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Debating some setup options...

Which setup is vest for me?

  • 13" MBP and ACD

    Votes: 23 71.9%

  • 21.5" iMac and ipad

    Votes: 4 12.5%

  • 27" imac

    Votes: 5 15.6%
  • Total voters
    32
L

lowonthe456

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 27, 2007
438
0
I have owned several macs, my first a performa 6100/60, followed by a PowerBook G3. 12" PowerBook G4 1ghz, 2007 MBP 15".

As you can see I gravitate to laptops and my favorite of all these was the 12".

So I sold the MBP in 2008 to pay rent as the economy collapsed and have been syncing my iPhone from the gf's 2010 mini.

So, I will have a projected budget of 1800 or so to get a new Mac, but I am undecided on which one....here is what I'm thinking:

A. 13" mbp, add 24" acd for desk setup.

B. 21.5" iMac and wifi ipad

C. 27" iMac

I mainly surf, email, iPhoto and do audio in ableton live. There is the very slight possibility of playing live.....but slight. I think my biggest aversion to the iMac is I'd have to get a desk....and it would need to be shallow, like no more than 18" deep. Since the 21.5" can't be VESA mounted it puts that lower on my list.

I welcome all feedback
 
lowonthe456 said:
Thanks all, I don't disagree tjb1...
Click to expand...

I know this may seem stupid but you could get 13", a cheaper display - I got a 26" Vizio for $320 and also get an iPad. Yeah iPad and 13" are about the same but I have a 15 and I would like a iPad :) but I would never pay the 1k or whatever for an ACD.
 
I agree with tjb1, the ACD is great but it`s a "money no object" kind of purchase imo. I got a 24" LG for about 1/4 of the price of the ACD. It`s not as good obviously but much better value.

For your purposes the 13" MBP (or even the Air) plus a half decent monitor would sound like the way to go.
I can`t imagine being tied to a desk anymore.
 
Fubar1977 said:
I can`t imagine being tied to a desk anymore.
Click to expand...

Well, my thought with the iMac is that since I have an iPhone and down the line an iPad...... A lappy seems redundant. At work we have a slew of 27" iMac andthey are nice! But it will also require a desk right away. The lappy would get a desk at some point but wouldn't need one at time of purchase. But then I go back to feelig odd that That I have both a MBP and an iPhone, with the MBP rarely leaving the house. Add to that a low end iMac is
More powerful than a top end MBP......

As for the air, I've looked onto that and best as I can tell the 11"air would have far less horsepower when dealing with ableton live.....but I'd be iterested in knowing if anyone is doing it.
 
It really comes down to portability or not. If you want it then the MBP is the logical answer. If you don't need or want it then get a 27" and upgrade it to 8 or 12 GB but don't buy it from Apple. You can get RAM for significantly less at sites like Crucial, Macsales.com, etc..
 
I don't disagree. Portability might be an option. But I guess my main complaint against the MBP is that i have an iPhone, and that relative to price, its less powerful than an entry level imac.

My main complaints with the imac are that I'd need a desk right away, and I have very little area to work with, and that the possibility of playing live doesnt exist (if it ever happens).

I guess I wonder if anyone else has had this dilemma, which direction you went and why...
 
I'd go with setup A, just because it's similar to what I have myself (older 20" ACD and 17" MBP).

Stretch your Applecare dollars. Buy the MBP and the ACD on the same receipt, then if you buy Applecare for the MBP in the future, your ACD is included.

And the 24" ACD is great IF you can handle the resolution. The integrated magsafe alone is worth $100 if you planned on buying another charger (which comes in handy if you have a dedicated bag). Also the iSight if you and your girl want to facetime or something. Lots of uses, don't just look at the price. See if YOU can get YOUR monies worth out of it.
 
I say A. But, like many others have said, I'd get more for my money and get a different external display. I use a 23" Acer I got from Best Buy for around $220 or so. They are even cheaper now.

I miss having a quad core (use to use PC desktops) but I couldn't be tied to a desktop anymore. I like to change my workspace frequently, and the MacBook Pro lets me do exactly that. The only trade-off is stepping down to the Core2Duo for now until they finally put quads in the MBP.
 
Blu101 said:
D. 15" macbook pro
Click to expand...

I had a 15" and honestly I thought it was too big for me. Though I would like to have the i3 or i5. My favorite Mac I have ever owned was the 12" Powerbook. I was playing live shows back then and it fit right on my scissor stand and then right in to the backpack afterword.....it was a great size. So I was excited when the 13th bacame available.

I see everyon's point on the display, if I go that route I will look at other options, I know there are a slew of threads on monitors.

As I said, I normally go for the lappy's without thought, I guess I just havent worked out if having a MBP and an iPhone is pointless....though the MBP would not leave the house (unless I get to gigging again).

Admittedly I am leaning towards A, I will hold off to see what happens with the MBP in the next revision.
 
lowonthe456 said:
I don't disagree. Portability might be an option. But I guess my main complaint against the MBP is that i have an iPhone, and that relative to price, its less powerful than an entry level imac.

My main complaints with the imac are that I'd need a desk right away, and I have very little area to work with, and that the possibility of playing live doesnt exist (if it ever happens).

I guess I wonder if anyone else has had this dilemma, which direction you went and why...
Click to expand...

If you don't have a desk and are limited by space and want to be able to play live, then you answered your question. Also, if there are other applications that you would use the portability of the laptop for or if you think you are going to move soon, that's even more reason to go for the MBP. With $1800, you may want to look at a iSeries 15 inch if you play a lot of resource-heavy games instead of an external display. Also, the videocard of the 15 inch is better suited for a larger, external display.
 
atheistpally said:
get a 17" mbp and forget the ACD
Click to expand...

Seeing as how the OP's favorite laptop was the 12" G4 PB I doubt he/she wants to tote a 17" around (they also owned a 15" MBP at one point).

Two of my best friends had the 12" PB (I had a 15" from the same line). They were great machines to be sure. My wife has a 13" MBP and loves it and one of my friends I mentioned above replaced his 12" PB with the 13" MBP and also loves it. Its a perfect blend of functionality and portability.

So my vote is the 13" MBP and a desk display. :apple:
 
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