Buying a new apple, not sure which is the better buy.

[sourceninja]

So my wife wants a macbook pro. She also knows that I have been really eyeing that new macbook pro and imacs lately. So she made a deal with me, I can get a new apple computer if she gets my 'old' one.

So now I'm trying to figure out what is the best buy. I like having the portablity of a macbook pro, but I also really want more power (especially with starcraft 2 and diablo 3 on the horizon). So this is what I'm torn between

15 inch macbook pro with this config
# 2.93Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
# 320GB Serial ATA @ 7200
and adding the new 24inch cinema display

Or going with a 24 inch imac:
# 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
# 1.0TB Serial ATA Drive

Also if I go the imac route, is the ati HD4850 really worth the upgrade? (I've always been a little anti ati as a long term linux user, but the 8600GT problems have made me wary of nvidia). If I go iMac I want every last bit of reasonable performance.

I have discounted the 17inch macbook pro due to cost. It just is not reasonable for me to pay over 3000.00 for a notebook. Plus it really is too large imho to carry around.

Honestly though, I'm wondering if I am better off with a mac pro. I can get this setup for cheaper then the 15 inch macbook pro setup. I could of course upgrade the harddrive and ram on my own. (and much cheaper then apple)

# One 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
# 3GB (3x1GB)
# 640GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB
# One 18x SuperDrive
# Apple LED Cinema Display (24" flat panel)
# Apple Mighty Mouse
# Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) and User's Guide
# AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi Card with 802.11n
# AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac Pro (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll


I'm just not sure if the performance is going to be that much greater then the iMac above.

anyways, what would you do? Also, I'm using my education discount on this if it helps.

 

[Kmax82]

Well.. I had an aluminum iMac for a little while, and while I like it... I still ended up wanting the portability of the MacbookPro. I think the Unibody is a GREAT machine, so my vote goes for that. No, you won't get the power of a MacPro, but really the MacPro isn't necessary unless you're doing heavy video encoding.

If you're only requirements for gaming are Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, I think you'll be fine with any of the offerings. If you would want to boot into Windows to play some other games, then I would lean toward the iMac or MacPro. Probably the MacPro because you'd be able to replace the videocard later, for more performance.

 

[slugg]

Well since you can afford it, I'd get the Mac Pro that you mentioned if I were you. Sure the CPU frequency is lower than the iMac, but it's quad core. More and more applications are becoming multithreaded. The Xeon also has a massive cache, which really helps with A/V applications. In terms of video performance, the ATI HD 4870 is faster than any of your other options, hands down. You said you'd upgrade the RAM and hard drive on your own, so to me, the Mac Pro is the clear winner here.

 

[sourceninja]

I know for sure that I'll never be running windows on it. I don't even have a valid windows license anymore (I sold it with my last windows computer). If anything I might run team fortress 2 via wine.

 

[TheStu]

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a laptop. It is just so incredibly convenient to just close the lid and be able to take everything with me. No cables (save the power adapter), not too much space, but still plenty of power. I mean, my hackintosh is much, much, much more powerful than my MacBook, but I still find myself using my MacBook more since it is more convenient (and was my only system for well over a year).

So, I would be more inclined to get the MacBook Pro.

 

[slugg]

^^ Yea that's true. I couldn't live without my laptop. The only reason why I can function with my Mac Mini is because I have a laptop IN ADDITION TO the Mini (although it's a PC).

But hey, laptops aren't for everyone. If you find yourself leaving your laptop plugged in at your desk 90% of the time, then you'd benefit from a more powerful computer 90% of the time. So if you got a desktop, you'd have to "rough it" when you need to be mobile. If you have an iPhone, the iPhone can take care of SOME tasks, however for obvious reasons, a laptop would be GREATLY preferred. In my case, if all I need to do is keep in touch with email, I leave my laptop and use my phone. Sure, a physical keyboard is better, but at least the iPhone gets the job done, weighs considerably less than a laptop, and I'd have it in my pocket ANYWAYS.

Weigh your options. If you're not really too mobile, I'd go with the Mac Pro. I don't think it makes sense to get a laptop if you're expecting to be mobile only once in a blue moon. If you expect to be mobile often, then without a doubt, get a Mac Book of some kind.

 

[mugs]

Since you apparently already have a Macbook Pro that your wife would keep, you should consider that you could use that laptop when you need portability. If you need portability on a daily basis that obviously won't work, but then you wouldn't even be considering an iMac. It sounds like portability is not a must-have feature for you, so having access to your wife's laptop may be sufficient.

 

[manly]

Is the LED Cinema Display really worth the premium over other IPS monitors?

If you're willing to splurge, I'd go for the Nehalem Mac Pro, although everyday performance is unlikely to exceed the iMac's. However, Apple's specs state the 4-core MP maxes at 4x2GB RAM? I'd upgrade from the 3x1GB to 3x2GB (or 4x2GB) configuration. Not sure what the current state of ATI drivers is, but I'd get the best GPU offered.

Along the lines of what Kmax82 said, you can probably affordably slip in a Blu-ray drive into the Mac Pro down the road. Much less reasonable for a slot-drive Blu-ray drive anytime soon.

For those that qualify, isn't the student ADC one-time discount better than the standard edu discount for a substantial purchase like you're considering?

 

[Parasitic]

Are you planning on keeping it until it runs to the ground? If you ever think about selling it in a couple of years down the line, I'd get the loaded unibody MBP. Notebooks seem to hold their resell value better than desktops, and the marketshares of laptops are steadily increasing while desktop buyers are declining in numbers. While Macs may be an exception I'd still get the MBP.

 

[sourceninja]

I'm starting to learn to the notebook, but part of me really wants a desktop. I'm getting that monitor simply because it matches the computer, has a webcam, supplies power to the notebook, and use a better cable management system if I go with a notebook. If I go with a macpro I might buy a dell monitor instead (or something off newegg). But I want to do apples to apples for comparison (so to speak).

 

[umrigar]

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB470LL/A

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera
Illuminated keyboard

$1,699.00

Ships: Within 24hrs
Free Shipping

 

[sourceninja]

That's less macbook then the macbook I have now. I'm looking to move forward, not backwards. But even if I had a refurb that was like my current macbook, I wouldn't do it. I want the new trackpad, the new body (I will be upgrading the hard drive as 320 gig is nowhere near enough for me) and I want display port for the new monitor (it's almost like a docking station)

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: sourceninja
That's less macbook then the macbook I have now. I'm looking to move forward, not backwards. But even if I had a refurb that was like my current macbook, I wouldn't do it. I want the new trackpad, the new body (I will be upgrading the hard drive as 320 gig is nowhere near enough for me) and I want display port for the new monitor (it's almost like a docking station)

If you follow the link you will see that it is the unibody macbook. The entry-level macbook pro is the 2.4 with those specs.

 

[sourceninja]

ahh I thought it was 2.5 for entry not 2.6.

Still, I want the 2.9ghz if I go with a macbook pro. I'm leaning heavily to that right now. The other alternative is the mac pro. I've put the imac out simply because if I go desktop with a mac pro I can really ramp up the storage and even upgrade video cards if I ever need too.

 

[dmw16]

I'd get the macbook pro and the screen (and keyboard and mouse and speakers).

You didn't mention what it's for, but unless you are doing something that demands a desktop (ie gaming, well not on a mac I guess, but you know what I mean ) I think laptops are the way to go. For storage you can get a nice external or a NAS or build a file server.

 

[umrigar]

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0G02LL/A

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
320GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera
Illuminated keyboard

$2,399

Ships: Within 24hrs
Free Shipping

Enclosure Precision aluminum unibody
Processor 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
L2 Cache 6MB shared
System bus 1066MHz
Memory 4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; supports up to 4GB
Hard drive1 320GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
Slot-loading optical drive 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor; and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory

 

[sjwaste]

That's a nice machine, but really, $2400 for a 15" laptop? I had enough trouble ponying up the $1100 for my refurb macbook. I dunno, then again, I have zero buyers remorse. It's just so hard to pay that much for what amounts to a nice case and decent screen.

 

[sourceninja]

That is nice, but for 200.00 more I can get 2.9ghz, 7200 rpm drive and it is brand new. I'm just not a used kind of guy I guess.

I"m basically sold on the macbook pro + monitor. I really like the apple 24inch monitor because it has built in everything (speakers, usb, camera, power for the macbook) so it's 'almost' like a docking station. I appreciate the effort however.

There is just something about having a brand new computer. Knowing it wasn't something used and that you are the first owner. I don't even buy used cars.

Right now I'm looking at $3600 for the macbook, the monitor, and apple care (which covers both because they are bought together).

 

[umrigar]

$2850 from Apple with the 7200rpm drive & faster processor.

looks like $450 more to me. refurbs come in a brown box, but i hear ya... some people just prefer new.

are you getting edu pricing?

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: sourceninja
That is nice, but for 200.00 more I can get 2.9ghz, 7200 rpm drive and it is brand new. I'm just not a used kind of guy I guess.

I"m basically sold on the macbook pro + monitor. I really like the apple 24inch monitor because it has built in everything (speakers, usb, camera, power for the macbook) so it's 'almost' like a docking station. I appreciate the effort however.

There is just something about having a brand new computer. Knowing it wasn't something used and that you are the first owner. I don't even buy used cars.

Right now I'm looking at $3600 for the macbook, the monitor, and apple care (which covers both because they are bought together).

I would highly suggest the refurb. Trust me, it will arrive looking new. The only thing different is that it comes in a plain box.

Apple doesn't mess around with refurbs. They carry the same warranty, too.

 

[slugg]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
That's a nice machine, but really, $2400 for a 15" laptop? I had enough trouble ponying up the $1100 for my refurb macbook. I dunno, then again, I have zero buyers remorse. It's just so hard to pay that much for what amounts to a nice case and decent screen.

I agree somewhat. There's always the "but it runs OS X" argument, which is strong for some people. About the screens, though... I have a Lenovo x200 and my girlfriend's MacBook (non-pro, unibody) has a MUCH better screen. Sure, they're two completely different markets, but I'd rather look at her laptop than mine.

The new MacBook screens really are great... if you can get over the shiny-ness.

 

[sourceninja]

Originally posted by: umrigar
$2850 from Apple with the 7200rpm drive & faster processor.

looks like $450 more to me. refurbs come in a brown box, but i hear ya... some people just prefer new.

are you getting edu pricing?

Yes, I work at a college and my wife takes classes at a college. So I always get edu pricing one way or another.

 

[sourceninja]

Well, my plan is changing. It looks like my boss might be buying me a macbook (non-pro) to replace my dell (well to hand my dell down to a guy who needs a new notebook). So I'm thinking that for my portability needs and a iMac for my home needs.

 

[sourceninja]

Well, I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a maxed out 24inch imac with the ati 4850 video card. I can't wait.