going for an extra monitor and not worry about the screen then I may aswell go for the MBA? Except the price when you've bunked the MBA up to max spec, you may aswell go for the mid 13" pro.

There needs to be a 13" with better processor options.

As for what to choose, I'm going to visit the store tomorrow and do as Glen suggested. Play =)
 
When i looked up intels specs

the I7 in my MBA is better then the i5/i7 in the 13inch, bar obviously more ram.

What drives me nuts is the screen

the battery is awesome and so is the speed and portability

HOWEVER

something still bugs me about the 13inch as not value for money, you might as well get 15, the issue being , is the 15 portable enough
 
I decided to opt for the 13 purely for the portability factor. I'm using it to replace a desktop pc, but as I plan to keep my current 24" IPS monitor to use with the new MacBook, I dont lose screen real estate to any real degree choosing the 13 over the 15.

Sure the 15" has more gpu power too, but I rarely use my computer for gaming these days anyway, and with next gen consoles soon I'll likely end up getting one of them for games. My laptop will be my photographic workhorse basically.
 
JGBR said:
Which felt better to use?

13inch felt better for some reason due to size and weight

Did you compare weight?

Yea i did, the 13inch is 0.5kg lighter but the size of it makes it more attractive and could fit on most small bags.

Was anyone faster?
Couldnt tell. i have used the old MBP 15inch and it was blazing fast but the 13inch seems quite fast as well. i wished i could install and try lightroom on it to see which one really is faster

Which screen did you prefer?

The only difference in the screen is the size. both had great colour accuracy and contrast.
Click to expand...


In bold.

the real question is what you really want for a laptop.

If you dont travel around too much and dont have a desktop at home, get the 15inch but if you already have a desktop at home/spare monitors then the 13inch is the way to go.

A 13inch would also be better to use on the train, airplane etc as its smaller and more compact.

Whipping out a 15inch in a packed busy train,airplane would not be ideal lol and yes i done it before!
 
well I spent another lunch time comparing the 13" against the 15"

They really are both great in their own right, which makes it VERY hard to choose one over the other

which ever one I buy will be hooked up to the 27" DGM monitor and the Apple bluetooth keyboard/mouse/trackpad.

so that basically leaves two questions

1. Do I need quad core i7 and Iris Pro (it's always nice to have too much and not need it, than not enough and need it)
2. Will I be moving the laptop around much (perhaps, but even if I do, will I crave the extra screen size)

Grrrrr
 
Last edited:
grrr, i nearly got in the car and got the 15inch but the 8gb base model put me off... but this is suppose to be my portable machine and keep the mac pro for a few years.
 
the difference in weight from a 13inch mba to a 15inch RMBP is two coffee mugs (empty)

im the same, im wondering

a) 16gb ram worth it
b) if its my machine to chuck about then do i want the most expensive
c) portability. at present I chuck my MBA in my bag and forget about it, go into work, work and come back. done. just for the wish of retina and some screen estate
 
I've just been reading on MR and the general consensus is that very few people will actually use or need the 16GB of ram. The i7 in the 13" is not as great as it appears in at first sight. So therefore the base 13" is more than enough for many peoples requirements - unless you want the extra storage.
As for the 15" - there is nothing wrong with the base. I guess if you're going to start speccing up the 15" then the choice is that you defientely want to be getting the 15" or you should be looking at a desktop with the power.

JGBR, what puts you off the base spec 15"?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom