Forums | MacLife

you'll get more help if you post this in "balloon help". don't repost this though just ask a mod to move it.

oh and wait for the new iMac.

This is more appropriate for CB.

Yeah, stop with the jr modding people.

justine wrote:

Donkey Butter wrote:

you'll get more help if you post this in "balloon help". don't repost this though just ask a mod to move it.

oh and wait for the new iMac.

Balloon Help is for problems that you need help with. Choosing a new Mac isn't a hardware or software problem.

but he does have a conundrum, which is a problem, so I suggested balloon help. but you're the mod so circuit board it is.

If it was me, I'd go for the MacBook Pro (and more RAM and HD space is, IMHO, better than 2" of screen real-estate for most purposes, especially if you will routinely be plugging in an external monitor anyway).

Well......

Apple does not make a desktop they make workstations and laptops

The MBP is probably faster than the iMac  "desktop"with the older laptop innards.

The iMac can support dual monitors the iMac and an external.

So can the MBP but one of them is going to be the smaller 15" or 17"  MBP display

It is actually easier to upgrade the HD in the MBP over the "desktop" iMac the "desktop" requires removing the LCD pannel which voids the warranty 

I think the MBP currently supports more RAM 4GB vs 3GB (both use SDO DIMM laptop memory) and maybe even FireWire 800 vs 400 to boot

The iMac is waaaaay over due for an update rumor has it it will be updated in the next few months

The iMac has no upgrade advantage over the MPB and you are still out a whole computer if something should die but it is cheaper and has a 20" monitor as an option but has none of the  portability of the MPB.

if you have 3k to spend I would look at a MPB 17" or for that money possibly a Mac Pro if you have a monitor to use

Actually, he was saying the Mac Pro is a workstation.  The iMac is technically a desktop, but cleekj thinks of it as more of a desk-bound laptop.

If it's between an iMac and a MBP, MBP all the way.  The iMac is a bit less expensive, but there's really no advantage to the iMac other than price and monitor size.  If you're the type of person who could benifit from both systems, the MBP is the "happy medium."  Plus, the MBP has an express card slot, which could come in handy for wireless broadband, or future technologies.

Last edited by Mr. T (2007-06-19 3:06 pm)

The fact of the matter is you can't compare the current laptops against an iMac because we have no clue what Apple is going to do to the iMac besides most likely making it smaller and axing the 17" model.

jkev57 wrote:

By the way, Mr T, any advantage of getting a 17" over a 15" if I'm going to be using a 24" external monitor at home anyway?

If you take it with you, you'll have a bigger monitor while on the go.  If you prefer the smaller & lighter profile of the 15, then you might as well go with that instead.

The other thing to take into account is dual monitor situations.  You can have the document you're working on on the 24" screen, and have all your palates on the other.  Or you might be typing a word doc on one screen, and run a web browser on the other.  If you feel you need more space in a dual-monitor setup, then maybe you'd want the 17".  If you don't care about dual monitors, then maybe you'd prefer the 15".

NAG wrote:

The fact of the matter is you can't compare the current laptops against an iMac because we have no clue what Apple is going to do to the iMac besides most likely making it smaller and axing the 17" model.

You cant even assume that as Apple doesn't always do what the rumors suggest they will.

these configurations are done with all upgrade options. except for the mac pro witch is left stock.


MacBook Pro 17" Specifications

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667 DDR2 - 2x2GB SO-DIMMs
250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 4200 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI
MacBook Pro 17-inch High-Resolution Widescreen Display 1920x1200
Backlit Keyboard
$3,799.00

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

iMac 24" Specifications

2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
3GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 1x2GB, 1x1GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB SDRAM
24-inch widescreen LCD 1920 X 1200
$3,323.00

and just for fun

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Mac Pro Specifications

Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB)
250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)
16x SuperDrive
$2,499.00



I would wait to see what apple does with the iMac, but if I was buying today I'd go with the mac pro.  if that's not something you're interested in then between the MBP and the iMac I'd go with the MBP. I know I said the iMac earlier but I'm changing my opinion.

jkev57 wrote:

[snip
Also...when considering a MacBook Pro with an external monitor, would I be better off purchasing the 15" model with extra ram and larger hard drive...or the standard 17" model?
[snip]

Hard to say: only you can determine if the larger screen that the 17" MBP has is worth the $300 difference. The 2.4 GHz 15" MBP and  the 17" MBP have identical video cards (the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM).

Since the hard drive is not easily removed (it can be, just not easily) from the MBP, it might be worth your while to get the MBP with the best drive for your needs (depending on whether or not you prize the 160 GB @ 7200 RPM speed over the 90 more GBs that the 250 GB @ 4200 RPM drive gives you).

On the other hand, definitely consider a third-party for RAM. The $750 that Apple charges for the 4 GB option? Other World Computing offers 4 GBs for $220. RAM is a consumer-installable part so replacing it yourself will not void any warranties. Going this route would pay for more than the difference between the 15" and 17" MBP, AND a larger hard drive. OWC even has a RAM buying program so you can some money back by selling them the original 2 GBs--$50 for the pair of 1 GB sticks.