Laptops: 13" or 14"

[DeadCactus]

About to buy a laptop. Having a hard time deciding between a 13" and 14" screen. Probably rather petty of a decision, but it's hanging me up. A 13" would be slightly more mobile, but I worry that it's getting to the point where I have to scroll left and right on almost every website or application.

Opinions?

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[Zoom-Zoom]

About to buy a laptop. Having a hard time deciding between a 13" and 14" screen. Probably rather petty of a decision, but it's hanging me up. A 13" would be slightly more mobile, but I worry that it's getting to the point where I have to scroll left and right on almost every website or application.

Opinions?

My Macbook has the perfect size screen IMHO. I think it's 13.3

 

[JamesBond15]

Yeah, I had the same debate about 14", 15" and 16" laptops. After looking at it some more the 16" was too large. The choice between 14 and 15 was hard. Especially since the price was pretty much the same. But in the end I went with the 14". I figure it will be easier to carry it around. Plus, if it is indeed small I can get a monitor to hook it up to at home.

 

[nick_carraway]

13.3'' can be a bit small when it's your only screen. If you want to be more productive and don't mind moving the extra weight, I'd bump up to the 15.4''. If you're set on either 13'' or 14'', go with the 13.3'' since the extra inch won't matter that much.

 

[nfgsjklgnsdfkjn]

Compare screen resolutions, not just size. There's a good chance that the 13" and 14" are both 1280x800, so scrolling will be the same.

I'd really recommend getting a nice big external monitor if you are going to be doing tons of work on it.

A 13" Macbook Pro + a 24" monitor is a beautiful combination and less than >$1500 for both

 

[DeadCactus]

I'm leaning toward the 14.1", both are indeed the same resolution though. I'll have an external monitor either way.

My thoughts:
13.3 would be lighter and more portable
13.3 comes with a larger battery (and drains it slightly slower)
14.1 would probably run a little cooler
14.1 comes with a slightly faster processor

The portability of the 13.3 and it's larger battery are tempting for medical school. I worry that the screen is too small for editing photos though and would like to be able to do so when away from the external monitor. I'm worried about it running a bit hotter though and wonder if the portability is that much improved to be worth slowing down the processor and shrinking everything on the screen...

 

[Naijaba]

I'm leaning toward the 14.1", both are indeed the same resolution though. I'll have an external monitor either way.

My thoughts:
13.3 would be lighter and more portable
13.3 comes with a larger battery (and drains it slightly slower)
14.1 would probably run a little cooler
14.1 comes with a slightly faster processor

The portability of the 13.3 and it's larger battery are tempting for medical school. I worry that the screen is too small for editing photos though and would like to be able to do so when away from the external monitor. I'm worried about it running a bit hotter though and wonder if the portability is that much improved to be worth slowing down the processor and shrinking everything on the screen...

I think 6-6.5 pounds (2.72-3.04 kg) is the breaking point for carrying around a laptop all day. I had a 14.1" laptop and it weighed 6.7 pounds and was annoying by the afternoon. My current 13.3" laptop weighs ~5.2 pounds and is easily carried all day and night.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm a largish dude (6'2", 190 lbs), so it's not the weight, it's the annoyance factor.

 

[BlueElmo]

Buy a 13 inch and a separate monitor.

 

[n618ft]

Buy a 13 inch and a separate monitor.

Custom build an XPS laptop from Dell. Go with the small screen if you're concerned about portability + a 24" monitor + full size keyboard and mouse so you won't go crazy at a desk. Personally, I hate laptops and they are a liability/frustration/distraction in class. I use an iPhone for any email/internet access I need and I take notes on paper.

 

[Alvarez13]

Go with Dell's 12.1" latitude xt (tablet pc). The single best investment in technology that I've ever made for work/school. It's like combining 10 binders into one notebook and I've got two of my textbooks in electronic format which means I only have to carry this one device to classes and that's it.

 

[nick_carraway]

I'm leaning toward the 14.1", both are indeed the same resolution though. I'll have an external monitor either way.

My thoughts:
13.3 would be lighter and more portable
13.3 comes with a larger battery (and drains it slightly slower)
14.1 would probably run a little cooler
14.1 comes with a slightly faster processor

The portability of the 13.3 and it's larger battery are tempting for medical school. I worry that the screen is too small for editing photos though and would like to be able to do so when away from the external monitor. I'm worried about it running a bit hotter though and wonder if the portability is that much improved to be worth slowing down the processor and shrinking everything on the screen...

Your idea with an external sounds fine. 13.1'' is my preference since editing photos is fine on a screen if you're inclined to do it away from your desk.

I've merged HDR photos on my 13.1'' screen and it's turned out fine.

 

[SpaceDementia]

My personal philosophy is, if it's a laptop, go as small and portable as you can (without going *too* small). 13" is perfect, in my opinion.

 

[Tryonetic]

I got a Thinkpad 12'' X200 tablet pc. It's very expensive but it's worth it!

 

[DeadCactus]

Went with the 14. Faster processor and the ability to hold a 12 cell (vs a 9 cell) battery won out.

 

[nick_carraway]

Went with the 14. Faster processor and the ability to hold a 12 cell (vs a 9 cell) battery won out.

Good, good. Hope you enjoy the machine! What'd you buy, anyway?

 

[psipsina]

My Macbook has the perfect size screen IMHO. I think it's 13.3

Agreed but only because of the spaces and expose features on OSX. Without that I would want 15". When I first got the macbook I'd planned on putting up a 32" flatscreen on the wall behind my desk but decided I didn't want it after all after playing with the laptop for a week. Spaces and Expose are the s&*% when juggling powerpoints and internet and word documents etc.

 

[mrivera]

I usually like to have the " equivalent to my...

 

[JJMrK]

I like my 15.4" personally. I'd go with as big a screen as your budget allows.

 

[DeadCactus]

Good, good. Hope you enjoy the machine! What'd you buy, anyway?

HP Pavilion dv4t Entertainment PC
Espresso Black
Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7550 (2.26GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
14.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen (1280 x 800)
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
[For LED Display] Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007

The other option was the exact same set-up except a 13.3" screen, a 2.0 GHz processor, and a 9 cell battery. Same price for both: $1000 for the computer and 3 year accidental damage protection (plus $100 in sales tax because hp just has to be in Texas).

Not the cutting edge of technology, but I'm upgrading from a 3.0 GhZ Pentium 4 with 1 GB of RAM and a 256 MB video card which is still serving me fine, so I think I'll be good. Can maybe even run a game or two that I'vem issed in the last two years now...

I usually like to have the " equivalent to my...

So is that another vote for jsut getting an iPhone then? 😛

 

[thedoctor8706]

Whatever size screen a Macbook Pro is, I'd buy. The 15'' is a nice in between size!

 

[dw2158]

I usually like to have the " equivalent to my...

i don't think they make computers that small.

 

[Omni]

I'd prefer a 12", but between those two sizes, I'd actually just take the 13.3". It's easier to carry, lighter, and better. Just make sure you can get at least 4 hours of battery out of it, or else its not worth it.

 

[FSAP]

Go with 13.3 Mac. And that's coming from a PC enthusiast. I have my Mac and my desktop with a larger monitor and it's a perfect set up. It's hard to beat Mac battery life.

 

[JJMrK]

HP Pavilion dv4t Entertainment PC
Espresso Black
Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7550 (2.26GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
14.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen (1280 x 800)
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
[For LED Display] Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007

The other option was the exact same set-up except a 13.3" screen, a 2.0 GHz processor, and a 9 cell battery. Same price for both: $1000 for the computer and 3 year accidental damage protection (plus $100 in sales tax because hp just has to be in Texas).

Not the cutting edge of technology, but I'm upgrading from a 3.0 GhZ Pentium 4 with 1 GB of RAM and a 256 MB video card which is still serving me fine, so I think I'll be good. Can maybe even run a game or two that I'vem issed in the last two years now...



So is that another vote for jsut getting an iPhone then? 😛

Not bad. Hopefully that was pretty cheap.

EDIT: Nevermind, I just saw the price. Not bad.