MBP 15 or 17?

[jonnysods]

So my friends, the time has come for the organisation I work for to admit that using my Acer Aspire Centrino 1.7ghz laptop is not really cutting it for me when I am using Photoshop CS and CorelDraw X3 among many other things, so I have convinced them that I should get the new MBP as I can run Windows on it as well do extra stuff for them like run FCP etc on the OS X (hopefully Leopard by the time I pull the trigger).

The issue is our budget is strained and so buying say a refurb 15" MBP would be affordable (add on 14% tax because I love in Ontario Canada). But I would happily chip in $300 extra of my own money to get the bigger sized 17", but do I need it? I've been going over this non stop and I figured the best place to go is here and ask the experts.

Refurb prices in Canada are $2299 for the 15, $2649 for the 17 (plus those blasted taxes!)

Pros of going bigger:

1. an extra USB port (won't have to buy a hub)
2. more screen real estate for graphic apps etc (although I will probably attach a 2nd monitor anyways)
3. bigger HDD (costs around $100+ to upgrade the 15's to the same size)
4. it would be sweet to have a machine that big that isn't as clunky as all the other notebooks out there

Cons:
I will have to buy a new laptop bag (I may have to buy one anyway for the 15" because of it's thickness)
price

Well... I just don't know! What say you?

 

[Icewind]

If portability is not an issue, I would go for the 17" BadBoy. Having the extra screen real-estate is bound to be more practical for Graphic Design work etc.

I'm sort of in the same position here. I currently have a 15" Powerbook and will be upgrading to an MBP this year (when Leopard arrives). I'm still pondering the 15" or 17" dilemma. Then there's the Glossy/Matte decision to make too.

 

[RichP]

I had a 17 PB and went to a 15" MBP. Both had the same resolution (It was 1 GHz 17" Rev A) It all depends on what you are doing with it. If you are doing a lot of travelling, using it on airplanes, trains, etc. the 17 for me became a size issue. Its pretty wide and is tight between airplane armrests and such. (I used it alot on a train, Im not part of the jet-set )

However, if its pretty much going to sit on your desk, and move to sit on another desk, upgrade to the 17; you can NEVER have too much desktop space.

 

[compuwar]

With the 17, if you're doing a lot of picture evaluation and using the entire screen, you have to move your head to get a good viewing angle for the entire picture- not a big deal, but it may be important. While the 17 takes more room to transport, I find my 17" C2D more than adequate as a complete replacement for a desktop.

 

[jonnysods]

mmmm....

I will be using the MBP at my work office, but I do take it home with me every single day and use it on my lap at home on the couch, and I will be taking it around with me from time to do. Do you find the 17" that big compared to others (because of the MBP is thinner and lighter etc)?

I'm also wondering about the x1600 if the clock speeds will be higher in the 17 (just in case I do a hint of gaming through XP).

I appreciate your help in this people.

 

[heehee]

I have a 15" MBP and I find that too big to carry home every night. The 17" is HUGE! I say get the 15" and get an external monitor. They aren't very expensive and you'll have ALOT more space to work with.