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MBP 15" or MBP 17"?

M

Mustang Maniac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 25, 2007
16
0
So with the new updates of the MBP I'm definitely in the market for one.

However, I'm having difficulty deciding which one. I like to play games so that leaves the MBP with 128M of vram out of the discussion. This leaves the MBP 15" or the MBP 17" (I'd get the High Def screen add-on).

Most people I talk to who have a 17" with intentions of being a true portable tell me its too big. While I'll take my MBP places, the main reason I want a laptop is the flexibility of computing anywhere in the house I want rather than being chained to the computer in the office. This machine will become my day to day computer.

I'd like to hear from people who bought a MBP to replace their main computer. Did you buy a 15" or 17"? Why did you buy the size you did? If you could do it over would you buy the same size?

The LED displays of the MBP 15" are appealing but I'm not sure how much battery life will really matter since I'll use this mostly at home where I can plug it in.

Thanks in advance,
Jeff
 
Unless you have a specific requirement for the 17" I suggest going with the 15". As I said in another thread, all laptops are portable, but the smaller the laptop the more portable it becomes.

BTW there are about a zillion threads on this topic if you try searching for it.
 
I ordered a 15.4" with a seperate cinema display. My thought is that it'll give me a great set-up for when I'm at home, and a reasonable level of portability when I'm not.

I currently have a 15" powerbook without a seperate display as my "everything" machine. It's worked well in that role, because it's been (just barely) portable enough and yet being a reasonable desktop. But the screen size was slowly getting to me. Little things were getting annoying, like not being able to open too many palettes when in omnigraffle.

The powerbook has a lower resolution than modern macbooks (1280x854 versus 1440x900) so it's possible that you'll feel fine with just the 15" macbook pro.
 
I was 100% on the fence and ordered the 17" with the high res display, supposed to ship the 7th or 8th so I'll give you my review!
 
15 vs. 17

I own both sizes of the last gen and am about to snag a 17" hi-res SR. Agreed that the 15" is obviously more portable, but I find myself almost never using it, favoring the 17" instead, even for travel. "Not as portable" means just that, but I find the 17" to still be fairly portable, especially with the right carrying case. It's only about a pound and a half heavier, after all. IMO the 17" offers a better BALANCE of portability to screen real-estate. You have to decide which is more important to you personally.
 
I am SO much going for a 17'' hi rez. I going to make the MBP my main computer so I can throw out my bucket of a PC workstation. I do photo editing so for me, high resolution is really important. At least more important than choosing a 15'' because it may be a little more portable
 
I had the same problem when I bought my MBP this year. 15 or 17 inch? Read the forums and what they said about portability. Had no hesitation in buying the 17" version. It is extremely portable and weighs about half a pound more than the Dell 15" that I had previously. I have no problems whatsoever taking it around the house and travel with it three or four times a month. There is no difficulty whatsoever in its portability.

And of course, you have the 17 inch screen which you never want for screen real estate.

If you are using it as your sole day to day desktop replacement, there is very little doubt you should go with the 17 inch. With the new HD screens, you will be a very lucky buyer.....
 
I would get the 17", but NOT with the HD display. Way too small. Get an external monitor with a lower ppi.
 
I ordered the 17" w/ high res. My decision and my answer for you. I went many times to an Apple Store and compared them and I always thought the 17" is nicer. Of course the 15" is a little bit more portable, you can look up and compare the difference in weight and size yourself. But as you said - you will use it mainly in the house - that means carrying it from one room to another - then the 17"s lesser portability doesn't matter at all. Not at all. Not a bit. Get the 17".
 
CmdrLaForge said:
I ordered the 17" w/ high res. My decision and my answer for you. I went many times to an Apple Store and compared them and I always thought the 17" is nicer. Of course the 15" is a little bit more portable, you can look up and compare the difference in weight and size yourself. But as you said - you will use it mainly in the house - that means carrying it from one room to another - then the 17"s lesser portability doesn't matter at all. Not at all. Not a bit. Get the 17".
Click to expand...


You'll love it. I sold mine because I couldn't handle the size - it just felt cumbersome all the time. However, it was the best laptops I've ever used: super powerful, huge comfortable screen (my eyes never felt better than in front of the 17" display, don't know why) , not too hot, Super sound for a laptop and all in a surprisingly small package. I loved it, but it didn't fit with my lifestyle in NYC. Enjoy! It's a truly great computer!
 
SavageLLama77 said:
HOW will Leopard fix this?
Click to expand...

http://www.tuaw.com/2006/05/21/on-resolution-independence/

This idea of resolution independence, as you might glean from the name, is a new concept (as far as I know) that restructures how element sizes are defined in Mac OS X, ideally making it possible for higher resolutions without forcing users to squint at everything they do on-screen. This also could usher in much higher ppi resolutions which could bring computer displays that much closer to properly displaying high-detail objects.
Click to expand...
 
17" not so good on planes...

Jeff,

I own (and have loved) the 17" powerbook, and am upgrading to the 17" MPB very soon. The screen size/quality alone makes it worth it to me, as I work out of three different 'offices' as well as coffee shops, and so the option of buying an external monitor for my desk and a 15" did not appeal to me.

However, the one and only place I have found the 17" to be too cumbersome is on airplanes (coach). it barely fits onto the tray-table and if the person in front of you tilts his/her seat back you can't even open the screen to 90 degrees. very frustrating. I don't even use it on planes anymore, unless I get bumped up to business class (which I rarely am).

travel/work on planes a lot? consider the 15". Live in such a way that you could have an external monitor/keyboard at your work sites? 15" is also a good choice (the 12" was even better for this, but alas... will it come back?). But if you want to be mobile and still have killer screen real-estate, it's hard to beat the 17" models.

choose what fits your lifestyle.
N
 
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