Screen resoulution on m1330

I have used the MBP for a few days now and like the screen resolution of 1440x900 but have to return it because of the bad LCD. Now, I will be ordering the m1330 with similar specs but the 13.3 inch and resolutions the part i am worrying about. How is the 13.3 inch with 1280x800. Will I hate it after using a 1440x900? I usually have multiple websites, word, excel, msn, open.

 

Isn't the MBP a 15.4" screen?

 

Yea it is but Im still comparing it for screen to resolution ratio. Will I find the 13.3 inch with 1280x800 uncomfortable?

 

Isn't a 15.4" with 1440x900 pretty comparable to a 13.3" with 1280x800?

 

1280x800 is fine...

 

Personally I prefer 1280x800... or at least I do from a gaming standpoint. I mean, take AA and AF off and the 8400M GS should be able to play every game (even the latest) decently at that resolution (as a lack of memory bandwidth -- something that the 64bit memory of the 8400M is a victim of -- won't degrade performance to the point of unplayability at that resolution.)

If you're not gaming, while it is personal preference, I think that 1280x800 on a 13.3" screen is the sweet-spot between great/easy readability and vividness/sharpness... It's an under-rated resolution.

 

The jump from a 1440x900 resolution to a 1280x800 shouldn't but too dramatic in terms of screen real estate lost. Unless you're using every last square centimeter of your screen for excel or internet usage, you will notice little if anything at all and should adjust fairly quickly.

 

You can do everything you used to, except have that buddylist open. I'd suggest getting an external monitor, though. 1280x800 is way too little real estate and, if I didn't have higher resolution screens available, my m1210 would drive me nuts (I find 1280x800 great for taking notes in class, but not for writing papers or surfing the internet or doing much else).

 

A 15,4" with 1440x900 is 110px/inch (for horizontal resolution)
A 13,3 with 1280x800 is 113,5px/inch

Of course, you can't put more on a 13,3. If a 1440 is already not enough or just enough, a 1280x800 will not fit. If a 1280 is enough, you can see with this quick calculation that the resolution of the 13,3 will be slightly better. The icons won't look any smaller or bigger, quite the same in fact. You will just lose some space. That's really up to your usage. I have a 12" with 1024x768, a 15 with 1280x800 I borrow from a friend, and my desktop is 1680x1050. I do web surfing, web developping (in simple applications though, not in an heavy IDE), work on photos. The 12 is not enough anymore, but the 15' is ok. Things look too big due to its poor resolution, but I can work quite smoothly. The 1680x1050 resolution is what I would get on a 15' to work with highest comfort. 1280x800 should be very fine on a 13, that's what I will get to replace those two laptops.

But then again, that's up to your needs. The best way to know is to try. I know it's not easy, I'm lucky to have a friend lending me his laptop (he has a MacBook Pro now, so he doesn't care much . But that's the best way to know what you need.

 

I too have a 12.1" laptop with 1280x800 (a D420). It's great for most things, but for the serious stuff I just picked up a 20" external monitor with 1680x1050 -- and the difference is amazing. I would agree that an external is recommended.