<p>I am looking for a high performance laptop (absolutely no lagging/delays/freezes (my PC does this all the time)) that is very portable. I will be carrying it to all/most of my classes and to the library. </p>
<p>Price is a fairly significant factor, but I am willing to pay the extra $$$ for the 15’’ if it is better (for me) than the 13’'.</p>
<p>Some key questions:
How do the dual and quad core processors compare in terms of speed? Is there a considerable difference?
How much more “portable” is the 13’’ than the 15’‘? Does the 15’’ fit in normal backpacks and on the desks at Cornell?
Is there much of a difference in picture / overall video quality between the 13’’ and the 15’'?
Is the extra 2’’ on the 15’’ even remotely necessary for writing papers / designing presentations, etc.?</p>
<p>Follow-up question:
Once I choose either the 13’’ or 15’‘, is it worth it–for the general purposes of college–to get the upper-end model (of either the 13’’ or the 15’')?</p>
<p>Computer guy here (I’m PC only but i can still help)</p>
<p>1) Depends on the specific CPU’s, but for the most part duo core is extremely outdated at this point but isnt “bad”. I would go quad core if possible. Intel released a new series of processors so no matter which you get, you should be fine.
2) 15" is what I got and its pretty standard for college students. 13" would be slightly smaller (and lighter, 5.6 lbs vs 4.5). It’s more personal preference, both are portable enough, just stay away from the 17". Normally 6lbs or smaller is good. Keep in mind that the smaller you get, the more expensive it is for the same build. That’s why laptops are way worse than desktops at the same price range.
3) It should be roughly the same picture quality (the resolutions are fairly proportional), just a smaller screen.
4) You don’t need the 2", not much else I can say.</p>
<p>Edit: I just looked at the pricing from Apple, and the upgrade from a $1200 13" to the $1800 15" is worth about $200, so I wouldnt do it, but hey it’s Apple.</p>
Depending on what kind of applications you would run on your computer, you might notice a difference. For regular day-to-day things like word processing, MATLAB, skype, youtube, etc., higher end dual core is fine. Quad core will feel much better when your MATLAB code is very intensive or AutoCAD, etc.</p>
<p>
It is definitely lighter than the 15". The difference in weight will be pretty significant if you have to carry a lot of things with you every day. The 15" usually would fit in normal backpacks, and for sure desks at Cornell.</p>
<p>
There shouldn’t be.</p>
<p>
No, you would be fine with the 13". If you need bigger screens, use the ones at libraries/computer labs.</p>
<p>
upper-end will stall you from buying a new computer within 2 years. At least that’s what I thought.</p>
<p>I had a 15" MBP. I didn’t find it cumbersome. It’s definitely noticeably bigger than the 13", but it’s pretty thin/light. As for performance, you’ll only notice the difference depending on what you do. If it’s simple internet (e-mail, Facebook, etc.), MS Office, some video, probably not…</p>
<p>Unless you’ve actually gone for it already, re-consider the 15". If you’re going to buy an MBP, it’s probably an investment for a couple of years. I was thinking on the same lines as you last year, having used 13- and 14-inchers through HS, but made an almost whimsical decision at the Cornell Store to get the 15" and I haven’t regretted it. You’ll see tons of 13"s on campus and I find that they come off as a little stingy on screen space in comparison and not quite consistent with the experience that Apple’s branding campaigns seem to promise you. Granted, the 13" buys you a little more portability, but lugging a marginally heavier/bulkier object on your 5-10 minute commutes several times a day is a worthy trade-off for a significantly improved experience that keeps you from having to juggle windows as much, while allowing you better experiences in watching say HD movies and so on. From a completely non-technical standpoint, the 15" also feels like you actually have a substantial machine before you while the 13" feels like an enlarged version of those tiny PCs people seem to be using these days.</p>
<p>I have the low end 15" MBP and I’m more than satisfied with it. I can run Portal 2 and Team Fortress 2 at full settings without any lag if that means anything to you</p>
<p>We all have 15" MBP, and they were all bought at the Cornell book store. I shopped around and found Cornell´s discount is even better than Apple´s educational discount.</p>
<p>Hi, I am also in the same position. I was thinking though that if you buy the 13" instead of the 15" you can afford to buy a large computer screen.</p>