What would you do? Keep 15in rMBP or buy 27in iMac

GnarlsBailey said:

Hi everyone -

Let me start by saying I love my 15in rMBP ... but I'm not sure I need the portability any longer.

When I purchased the rMBP (2.6ghz i7, 16gb ram, 512hd) it was my daily driver. It was the only computer I had, so obviously it was the computer I would commute back and forth to work with. The portability factor was awesome. It's the perfect mix of power and portability.

But I didn't need THAT amount of power on a daily basis. There's only so much video, gfx intensive work that I do. So, I recently purchased an 11inch MacBook Air (1.7ghz i5, 4gb ram, 120gb hd) to replace the rMBP as my daily work computer. It's just so much easier to commute with and has all the power I need for my daily tasks (email, light photoshop, design).

So now .. that beautiful rMBP just sits at home on a stand hooked up to a cinema display. I haven't removed it from the stand since purchasing the MacBook Air.

Here's where I need your help. Should I sell the rMBP for an iMac based on my use case (obviously I would lose some of what I spent on the rMBP because I'm looking at 27in 3.4ghz, 8gb ram -- to be upgraded later -- 1tb fusion, 2gb video) or should I just keep the rMBP as my "desktop" machine.

2-6 days a month I will be working with intensive tasks (photo editing, video, motion/after effects). I also game occasionally. The extra screen real estate at home would be great.

So, what are your thoughts?

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I would sell the rMBP and replace it with a Mac mini. You already have the display, so get a really good Mac mini and you will have close to the power of the iMac but at a much better price.

the 2.6GHz i7 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM 1TB fusion drive and standard video card is more than $1000 cheaper than the iMac you want. And the iMac you want is actually more powerful(or will be) than your current rMBP and if you only see yourself using it 2-6 days A MONTH, then I would consider the iMac an unnecessary purchase and a waste of money since you will end up spending more even after the sale of your rMBP. With the Mini, you could sell your rMBP and most likely pay for the Mac mini entirely.

This doesn't add up. You're using an 11" display for job 40 hours a week? And it's only for work, yet you take it home with you every night?

So, I recently purchased an 11inch MacBook Air (1.7ghz i5, 4gb ram, 120gb hd) to replace the rMBP as my daily work computer.

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You bought this used, right?

So now .. that beautiful rMBP just sits at home on a stand hooked up to a cinema display. I haven't removed it from the stand since purchasing the MacBook Air.

Here's where I need your help. Should I sell the rMBP for an iMac based on my use case (obviously I would lose some of what I spent on the rMBP because I'm looking at 27in 3.4ghz, 8gb ram -- to be upgraded later -- 1tb fusion, 2gb video) or should I just keep the rMBP as my "desktop" machine.

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I don't see a benefit to selling the rMBP for an iMac, but I also don't see why you bought the rMBP if it didn't meet your needs.

GnarlsBailey said:

Hi everyone -

Let me start by saying I love my 15in rMBP ... but I'm not sure I need the portability any longer.

When I purchased the rMBP (2.6ghz i7, 16gb ram, 512hd) it was my daily driver. It was the only computer I had, so obviously it was the computer I would commute back and forth to work with. The portability factor was awesome. It's the perfect mix of power and portability.

But I didn't need THAT amount of power on a daily basis. There's only so much video, gfx intensive work that I do. So, I recently purchased an 11inch MacBook Air (1.7ghz i5, 4gb ram, 120gb hd) to replace the rMBP as my daily work computer. It's just so much easier to commute with and has all the power I need for my daily tasks (email, light photoshop, design).

So now .. that beautiful rMBP just sits at home on a stand hooked up to a cinema display. I haven't removed it from the stand since purchasing the MacBook Air.

Here's where I need your help. Should I sell the rMBP for an iMac based on my use case (obviously I would lose some of what I spent on the rMBP because I'm looking at 27in 3.4ghz, 8gb ram -- to be upgraded later -- 1tb fusion, 2gb video) or should I just keep the rMBP as my "desktop" machine.

2-6 days a month I will be working with intensive tasks (photo editing, video, motion/after effects). I also game occasionally. The extra screen real estate at home would be great.

So, what are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

Sell it. Buy a sweet maxed out iMac, and plug it into your Cinema Display.

Then, ditch your air for the new retina versions when they come out.

I'm in the camp for just keeping your current setup. Why bother going through all the hassle of selling and buying again when your current setup is pretty powerful and useful enough?

Also, it'd be nice to have the option to go portable with the MBP in the few cases you may need to.

I agree with kylera .. you have a good setup .. you don't really need to shell out the extra money for an iMac .. which is a lot .. the rMBP is high-res enough .. and so you've got that as a desktop machine .. and the 11 incher to carry around .. suppose someday you might need to travel with something more powerful than the 11-incher .. imagine dragging an iMac

GnarlsBailey said:

So now .. that beautiful rMBP just sits at home on a stand hooked up to a cinema display. I haven't removed it from the stand since purchasing the MacBook Air.

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...and why is that a problem? True, it sounds like, with 20:20 hindsight, you should have bought an Air and a 27" iMac instead of the rMBP, but unless you're really unhappy with the current setup, the notion that you're "wasting" the portability isn't reason enough to take the financial hit of selling the rMBP and buying a desktop. Also, if you do hit a work problem that the Air can't cope with, you still have the flexibility of taking the rMBP on the road.

Since it doesn't sound like you're hitting the peg performance-wise, the only strong reason for going iMac is that 27" 5k display, which really is the iMac's Unique Selling Point. Personally, given a decent non-retina 2560x1440p 27" display (you don't say which flavour of 'cinema display' you have), I'd wait for the dust to settle over Thunderbolt 3/USB C/DisplayPort 1.3 before investing in 5k tech.

P.s. 1 If you don't already have one, I'd suggest using an elevator stand + external keyboard so that you can use the rMBP screen as a secondary monitor.

GnarlsBailey said:

I'm looking at 27in 3.4ghz, 8gb ram -- to be upgraded later -- 1tb fusion, 2gb video

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P.s. 2: If you do go iMac, remember that the 1TB fusion now only has a measly 24GB SSD element. I'd suggest either the 2TB fusion (which has a 128GB SSD) or 256-512GB SSD only. Personally, I think that while laptops still benefit from as much storage as you can cram in, with small form-factor desktops it is probably best to have the minimum of very fast SSD storage built-in and use external (TB, USB or NAS depending on the application) for bulk data (...given that you'll need external storage anyway if you're doing video, or, failing that, for backup).

iBilal said:

I agree with kylera .. you have a good setup

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I'm pretty sure the OP has already made his decision, since the post you are referencing is 3 years old.

maflynn said:

I'm pretty sure the OP has already made his decision, since the post you are referencing is 3 years old.

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Whups, got me too....

Interesting sign of the times that it wasn't immediately obvious from the specs of the machines the OP was talking about. Heck, the clock speeds have gone down! (OK, irrelevant because architecture changes etc.) This, folks, is why personal computer sales are tanking, and I'm not sure its Apple's fault (the 5k iMac came out after this post, the rMBP switched to PCIe SSDs, haptic trackpads appeared - all envelope-pushing by Apple).

This thread necro seems to happen a lot - methinks a simple "The post you are replying to is > 6 months old, are you sure?" warning would be useful. The post date

omg..