MBP: 13" vs. 15"

For a thinking-of-Mac potential convert who will be carrying a notebook around quite a bit -- both around the house and around medical school -- is the one-pound difference between the 13" and 15" significant?

Was trying to get away from my current way of doing things and just run one computer, NAS at home (Time Capsule?), and a dock/external display.

Thanks

 

I went with the lower end 13 inch for portablity and a hp monitor to hook up when at home...all in sig.

 

That monitor certainly is/was racking up the positive reviews; thanks for the mention.

 

Yeah I stayed up all night looking up reviews and what not on monitors. I originally wanted the 24 inch apple led but the 2159m just got so many good mentions and even a few people said they look pretty close to the same but the HP is 1/4 the price and offers better connections.

 

I have both and the difference in weight is not noticeable but the footprint is. For me personally I'd still go with the 15, it's the better all around machine but it's quite a bit more money too.

I'm picking up the mid-range 15 next Friday (hopefully my local BB will have them in stock). At about $500 more than the high-end 13 MBP, it comes with a faster processor, dedicated GPU, bigger HD and a larger screen of course which is more suited to me personally as I do a lot of work on Aperture (larger screen and a dedicated GPU do help).

 

In my experience 500 gram difference is quite a lot. If portability is important always go for the 13". Or even better for portability: MBA.

 

I am surrounded by people who all have laptops at work. They range from bulky 17" Dells to netbooks and Macs alike.

Personally I have found that the 15" Macbook Pro is the best compromise between footprint and weight.

It's obviously larger than a typical netbook but also (in many cases) thinner. And of course considerably smaller and lighter than a behemoth 17" Dell.

If you have a very comfortable backpack like the STMs or other, you'll be fine with the 15" Macbook Pro.

And it's also a much better machine.

 

If you want to wait a few days I'll be making some videos of my set up by wednesday.

 

For mobility, I've found that 13" is a great compromise in weight/size/screen. 12.1" is just too small, and 15.4" is larger than I like (not necessarily just for carrying, but also for working on planes/typing at conferences/etc). This said, the difference in weight between 13.3" and 15.4" isn't massive - it's there, but nothing that's going to break your back.

 

The macbook pro also has much better speakers ;D

 

The 13" has enough CPU speed and specs that you can just plug it into a 22" monitor with a USB mouse and USB keyboard (or wiresless bluetooth) and feel like you are using a desktop.

That's what I usually do with my 15" MBP, plug it into an external large monitor, feels like a desktop.