To high-res or not to high-res?
November 17, 2010 5:17 AM   Subscribe

I'm just about to buy a Macbook Pro 15-inch 2.53Ghz. I'v got some worries about whether or not to add the 'high-res' screen option. Two questions: (1) Will these 1680x1050 screens be the standard for 15-inch MBPs in future? (2) If you have one, what are your experiences/advice?

I went and had a look at one in store, the screen felt a little big bigger but everything inside the screen looked quite small, especially dense text. Movies/photos looked sharper though. Is this just a case of getting used to it?

I noticed, that while I can adjust text size in Safari/Word, some basic elements remained small (?) CMIIW.

I'm upgrading from a 13' Macbook (white plastic one). I will be using my laptop mainly for word processing, internet and music production stuff. I casually use photoshop, but i'm not a professional photographer, just a hobby. My eyesight is average (wear glasses).

As it stands, the laptop is already pushing at my budget. Is the high-res option worth it? Am I future-proofing this significant purchase by taking the high-res option?

Thanks hive!
posted by freud to Computers & Internet (18 answers total)
 
Your A move there, in my experience, is a good external monitor. Some extra resolution on the laptop screen is nice, but it's not exactly a huge improvement. Having a monitor, though, is definitely a huge, huge improvement.
posted by mhoye at 5:26 AM on November 17, 2010


I would recommend the higher-res screen if you often find yourself with many windows open: iChat next to Safari next to a Word/Pages doc, with Mail peeking in from the background.

An external monitor might be your best bet, and using Spaces and Exposé definitely helps window management. If you get the higher resolution display, you can always back it down to a lower, non-native resolution in System Preferences if you really hate the small text, icons, menu bar, etc.
posted by supercres at 5:34 AM on November 17, 2010


I wouldn't worry about future-proofing. Whether or not the higher-res screen becomes standard in a future edition has nothing to do with your comfort level reading text at such a small size.

The reason to get higher-res screen is that you can fit more data ---- more windows and more window content --- on your screen at once. This can theoretically improve your workflow. If you don't need that, then save your money and save your eyesight: get the standard model.
posted by alms at 5:43 AM on November 17, 2010


I have an older 15" and it's a nice step up from the 13". I don't think I would want a higher resolution on the screen and as others have mentioned a small second monitor would be preferable. System preferences makes it really easy to set up and arrange the extended desktop to your extra screen and it just feels "roomier" as you work.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:28 AM on November 17, 2010


I got the high-res because I normally have lots of windows open at the same time. if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't. Text is too small for me to read, and I end up having to increase the font size to make it useable, making the windows too large to all sit on the same screen. Pictures and movies are gorgeous, but they aren't what I use it for, primarily.
posted by procrastination at 6:29 AM on November 17, 2010


I just bought the 15" 2.4GHz (replacing a 2007 MBP of the same size); I know jack about this option, and, FWIW, do not miss it, do not long for it now that I have heard of it. (I do use multiple windows at a time.)
posted by kmennie at 6:38 AM on November 17, 2010


It's not a Mac, but I have a 15" Dell with the 1680x1050 screen. It took some getting used to. But I like it- I can always make the zoom bigger on things if they are too small. With a lesser screen, I can't really make things smaller. The only difference that might be meaningful is that this screen is the standard matte finish, not the shiny screen that is popular now.

The mind boggler is that this machine was also available with an even denser screen- something like 1900x1200. That's just nuts.
posted by gjc at 6:50 AM on November 17, 2010


Greetings,
You can adjust your screen resolution in the Displays control panel. It will make EVERYTHING larger and smaller. Not just the text as in Safari or Mail.

Enjoy~
posted by Studiogeek at 6:57 AM on November 17, 2010


Response by poster: Studiogeek,

I've read reports that adjusting to a non-native resolution makes text etc lose their 'sharpness'.
posted by freud at 7:13 AM on November 17, 2010


Yeah, you never want to run an LCD at non-native resolution. Everything will look fuzzy.
posted by mhoye at 7:29 AM on November 17, 2010


Seconding the suggestion to spend the $ on an external monitor instead. You'll also need a mini display port to DVI (or VGA) adapter.
posted by omnidrew at 7:38 AM on November 17, 2010


I can't agree with the suggestions for an external monitor, unless you use your laptop at a desk really frequently. It's a laptop, do you really want to feel like you need to use it at your desk?

I have the 1920x1200 17" (almost exactly the same pixel density as the high-res 15") and I love it. Takes a while to get used to, but you can always increase the font size on webpages and everything just looks so much crisper.

(side note: if you buy refurbished, you can probably get the high res display for no extra cost)
posted by ripley_ at 8:43 AM on November 17, 2010


I have the high res option and I love it. I end up boosting the font size a decent amount, but it's still worth it for me. It basically makes the chrome smaller relative to the content, which is a better experience for me. That said, I don't actually work on the screen that often - I have an external monitor that I do most of my work on. But when I'm moving around, it makes a big difference in my perceived productivity. I can much more comfortably have two browser windows open side by side. Before having the higher res screen (and I've had 3 other Apple laptops) the low resolution versions drove me nuts and they made me never want to work without a monitor. Now I don't mind it nearly as much, but of course it's a personal taste thing.
posted by heresiarch at 8:56 AM on November 17, 2010


Best answer: I have the MBP to which you prospectively refer, with the higher-resolution screen. While I generally appreciate the increased clarity and sharpness afforded me by the high pixel/inch ratio, small interface elements can be a problem, especially when eyes are tired. Sadly, although it is thankfully in the works, OS X hasn't yet implemented full resolution-independence, so the size of minimize/close/menubar-type elements are all dictated not by how proportionally large they *should* be, but by a pixel count. Therefore, a 50x50 element looks either large (and pixellated) or small (albeit clear) on a lower- or higher-resolution display.

If you're confident in your eyesight—and have had a chance to use the higher-resolution display model in person, which I'd recommend—then the sharper screen is wonderful. I find myself surprised almost every time I transition to another display by how much blockier everything looks.

Best of luck, and enjoy your new Mac!
posted by alexandermatheson at 10:30 AM on November 17, 2010


Best answer: This is really going to be a matter of personal preference. I have the high-res version, and I regret it. And I'm used to running all of my displays as high as I possibly can, I have great eyesight, and I usually get used to tiny interface things very quickly. I didn't spend a lot of time with the display before I bought it. I just assumed that I'd like the highest resolution possible, like I have with every other computer that I've ever owned. I was also new to mac and thought that there'd be a way to increase the size of the OS fonts, if it really came down to it. There isn't, as far as I can tell. I squint A LOT. I move the computer freakishly close to face A LOT. In almost every application, I have to manually increase the zoom. This is fine most of the time, but is not ideal in all applications. Furthermore, some applications are unpredictable -- Mac Mail, for instance, allows you to squeeze-zoom when reading a message, but not when composing a message. Very annoying. Also, if anything, I often find that I have too much screen real estate, especially when web browsing. There's A LOT of white space that would serve me better as a larger desktop, menus, etc.

If you're on the fence, I'd suggest the normal resolution. I'd only recommend the high-resolution display to someone who has tested it extensively and was absolutely sure it was the right choice for their specific needs.
posted by TurkishGolds at 11:34 AM on November 17, 2010


According to this link: http://osxdaily.com/2009/08/08/virtually-scale-window-size-to-increase-or-decrease-desktop-screen-workspace/ you can scale OSX elements to increase their size, i.e. to make things bigger on a hi-res screen, without loosing resolution.

I'm running 1920x1080 on a 13" screen, and I love it. Everything is razor-sharp and looks beautiful. I've gotten used to the small size, but I've successfully used Windows 7's scaling to make things (buttons, text etc.) bigger, while not sacrificing the sharp detail.

Note, I've not tried DPI scaling in OSX, in Win 7 there are occasional quirks, but 95% of the time everything is fine, and the quirks are worth it.
posted by defcom1 at 3:06 PM on November 17, 2010


I went for the higher resolution and I'm glad I did. Totally worth the extra $100. If I happen to shift my resolution to 1440x852 via the Display control panel, everything looks too PlaySkool-sized (most likely because I'm now so used to the 1680x1050 high-res).
posted by blueberry at 10:33 PM on November 17, 2010


I bought my MBP 15" with the HiRes matte screen this summer, at the same time my mom got the standard res glossy. I had to wait for it to be shipped to me, and I almost died, while she got to walk out of the store with hers. Now that I've had a chance to use it for a while (and I'm not waiting on my porch for the UPS man, grinding my teeth) I've found I love the extra real estate, and after having a glossy laptop screen for the 4 years previous, I wouldn't go back to a lower res or glossy for anything. Using hers after mine feels like watching a 720 TV after 1080.
posted by baserunner73 at 8:30 AM on November 18, 2010


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