Should I buy both?

Should I buy both?

Hey there, Ryan. I see you're new here so welcome to MR

To answer your question, I have both an iMac and a Retina MacBook Pro. First off, I rarely ever use the iMac. All my work is done using my rMBP. Even when I'm home, I tend to always use it. Not just because it's portable, I can carry it with me around the house but because it's sufficient for my needs. I have a couple of Adobe softwares such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects installed on it. I also have Final Cut Pro. Of course all the basic essentials like MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel as well as Apple's Pages, Numbers, Keynote. Plus, I have Parallels installed so I can run Windows.

These are some of the huge softwares I have, I thought I'd list them to give you an idea of what the Pro can handle and keep in mind, I haven't mentioned the small apps I've downloaded from the App Store but anyway, it's a powerful machine, IMO.

In the end, it's up to you. If you'll feel more satisfied with an iMac and a MacBook, then by all means, buy both.

rMBP 15 for the portability + external monitor for the screen size.

I have mentioned this elsewhere but its worth repeating -

You mentioned some apps that you wish to install and I would advice starting with research on the apps themselves -

Photoshop - research CPU and GPU as well as how much space you will require to work. Consider also scratch space needed for larger file work (single SSD for all vs a 2nd disk for typical drives).

Similar for the other Adobe Products and Final Cut etc.

Once you figure out how much hardware will meet your needs (CPU type, graphics chipset type, drive space), then look for the computer that comes closest to what you need. Just remember, Photoshop LOVES RAM and its no wonder that many professionals prefer 24 gigs and more.

Also, as found in other threads, iMac screen isn't quite the best you can do for Photoshop work. Two tiers of "better" exists with the usual fair - lower tier being from Dell and HP (others exist too) and upper tier being NEC and Eizo.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon. Though I am a Mac user, if I had to get a laptop for all of the apps you listed (other than Final Cut), I would look more seriously at some "gamers" Windows based laptops that exceed many of the limitations found with Mac laptops.

Last - I use a Mac for Photoshop along with other photo apps on a regular basis and match it up with an NEC PA series monitor that provides superior calibration ability and larger/accurate colour spaces.

Ryanwx said:

Hey guys I'm new here.
My question is, should I get both? I can afford it, but I would hate to spend an extra $1000-$2000 on something I could have done without.

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I'd go the Macbook Pro + external display route (lots of threads here on alternate displays), and use the money you save by not getting an iMac to get the MacBook tricked out with plenty of RAM and SSD.

'Doing multimedia stuff' is a bit of string. If you're using iMovie and generating content for on-screen use then a MBP isn't going to break a sweat. If you're making 3D animated feature films in 4k then you might be in the target market for a Mac Pro.
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phrehdd said:

Photoshop LOVES RAM and its no wonder that many professionals prefer 24 gigs and more.

Click to expand...

While agreeing with your basic point of "choose the hardware that runs the software you need" - you also need to consider what you will be doing. If you're creating content for web and other on-screen use then Photoshop will be quite happy with 8GB. Graphics pros working with pre-press material at much higher resolution & physical sizes will be dealing with order-of-magnitude larger file sizes* which is why they'll need tons of RAM.

Also, colour calibration is overkill unless you have a completely colour-accurate workflow - if you're not, a wide-gamut display might be more trouble than it is worth (again, you may be designing for on-screen use).

(* Especially the ones who haven't figured out the difference between PPI, DPI and LPI, use Photoshop for work that should be done in a vector drawing or DTP package, complain that the screen captures you sent aren't at '600dpi minimum' and then use JPEG to compress non-photographic images...)

+1 for retina mbp + external screen to get the best of both the worlds.

Right, get a laptop for all of the apps you listed (other than Final Cut), I would look more seriously at some "gamers" Windows based laptops that exceed many of the limitations found with Mac laptops.

theluggage said:

I'd go the Macbook Pro + external display route (lots of threads here on alternate displays), and use the money you save by not getting an iMac to get the MacBook tricked out with plenty of RAM and SSD.

'Doing multimedia stuff' is a bit of string. If you're using iMovie and generating content for on-screen use then a MBP isn't going to break a sweat. If you're making 3D animated feature films in 4k then you might be in the target market for a Mac Pro.

Click to expand...

While agreeing with your basic point of "choose the hardware that runs the software you need" - you also need to consider what you will be doing. If you're creating content for web and other on-screen use then Photoshop will be quite happy with 8GB. Graphics pros working with pre-press material at much higher resolution & physical sizes will be dealing with order-of-magnitude larger file sizes* which is why they'll need tons of RAM.

Also, colour calibration is overkill unless you have a completely colour-accurate workflow - if you're not, a wide-gamut display might be more trouble than it is worth (again, you may be designing for on-screen use).

(* Especially the ones who haven't figured out the difference between PPI, DPI and LPI, use Photoshop for work that should be done in a vector drawing or DTP package, complain that the screen captures you sent aren't at '600dpi minimum' and then use JPEG to compress non-photographic images...)[/QUOTE]

I think you are quite right in your assessment. We'll however be a bit of a difference on the notion of monitors but overall, I appreciate your statements completely.

I'm in the MBP + external monitor camp. It's what I use at home with the MBP in clamshell mode. I only have to unplug the TB and power cables and I'm out the door. It gives me a good balance between portability and large screen size.