Macook or macbook pro or iMac or Mac Pro or macbook air what?

Hey Guys,

I really need your opinion. I need a laptop for school, which I will carry with me back and forth from home every day, so it would need to be light. However I would also like to have a desktop with a big display and also big hard drive.

The laptop would be mostly used for only internet, email, office documents, and thats about it.

The desktop would be used for all my music, movies, ripping DVD's, storing pictures, downloading etc. Would like a nice 20" display, no smaller.

What hardware solution do you guys think would be best for me? I do not really have a budget, I am willing to pay for the perfect setup, but if I can achieve what I want for less, that would be good also, but price is not a major concern. My priority is to have the perfect setup for myself.

Obviously I want all my computers to be Macs!

Really appreciate your input!

David

P.S. I am giving the laptop in my sig to my sister! So have to start afresh!

 

I'm assuming you are saying you want a desktop in your dorm or at home-if you commute-and a light notebook to take to classes? Well, a MBA + an iMac would be a good combo for you. When you need to install the odd bit of software on the Air you could use your iMac to do that.

Thats of course if you are only using the Air for lectures notes and other light stuff.

 

Well if you only intend to use your mobile for that stuff, a standard Macbook would suffice. As for desktop, if you don't plan to upgrade get an iMac. However if you want to keep up to date with graphics cards and whatnot, or just want raw power right off the bat get a Mac Pro with an 8800.

 

The best combination based on what you specified is the following:

1. MacBook (Classic*) - Since all you need to do is surf the web, and typical office stuff. Unfortunately the only two colors are white and black. The black model has a better hardware. It works perfectly for the student's lifestyle (except for gaming).
2. iMac (20'') - Since you want a desktop with a large monitor, this solves both. The 20'' model packs a lot of power, even the base one. I'm looking into getting one for myself as soon as I figure out how I can sell my current desktop.

Classic = The original MacBook, not the new MacBook Air that Apple just announced.

 

I agree with dbam. Considering you are on a budget, the Air is a waste. Why pay more for a less laptop that you CANNOT upgrade?

Get a MB and build a desktop yourself or buy an iMac. If OS X is not important to you on your desktop, then I'd say build one yourself (if you're somewhat competent) or build one off Dell's site.

A mac mini with a 20"+ monitor could also be doable, but I find the mini's only really useful if you were setting up a grid or other distributed computing system.

 

If I were you, I would get a MBP, external display and an external HD. Don't spend the money when its not warranted.

 

I say Macbook + 20 inch iMac.

 

I like the Macbook Air, but I think it's overpriced right now, but if money is no object go for the Macbook Air and iMac combination. A Mac Pro is overkill if you don't play the latest games or do a lot of video editing.

 

If you want a light notebook, there's no better choice than the macbook air, it's a little overpriced, but like you said, money is not really a problem. The macbook is nice, but the mba looks cooler, and it's lighter, and if all you will do is lighter stuff, then it will be good enough for that. You will appreciate the lessened load in your backpack or briefcase.

As for a desktop, I suggest the $1499 iMac, it's got a nice processor, great video card for some gaming, and overall good specs, plus a 20 incher.

 

The MacBook Air definitely is cool, but maybe not the best idea if you're on a tight budget...personally, if I was rich as heck, I'd get one right away .

I'd say the 20-inch middle-end iMac, + a low-end MacBook would be best for you .

 

Well he said money wasn't a problem, so I think the mba + imac would be the way to go.

 

Even though money isn't an object, why spend $700 more for the Air, when the Macbook will be great for what he needs?

It's only 2 pounds heavier anyways.

 

Instead, you can spend $700 on a nice 22-inch display, and an iPod Touch with some cash to spare .

 

Either notebook will work. It's up to them to decide which one they like more. The light weight, backlit keyboard, multi-touch, and LED backlit display would be worth it to me if money wasn't a concern.

 

Guys, thanks a lot for your input so far.

I have actually just decided that I am going to keep a computer at my work place, and have a desktop at home, and transport my documents using a memory stick. Although I will not be carrying my computer from work home every day, it must be a laptop!

I think, because of this, it would mean that to have a macbook air, would probably be a bit of a waste of money, as it is very expensive, and I won't be travelling a lot with it, so I am going to go for a macbook to keep at my work place, and maybe upgrade to MBA if price comes down.

This just leaves me to decide what I am going to have as my primary computer at home, I would like the cheapest option which will not leave me with a feeling that I should have opted for a more powerful machine. I actually store all my movies and music etc. on external hard drives, so it is not essential to have to big hard drive in the desktop! However, I do a lot of dvd encoding to MP4, DVD ripping, and have lots of programs open on a regular basis, e.g. iTunes, Office, Internet, etc. I will also be using VMware fusion running windows XP!

It is between the following:

Mac Mini with 20" Dell or Apple display - Concerned about being underpowered?

iMac 20" 2.0Ghz or 2.4Ghz

Mac Pro low end version - Would this be overkill?


What do you guys think would be best for what I would use it for?

 

I'd say choose the middle-of-the-road option: the iMac 20". The Mac Pro desktop would definitely be overkill, and its $2700 base price tag proves it. The Mac Mini, in my view, is decently powered for day-to-day tasks such as surfing the internet and your basic office applications (i.e. Word, Powerpoint, etc.).

The iMac's specifications provide good power and features to do all the things you mention above. The 2.4 GHz option would be a better fit, especially for your digital encoding needs and provide extra longetivity in the life of the iMac.

 

dbam, thanks for your advice, I think I am going to take it.

Just wondering though, is the Processor upgradeable in the iMacs? Is it soldered to the board? Also same for the Hard Drive?

 

I do not think it is possible in the iMac to upgrade the processor yourself. its probably soldered onto the motherboard. Also, the hard-drive is not user-replaceable either in the iMac. About the only thing you can replace yourself is the RAM.

 

Perhaps, perhaps a simple solution for you might be to buy a Macbook and then a 20-inch monitor? That way you use your Macbook on the go, and at home or stationary location, hook it up to the monitor...and that way you wont have to transfer your work you would do on your desktop to your laptop, and vice versa.

 

I think he really would like another desktop. And I think the macbook and the iMac are a great combination for him.

 

Even if the processor isn't soldered on, I wouldn't recommend it, as its in such a compact area already, other processors could have heat concerns/space concerns that would be annoying to work around with.

 

why not get a macbook pro and a apple cinema display

 

That begs the question, why get an Apple cinema display? You can get a much better monitor for less money.

 

That's what I was going to suggest, coz macbook pro's physical size isn't that much bigger than a normal 14 inch. Plus, with two computer email, address, document sync will bring more trouble.