Which Mac to get?
 

I've been reading reviews on all the mac laptops & imac and im still not decided. So I need some help. Personal opinions please! :)

What I do is php code but I also do photoshop, some video editing and 3D animations for local council in building plans etc. So here is my options that I have found.

1. Mac book pro [quad core i7] - Portable but hooked up to a 27" monitor at the office.

2. Imac 27" [quad core i7].

Now I don't travel much but i'm thinking long term here and it might be good to take the machine with me to jobs in the future (which I currently don't do).

My previous threads on mac were around the Mac Mini but that just doesn't have the power I need for 3D.

Any help would be great.

macbook pro, portability is big plus..

I have a Imac 27" and iPhone. works for me. Laptops are for kids.

Get the iMac 27" for the office, and tell yourself that if you ever do need to travel with your own computer you'll buy the Macbook pro.

+1 for the MacBook Pro. Especially if you want to take it out on location with you.

I have a 17" MBP that I take out on location to all my shoots. it has never let me down :thumbsup

+1 for the iMac unless you need a portable computer.

Fuck Macs. Macs are for Steers and Queers!

Get a 17" Sony Vaio, nuff said!

I would go with the mac book pro. :thumbsup

Macbook pro For sure.

Get the iMac, not a laptop. You will want the big screen for your animation as well as all of your other work. The iMacs are faster too because the portables use alot of power saving features which result in lower speed. Buy a laptop only if you need portability. If you don't need portability, buy a desktop.

For very high speed, look at the Mac Pro towers. Expensive, but built for speed.

Unless your a real photographer, then there a must. (sorry Dean)

*you're
*they're
:angrysoap

:1orglaugh

I didn't consider this before but, An iMac 27" + macbook air laptop.

Zorgman, why 2 computers that you need to keep sync'd? A MacBook pro with an external monitor is all you need. Don't complicate things, go for simplicity. Go for one good Mac that you can do everything with.

New MacBook Air should be out next week or at least announced on Monday. A better chip is the rumored change. :thumbsup

I have both an iMac and a Macbook Pro. I find the combination of both is best.

i don't think this should be an option if he's considering a macbook pro or imac, macbook air is a tenth of what those machines are.

Ok, checking apples website again. The macbook pro only goes up to 2.3 GHz while the iMac goes to 3.4 GHz. That's 1 GHz difference.

I think the macbook air would be good for just a simple laptop to show videos and render images to my clients rather then trying to take along the entire computer.

Thanks for your suggestion guys.

None of the above?

I'll never buy a computer with a corporate name on it. I get mine built from a guy up the road and I never have to worry about warranties, hardware failure, or down time.

If something goes wrong, he fixes it the same day.

http://growabrain.typepad.com/photos...and_cheese.jpg

Mmm...Mac & Cheese. :food-smil02

ADG

Get a PC :pimp

I faced the same dilema 2 months ago, and finally decided to go with the high end macbook Pro plus a 27" monitor. That way at the office i use a dual screen setup with both the built in monitor and the 27" one. My main work is done on the 27", but i have email and icq open in the built in 15" monitor.

Even if you don't travel a lot, the portability is nice to have. I don't travel a lot either, but instead of having to sync two computers at the office and home, i just carry my macbook pro. Right now i'm in at my wife's family home using the macbook pro, something you can't do with the imac.

About the Ghz difference, have on mind you are not talking about same processors. The Imac uses i5 while the macbook pro uses i7 processors with Hyperthreading. Some tests shows that performance is around the same with some advantages for one or the other depending on the applications used. Check here: http://www.macworld.com/article/1596...enchmarks.html

In resume, if you NEVER travel or NEVER use the computer outside your office, go for the Imac, if you travel from time to time, or move from home to the office and want to have access to your data at both places, or need to have your data available while working on the couch or checking stats at night from home or on weekends, go for the MacBook Pro.

In your situation I would discard the macbook air, as those are for max portability but have less power than the pros or imacs.

Not if he doesn't need a portable machine!

It's MUCH more expensive, more fragile, and less powerful. If you do not need portability, do not pay for it.

How does your man do on Consumer Reports?

Those iMacs are nice. The only thing I dislike about mine is the lack of upgradability. Aside from that, they are probably the nicest, best running machines I've ever owned.

when did imac 27 goto i7 thought they were only i5

Fris, not sure how long ago but even since I had seen them.
http://www.bigdotmedia.com/imacusa.jpg

i7 has always been an available upgrade since the 27" came out I believe.

When I was buying PC's, YES I would agree with you 100%. Brand name PC's like HP and Compaq were shit because they were very overpriced, very under powered, loaded down with lots of useless pre-loaded software. Tech support was terrible and in some cases, you had to use proprietary (and expensive) hardware for certain upgrades. Of course, Compaq would not offer support for Windows and vice-versa, leaving you with at least 2 phone numbers to call in case of problems.

I used to buy desktop computers from a couple of OEM companies here in Montreal. On the plus side, they were good, fast, easy to upgrade, cheap and fairly reliable. And even in my previous business, I always recommended OEM PC's instead of brand name.

What always sucked about all of them was Windows. Sorry to keep singing the same tune, but Mac's are just so much nicer. Almost zero configuration to do when adding new toys, very fast and simple tech support when needed, and a stunning (and I do mean stunning) display.

Mac. Yum.

This is silly. The Mac mice are not only multi-touch enabled but can easily function as a 2-button mouse.

The PC you could buy for that money would be formidable indeed. SSD, 12 Gigs Ram, etc. And the I7 2600K can be clocked up to over 4 ghz pretty easily.

If you need a laptop with a fantastic full HD screen for pics check out http://usa.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming...specifications

Macs are for babies who can only handle one mouse button. Go for a high end PC and install windows 7 and/or a linux derivate.

a Big One (with fries)

Really? All my mouses are 2-button...and I use them on Macs. They even have a scroll-wheel........can you imagine that? :eek2

Holy fuck. $2800+ for an iMac? That's downright stupid. You can build a really nice PC for half that.

It can run both, mac os and windows.
Plus I need a mac to create Ipad and iphone apps. :)

You should get the pretty white one that smells like a unicorn's sweet vagina.