Selecting a MacBook Pro: refurbished 17" vs. retina 15"

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Selecting a MacBook Pro: refurbished 17" vs. retina 15"

Hendrick

14 posts

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#112323 5-Dec-2012 02:07

I haven't owned a macbook before but I'd like to try coding for iOS.

The two options I'm considering are:

purchasing a refurbished 17" macbook pro
purchasing a new 15" macbook pro with retina

They are around the same price except that with the 15" you get more ram and a SSD. However with the 17" you could upgrade the ram for much cheaper and add an SSD too.

I've always used 17" laptops but they say that with the retina display you get more work space with the 15"..

Which would be the best buy?

Thanks!

RunningMan

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#727227 5-Dec-2012 08:55

Personal preference - you probably need to try both out and see.

josephhinvest

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#727252 5-Dec-2012 09:25

I have an older model 17 inch MBP, and the size of makes it a bit of a pain the a$$.
I finally used a new retina 15 inch machine the other day, the display is AMAZING, much much MUCH better option than a standard resolution 17 inch. IMHO. (I am used to retina on iPad, the MBP with retina looks just as good).

Hendrick

14 posts

Geek

#727550 5-Dec-2012 17:55

RunningMan: Personal preference - you probably need to try both out and see.

The problem is that I can't see the difference in store as the 17" is no longer offered. I was in Melb recently and none of the stores stocked it, I thought that the 15" was the 17" at first too lol

Hendrick

14 posts

Geek

#727553 5-Dec-2012 17:59

josephhinvest: I have an older model 17 inch MBP, and the size of makes it a bit of a pain the a$$.
I finally used a new retina 15 inch machine the other day, the display is AMAZING, much much MUCH better option than a standard resolution 17 inch. IMHO. (I am used to retina on iPad, the MBP with retina looks just as good).

What aspect of the size of the 17" MBP is a pain? Which screen would you prefer for productivity such as Word and X-code?

JustAnotherMCer

36 posts

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#727609 5-Dec-2012 19:57

Don't get a macbook at all. Get a windows computer.
:P

dclegg

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#727619 5-Dec-2012 20:28

JustAnotherMCer: Don't get a macbook at all. Get a windows computer.
:P

That's not an overly helpful reply to someone whose stated goal was to Try their hand at iOS development.

josephhinvest

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#727743 5-Dec-2012 23:00

dclegg:
JustAnotherMCer: Don't get a macbook at all. Get a windows computer.
:P

That's not an overly helpful reply to someone whose stated goal was to Try their hand at iOS development.

Let's not forget that a MacBook Pro makes an excellent Windows computer too!

And to address the question higher up, it's just the physical size of the machine. It's heavy and has a huge footprint.
The only real advantage is the screen res/size, this is far inferior to a retina display.

Cheers,
Joseph

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Hendrick

14 posts

Geek

#727789 6-Dec-2012 02:40

josephhinvest:
dclegg:
JustAnotherMCer: Don't get a macbook at all. Get a windows computer.
:P

That's not an overly helpful reply to someone whose stated goal was to Try their hand at iOS development.

Let's not forget that a MacBook Pro makes an excellent Windows computer too!

And to address the question higher up, it's just the physical size of the machine. It's heavy and has a huge footprint.
The only real advantage is the screen res/size, this is far inferior to a retina display.

Cheers,
Joseph

So you're saying that the 15" retina display trumps the 17" one (even though things will appear smaller at the same res for the 15")?

Oh and is the extended applecare worth it? I was def going to get it until I found out that it didn't cover accidentals.