MBP 15" or 17" I cannot decide!

[Chansey]

Hi,

I am getting a new MacBook PRO soon, but I cant decide which one. I currently posess a 15" 1.83ghz which has been great. It is a great size but since the 17" is not much more expensive and you get a bigger HD (160GB instead of 120GB) i was thinking of going that way. Is the batterylife on the 17" as good as the 15" or worse? What are some ups and downs? The 17" has 3USB correct?

I am a student but i never bring my computer to school. I use it mostly at home but i bring it with me whenever i go somewhere, maybe 1/3 of the weekends.

What did you choose and why?

Edit: Are they equally cool and silent?

Axel

 

[adrianblaine]

I ended up choosing the 15" because I do take it everywhere. It never leaves my side pretty much. I contemplated getting the 17" for awhile, but I would have had to buy an entire new bag to take it with my to school (I upgraded from a 12" iBook). Plus, if I really do end up wanting a bigger screen at home, I can always buy an external monitor, or when I can afford it, I'd like to get the 24" iMac.

 

[netdog]

If you don't need the portability (take it away in a car, etc.), a 17" for sure. If you want to shell out for a 17", why not get a 24" iMac and MacBook instead? I love my iMac, and use a black MacBook when I go portable. It's a great combination, and the iMac and MB together go for about the price of a 17" MBP. A much better solution, IMO, than pounding on a laptop all the time.

 

[Chansey]

Well you can get this for $2300 @ refurb

Refurbished MacBook Pro, 17-inch Glossy Display, 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
17-inch glossy widescreen display (1680x1050 resolution)
2GB (two SODIMMs) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
160GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in iSight Camera
Front Row and Apple Remote

One of the reasons why i dont want to do an imac + a macbook is because i need all the power i can get also when i do travel somewhere, which a macbook does not offer. And I am bringing it to denmark, a laptop i can smuggle but and imac they would most definitely see, and if they do = 30% tax i think.

 

[numbersyx]

I had the same problem when trying to decide which MBP to get. I read up a lot on the topic in these forums.

I ended up getting the 17" and believe it or not, there is very little difference in transportability between it and the Dell 15" I had previously. I also find it very easy to keep on my lap when I'm in other rooms of the house. The portability (although a little less convenient than the 15) is actually not an issue.

If you can afford the 17" - go for it. The screen size is worth it and you definitely don't want buyers remorse when you see the student next to you open up his or her laptop.

 

[PDE]

I had the same problem when trying to decide which MBP to get. I read up a lot on the topic in these forums.

I ended up getting the 17" and believe it or not, there is very little difference in transportability between it and the Dell 15" I had previously. I also find it very easy to keep on my lap when I'm in other rooms of the house. The portability (although a little less convenient than the 15) is actually not an issue.

If you can afford the 17" - go for it. The screen size is worth it and you definitely don't want buyers remorse when you see the student next to you open up his or her laptop.

I'm on the fence with this one. i've always had 15" powerbooks and had several macbook pros 15" too, all of which had some problem. When Apple offered to upgrade my 15 to a 17" I was hesistant because I thought it would be way too big. Well, it IS huge and I've had to change the way I hold, carry and handle my computer . Had to get a larger backpack, always handle it with two hands and not be able to sit at a small starbucks table with a book next to it or an external mouse.

Having said that,the weight has not been a problem at all - it's more th footprint. Also, having all that screen real estate on the go is a tremendous luxury. So much that it would be hard to go back to the 15" after this. When I see the 15" MBPs they feel cramped!


Another reason for going with the 17" is just that the 15" display is problematic in more ways that one - the grain, uneven illumination, terrible viewing angles etc. The 17" seems to have 'only' uneven illumination. Viewing angles are pretty good and little grain.

Battery life is actually quite good - I get with airport on around 3- 3.5 hours.

 

[DA-Steve]

im a webdesigner and i work on my 17" all the time.. im currently travelling around Australia working. I started out using my shoulder bag and found that it did get a little heavy/uncomfortable when carrying it for more than an hour or so.. but in my back pack (STM convertable bag) its alot easier to carry.

go the 17" you wont regret it

 

[TonicAngel]

I am a student in web design also. I ended up ordering the 17" this week. I went with the 17" over the 15" for the screen size alone.

I like to have a lot of space when I have a lot of windows/pallettes open. The 15" is nice, but I found that I had to scroll if I was designing a full blown webpage in photoshop. That drove me crazy.

I do not have the 17" in hand (its on its way!) but for its size I do not think portability will be a problem. My old windows laptop weighed 9lbs and I took it a lot of places. The 3 usb ports on the 17" will be useful also. You will enjoy whatever screensize you decide to get.

 

[shecky]

i think the 17 is a better machine in terms of value, and the size is not a big difference at all, but after going back and forth on it i went for the 15 mostly because a) i use it mostly at home on a bigger external monitor and b) i was going to do more traveling than i originally thought and to a lesser extent c) it was difficult to find a good bag for it that did what i wanted.

 

[holamiamigos]

go for the 15" for more portability

 

[MovieCutter]

I've owned 4 15" and 3 17" Powerbooks/MacBook Pros (upgrade every revision) and I just transitioned from 1 5" to a 17" again after flip flopping the last couple of times. Honestly, if you have a good backpack or case, the weight isn't an issue. If you fly coach, the size is an issue, but no more so than the 15". Honestly, the screen real estate alone is worth the upgrade. Especially if you use any professional software like Final Cut, Adobe, or Avid.

I don't understand this "go for the 15" for more portability" concept. The machine itself is NOT THAT MUCH BIGGER, and it's a whole extra pound of weight....oooooooooooooo. In the end it's personal preference. Half of us will tell you go with the 17" for screen size, the other half will tell you to go with the 15" for "portability". It's a never-ending debate. I'm 6'3", 220 lbs, so the weight isn't an issue, but I can see it being one if you're a smaller person...like Verne Troyer or something.

 

[toddster63]

17"! I'd have no problem making that choice--not for the little additional $$$. Everytime I go into the Apple store and see the 17" MBP, I lust after all that screen real estate and that silvery case...!

I do adore my MB though... VERY portable....

 

[fivetoadsloth]

I've owned 4 15" and 3 17" Powerbooks/MacBook Pros (upgrade every revision) and I just transitioned from 1 5" to a 17" again after flip flopping the last couple of times. Honestly, if you have a good backpack or case, the weight isn't an issue. If you fly coach, the size is an issue, but no more so than the 15". Honestly, the screen real estate alone is worth the upgrade. Especially if you use any professional software like Final Cut, Adobe, or Avid.

I don't understand this "go for the 15" for more portability" concept. The machine itself is NOT THAT MUCH BIGGER, and it's a whole extra pound of weight....oooooooooooooo. In the end it's personal preference. Half of us will tell you go with the 17" for screen size, the other half will tell you to go with the 15" for "portability". It's a never-ending debate. I'm 6'3", 220 lbs, so the weight isn't an issue, but I can see it being one if you're a smaller person...like Verne Troyer or something.

I agree. Id say go with the 17" Definatly, the weight isnt a big deel and the extra screen is niceeee.

 

[GraceMolloy]

I did the upper grade 15" for power vs portability ... Couldn't be happier with it.

 

[nutts]

I recently went from a MacBook to a 17" MBP for web development and administration, and I made the right choice over the 15".
As other people have said, the size difference between 15 and 17 isn't that great at all, and I even manage to use it in economy class on planes without a problem.
I use a Crumpler Sticky Date as a bag to carry it (and everything else - it really is a fantastic bag!)
So definitely worth the bit of extra size and weight for the extra screen resolution, mmmmmmmmm

 

[dreamfocused]

the difference in portability is very minute, i have a 17" and i bring it everywhere i go with no problems... it's not too big

 

[TonicAngel]

the difference in portability is very minute, i have a 17" and i bring it everywhere i go with no problems... it's not too big

What kind of bag do you carry yours in? I love the looks of the Crumpler sticky date bag but they do not have that in the USA. (all the sites I got where from the UK when I googled it.)

 

[Wooster]

I had to ditch a 15" 2.33 C2D MBP for a 17" as I needed a lot of desktop area to work with several application at the same time. 17" also facilitate reading PDFs on your computer (saving paper/printing supplies - helps conserve nature). I also think that the 17" dissipates heat better than the 15", probably due to its larger size.

 

[dreamfocused]

What kind of bag do you carry yours in? I love the looks of the Crumpler sticky date bag but they do not have that in the USA. (all the sites I got where from the UK when I googled it.)

i have a Booq bag and it's awesome... well worth the price and it's comfy

 

[PkennethV]

I have the 17 inch and it's really not that much bigger than the 15" portability wise. But the 15" isn't *quite* wide enough to have two pages side by side (word/web browser). I use my 17 incher on my desk, on my lap in bed and in the car (I find it pretty cool). I even take it to the dining table most of the time when I eat (not sure if this is healthy...).

 

[whateverandever]

If you can afford the 17"... get it. Better video card (clock throttling instead of just plain underclocking), better CPU, better speakers, better screen, better battery life, and cooler case (due to surface area).

It's REALLY not that much larger than a 15". If you're used to non-mac laptops the 17" is probably still 1/2 the weight of any other 17" model on the market. I went from a 17" vaio that broke my back to the 15" MBP. If I could have afforded the 17" I would have bought it hands down.

 

[Bill Gates]

If you can afford the 17"... get it. Better video card (clock throttling instead of just plain underclocking), better CPU, better speakers, better screen, better battery life, and cooler case (due to surface area).

It's REALLY not that much larger than a 15". If you're used to non-mac laptops the 17" is probably still 1/2 the weight of any other 17" model on the market. I went from a 17" vaio that broke my back to the 15" MBP. If I could have afforded the 17" I would have bought it hands down.

The whole graphics issue has been nonexistant since the C2D models came out. They no longer half the clockspeeds. Also, the CPU is not any better; it's the same damn processor.

 

[shecky]

If you can afford the 17"... get it. Better video card (clock throttling instead of just plain underclocking), better CPU

i could be mistaken, but neither of these are true on the C2D models.

 

[Bill Gates]

i could be mistaken, but neither of these are true on the C2D models.

The better CPU part has never been true. You could always get a 15" 2.16GHz model back when the 17" was also 2.16GHz, and before that it was CTO.

 

[BWhaler]

Another reason for going with the 17" is just that the 15" display is problematic in more ways that one - the grain, uneven illumination, terrible viewing angles etc. The 17" seems to have 'only' uneven illumination. Viewing angles are pretty good and little grain.

On a side, note, it is pretty disgraceful that this is the state of Apple's portable line.

Apple better get their act together with these displays. It's the majority of their business, and the quality is utterly pathetic.