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17" MBP owners

M

mrgrieves

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 19, 2007
28
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I'm really trying to be convinced that the 17" MBP is a good choice. However, it seems like almost everyone I ask recommends the 15" over it.

So I think this will be my last internet foray for information on the matter.

Basically I'm just looking for 17" owners to give me a strong first person opinion of whether they are happy with their MBP or wish they had gotten a smaller one, preferably with justifications.
 
I love my 17 inch...I do video editing and audio recording so i need a big screen....but i'm not going to lie i held my buddies 15 inch the other day and it felt so nice, it seems like it would be so much easier to haul around.. so if you need the screen size then it's awesome but if your taking it every where with you you might want to get a 15", either way you will love it and be happy with what ever one you buy
 
I have a 17" Powebook that is 3 years old, I don't regret buying it but if you want to take your MBP to bed and surf before going to bed, put it next to you while on the sofa or just take it to class, you're going to feel uncomfortable at times with the big MBP. I am used to taking mine everywhere, and as long as I have a flat surface I can be comfortable with it. At times thought I wish I had bought the 15" just because of my forearms, they get tired from resting on the edge of the 17". If I had the 15" my forearm would not touch the edge. Now that the new 15" has the same res as the old 17" there is no way I would buy the new 17". Unless you NEED the extra res of the new 17" there is no reason to buy it, yes it is nice to have the extra screen size but unless you are finding yourself needing the extra two inches 100% of the time, the 15 is perfect.

To be honest buy the 15" MBP and buy an external monitor for when you are at home. Win Win.
 
I have a 17 incher! :eek: :D

I love it, I definitely think it was worth paying the extra for the screen real estate. However, as I do a lot o CAD work it makes sense, also I tend to use it more as a desktop replacement that I can easily move between the office and home so the extra weight (even though it isn't really that heavy) isn't noticeable. I think a student or salesperson that needs the portability would benefit from the smaller footprint and weight but my 17" MPB is without doubt the best computer I have ever had.
 
I've had my 17" high-def for about 3 months now and don't regret for one moment choosing the 17".

I am an IT consultant and have been a Windows user since Windows 3.1 (a long time) and still need to use Windows applications for client work. I therefore use Parallels/VMWare a lot. In addition, for my own use, I use exclusively non-Windows apps. I travel every day and pack the MBP in a good backpack. It causes me no problems re. weight and I can use it on the train, etc without any size issues.

My 17" allows me to load up multiple virtual Windows machines plus other Mac apps and fit most on-screen at the same time.

I have to confess I also went for the 17" (glossy and it's beautiful) for DVD playback and both picture and sound are great.

A colleague will be buying a MBP soon and really only needs the 15" but keeps looking at mine and knows he really wants the 17". I know if I'd bought the 15" I'd now regret it.

Hope this helps.:)
 
I have the 17" MBP as well. I do alot of CAD / Graphics work so I chose the extra real estate. Not regretting one bit.

Although everyone has an opinion, what helped me finally decide was seeing them in person. I was used to seeing 17" PC's which are usually bulky and heavy. When I saw the footprint of the 17" MBP it was not much larger than the 15" IMO.
 
i went from a 15" powerbook to a 17" hires mbp and have no regrets at all. the screen is soo freakin sharp and the extra real estate is nice. after using the hires for a while, when i look at the 15" it looks like fisher price with huge blocky fonts and spread out pixels. the 15 just seems so cramped now. the extra usb port is handy and to top it all off, the 17 inchers are faster than the 15s. love it!
 
I just bought a 17 inch hi res and I like the extra space.
Unfortunately, my eyesight is poor and the hi res is harder to see, so I had to knock it back to a lower res, but even then there is more space to work in so I am very glad to have it, and if I need it for some special work I can take it back up to hi res.
At work, I placed a closed 15 incher on top of a closed 17 incher and there is actually very little difference in overall dimensions, only about 1 inch more in length and width.
 
The resolution is 1650x1080. Is that a good enough reason? You typically have to get into 20" LCD to get that resolution. The screen space is really excellent. When I sold my first 17" I noticed they sell for less of their value compared to 15".. probably due to target buyers going for 15" which is more popular. The 17" has more ports as well I think.. including FW800 (last time I checked).
 
Current 15" models have one FW 400 and one FW 800 and two USB 2.0 ports.

The current 17" model has one FW 400 and one FW 800 with three USB 2.0 ports
 
boobooyah said:
i went from a 15" powerbook to a 17" hires mbp and have no regrets at all. the screen is soo freakin sharp and the extra real estate is nice.
Click to expand...

Ditto........I have no regrets with the 17". I think if I'd bought another 15", I would have been constantly wondering what if. Also, I've noticed that the speakers on my 17" seem richer than my old 15". I haven't checked the specs so it might just be my perception.
 
Before I bought my MBP, I was considering the 17 for the same reason as most people here have been touting - screen real estate. But since the purpose behind why I needed a notebook was primarily mobility, I decided the 15 was better suited to me.

I move around a lot in my line of business and one more cumbersome piece of kit to lug around would have broken the camel's back -- literally :D
 
Thanks for all the encouragement guys. I was about to cave into popular opinion and go with the 15, but I have a feeling I would have looked back in regret.

I've decided on the high res 17" matte, hopefully I don't turn around and regret it instead!
 
I have the 17" Hi Res in Matte and it really is a thing of beauty!

If you're able to lay your hands on some HD video, the screen will blow you away. The quality is a joy to behold.

1900 x 1200 resolution is fantastic for multiple windows, I think once you've worked with this, it would be hard to go back to a 15" screen.

Unless you are carrying it to lectures or travelling economy by air everyday, I would push the 17" Hi Res purely for the 1900 x 1200 factor. :D
 
Love mine

mrgrieves said:
I'm really trying to be convinced that the 17" MBP is a good choice. However, it seems like almost everyone I ask recommends the 15" over it.

So I think this will be my last internet foray for information on the matter.

Basically I'm just looking for 17" owners to give me a strong first person opinion of whether they are happy with their MBP or wish they had gotten a smaller one, preferably with justifications.
Click to expand...

I went from a 15 to a 17 in and I can't imagine going back. It's not at all too big to carry around, nor is it too heavy. I travel with mine and love it.
 
I have a 17". It's great.

I fly sometimes and my laptop bag fits under the airplane seat. No problem using it on the plane even in econ class.

And you will grow a little bit more muscle by using the 17", especially when walking around with it on my left hand and arm, and typing using my right hand.

If I am driving, I'll have it display the map / directions.

I always joked around that it's my 17" iPhone because I carry it almost everywhere. Just need multitouch and all the other cool iPhone goodies... =p

Also when Leopard comes out, the resolution independence feature will make different resolution as sharp as the native resolution. I would get the HD screen if you can afford it.
 
I don't know if this has changed since the macbook pro's line got a resolution bump up back in June. But, if you plan to use Final Cut Pro for video work...the Color program will not work on 15" due to requirements in the screen real estate.

I haven't looked to see if it is still the case now that the resolutions have increased on both 15 and 17".

so it's something to keep in mind.
 
After owning a 17", I don't think I could ever go back to a 15". It would just always remind me that I used to have a bigger screen.

The extra desktop space is great, the resolution is awesome and the extra USB port does come in handy -- all worth the extra 300 bucks.
 
hajime said:
The sound quality on the 17" MBP is excellent!
Click to expand...

I noticed this too! The build in speakers of the new 17" sound much better than my first gen 15" MBP. Does the 17" use different speakers?

I love my 17" MBP. It's more comfortable on my lap than the 15" (the larger width makes it more stable and easier to rest your hands on it). Plus, if you play computer games on it, I'd say the 17" would stay cooler because the larger case can better cool it, so overclocking your videocard would benefit from this :)

I'm not too impressed by the screen though. Backlighting isn't perfect and I have some backlight leakage at the bottom of the screen, which annoys me. Seems like a common problem, as even the demo model in the Apple Store has it, and the sales person told me most of them have it.
 
I bought a 17'' MBP when Santa Rosa came out, and am now in the process of selling it and buying a 15''. The screen real estate is very cool, but for a 21-year old university student who bikes ~4 miles to/from school, its not THAT cool :) . The weight isn't too much of a problem, but for crammed seats the 17'' is a bit much. I don't play video games or watch DVD's on my laptop, but I do do audio recording/editing with Pro Tools LE. I'll definetly second what someone else said about the resale value of the 17'' being kinda crummy.
 
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