MacBook Pro - 17" vs. 15"

[jimbrady]

You have to get more than the extra USB port to justify this. What do you plug in? I'm loving the 15" MBP and the two-fingered scrolling makes me wonder whether I'll ever plug in even a mouse... occasionally a USB SD card, maybe.

As far as screen size, the 15" feels huge compared w/my outgoing 15" TiBook--the resolution matches that of a typical 19" widescreen LCD.

Maybe you'll get lucky as I did and your Apple Store refurb will come with a 160GB HDD instead of the standard 120--of course, since cost is not a factor, you should get a 15" and install your own 200GB drive... or BTO for that matter.

[C(-)ris]

Does anyone make a USB 2 exress card?

[mattkime]

i'd go for the 17". the world should make room for my powerbook!

[GGD]

Perhaps the FW-800 port on the 15" MacBook Pro could be the extra port that you've been looking for.

2 USB
1 FW-400
1 FW-800

[M A V I C]

[quote C(-)ris]Does anyone make a USB 2 exress card?
I found this one: http://www.siig.com/product.asp?pid=1097&catid=128 It probably goes for around $60 or so.

[quote mattkime]i'd go for the 17". the world should make room for my powerbook!
hehe, yeah. I know one guy who flies a lot with a 17" PB. I hear it only fits in first class... and I haven't been sticking with one airline enough to get my miles up to where I get the free first class upgrades.

[quote GGD]Perhaps the FW-800 port on the 15" MacBook Pro could be the extra port that you've been looking for.

2 USB
1 FW-400
1 FW-800
You got me thinking... last time I searched there weren't any FW800 enclosures that would work. I'm searching now but can't find any 5.25" FW800 enclosures... do you know of any?

I think right now I'm leaning towards the 15" with an upgraded HD and a expresscard slot USB card.

[GGD]

[quote M A V I C][quote GGD]Perhaps the FW-800 port on the 15" MacBook Pro could be the extra port that you've been looking for.

2 USB
1 FW-400
1 FW-800
You got me thinking... last time I searched there weren't any FW800 enclosures that would work. I'm searching now but can't find any 5.25" FW800 enclosures... do you know of any?

I think right now I'm leaning towards the 15" with an upgraded HD and a expresscard slot USB card.
Just get a FW-800 to FW-400 cable.

[AlphaDog]

Well, with more details about what the PB will be doing, I'd say go with the 17". I was thinking you needed more portability, but you need the most power you can get without dragging around a desktop machine. The extra screen real estate will certainly be an advantage for doing that much digital imaging, too. After using a 12", anything bigger is going to feel strange at first, but the biggest jump would be from going from 12" to 15", so just get the 17" and enjoy it. If they can't be compared side by side, you'll adapt to it very quickly and be very happy with the extra flexibility.

It's too bad that 200GB HD option is only a 5400. Is that because of the heat issues?

[M A V I C]

[quote GGD]
Just get a FW-800 to FW-400 cable.
*blushes*

I didn't know they made such a thing. And boy could I use one on my G5...

[quote AlphaDog]Well, with more details about what the PB will be doing, I'd say go with the 17". I was thinking you needed more portability, but you need the most power you can get without dragging around a desktop machine. The extra screen real estate will certainly be an advantage for doing that much digital imaging, too.
Yeah, I should have provided more info to begin with than my latest thoughts.

Anyway, I often process images on a crowed car or bus, in the mountains... My workflow has adjusted to the 12". I don't have to do much other than sort and batch the images. No individual color correcting (thank God.)

After using a 12", anything bigger is going to feel strange at first, but the biggest jump would be from going from 12" to 15", so just get the 17" and enjoy it.

Yeah, I have a 2405 and a 22" CRT set to spanning on my main machine.

It's too bad that 200GB HD option is only a 5400. Is that because of the heat issues?

From the testing I've seen, a 5400RPM 160GB HD is faster with 60GB of data than a 7200RPM 100GB HD with the same amount of data.

I was leaning towards the 15"... now I feel like I'm back where I started.

[Zoidberg]

You've seen my whining on the subject in past posts; I went ahead and got a 15" 2.33 and then lucked out with a reduced price (about half off) 23" Apple Cinema Display from the Apple Store in Plano TX. This is the perfect set-up; i've got a large monitor for working at home, and a small portable for on-the-go.

My sister has the 17" PowerBook G4, and it's rather unwieldily as a portable, truth be told. Even she's said this; she loves it but she often doesn't take it with her just because it's that big.

Of course, if you need that extra image space for location use, then by all means. You won't be sorry with the extra space and, as you've read, you can drive a 30" ACD back at the studio.

As always, YMMV.

[jdc]

get a 15" -- honestly, the 17" feel huge after awhile

add the express card USB or FW port

get a FW 400 >> FW 800 cable (or even a small adapter)

a small bus powered 2.5" drive would be a good thing for you -- again -- use the FW 800 port for it, dont just let it sit there unused