Im not usually the type that asks opinions regarding what I should get but I'm stuck. Quite honestly, whatever I get I won't end up pushing it to the extreme. I don't do photo (well I dabble in it but it's not my career) or video work. I might do some gaming from time to time, but that's not often. I do all my work on my work laptop and my browsing on my iPad.
Right now I have a 2010 15" MacBook Pro 2.66 i7 and that thing has gotten slow. I will hook it up to my TV to stream or watch something and it always pinwheels at something. I also have a 2009 Mac Pro 2.66 quad core with a flashed graphics card (don't remember which ATI is in there). Even though It has been a beast throughout the years, it's starting to age (and the USB wifi dongle I think won't let it turn off, and will cause it to freeze up if I pull it out. If someone has any info on that, it would be much appreciated. It's a NewerTech Max Power I believe).
So this brings me to my possible courses of action. I would like something that will last me 5 years or so and that has a good display. The 5K iMac looks great even though I never thought I'd buy an iMac. If I went that route, I'd be looking at spending $2800 or so via B&H (thanks for no sales tax) for the base model upgraded to the 512 SSD. I have wiggle room for that other graphics card if that makes it worth it. My next option would be a 15" rMBP. I'm not sure how necessary the discrete graphics card (so thoughts between the base and middle tier would be much appreciated) but either option, I'm looking at $1800 or $2350, substantially cheaper than the 5K iMac. I could use that for a second monitor but I'd be concerned with the resolution/quality compared to these running in retina/native resolution. Last option would be getting a Mac Pro, since that will be powerful for a while but it's the most expensive.
So what are your thoughts? I'm partially concerned about loosing out on portability if I go the iMac/Mac Pro route but my iPad (and work computer) are really the guys pulling all the weight. I'm also open to waiting some for new technology, such as the gen 2 of the 5K iMac or Skylake (because that's a big deal apparently).
Right now I have a 2010 15" MacBook Pro 2.66 i7 and that thing has gotten slow. I will hook it up to my TV to stream or watch something and it always pinwheels at something. I also have a 2009 Mac Pro 2.66 quad core with a flashed graphics card (don't remember which ATI is in there). Even though It has been a beast throughout the years, it's starting to age (and the USB wifi dongle I think won't let it turn off, and will cause it to freeze up if I pull it out. If someone has any info on that, it would be much appreciated. It's a NewerTech Max Power I believe).
So this brings me to my possible courses of action. I would like something that will last me 5 years or so and that has a good display. The 5K iMac looks great even though I never thought I'd buy an iMac. If I went that route, I'd be looking at spending $2800 or so via B&H (thanks for no sales tax) for the base model upgraded to the 512 SSD. I have wiggle room for that other graphics card if that makes it worth it. My next option would be a 15" rMBP. I'm not sure how necessary the discrete graphics card (so thoughts between the base and middle tier would be much appreciated) but either option, I'm looking at $1800 or $2350, substantially cheaper than the 5K iMac. I could use that for a second monitor but I'd be concerned with the resolution/quality compared to these running in retina/native resolution. Last option would be getting a Mac Pro, since that will be powerful for a while but it's the most expensive.
So what are your thoughts? I'm partially concerned about loosing out on portability if I go the iMac/Mac Pro route but my iPad (and work computer) are really the guys pulling all the weight. I'm also open to waiting some for new technology, such as the gen 2 of the 5K iMac or Skylake (because that's a big deal apparently).
