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MacBook Upgrade

B

Blarnld

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 18, 2012
36
3
Looking to upgrade from my 5 year old MacBook Pro 15". I use Photoshop and Illustrator but also a lot of work in SketchUp and rendering plug-ins like Podium and IDX Renditioner. I'm looking for a smaller laptop and use a Mac Display, so screen size is not an issue. I'm just not sure what graphic elements (graphic cards, GPU) are important for these applications, and which laptops would fit the bill. Specifically, the MacBook Air 13" vs. MacBook Pro 13".
Any Help?
Thanks
 
fig

fig

macrumors 6502a
Jun 13, 2012
916
83
Austin, TX
I'd probably lean towards the MacBook Pro and drop an SSD in it, it's going to give you a bit better 3d performance. You'd most likely be fine either way though, Photoshop and Illustrator are primarily CPU while your 3d performance as far as navigating around is a bit more dependent on GPU/video card (which are the same thing) as a general rule. As always add as much RAM as your budget allows, adding in aftermarket RAM is also far cheaper as you probably know.

Benchmarks on those here if you're curious:
http://www.macworld.com/article/1167290/lab_tests_processor_graphics_boosts_improve_macbook_air_performance.html
 
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