15 inch 6750M or 21 inch iMac + iPad/Air??

[Macalicious2011]

Hi all
I'm a long time Apple fan on the brink of purchasing my first Apple logo:ed computer. To give you a bit of an idea of the type of computer user I am, here's short bio:

-Personality: High-end PC user buying a decked out 17 inch laptop every 3 years.
-What profession my new laptop will be used for: Freelance art director/brand consultant.
-Software used: Lightroom, InDesign & Photoshop.
-Games casually played: Counter-Strike, Formula 1 2010 and a few others.

The bottom line is that I need a powerful laptop that will last me for about 3 years and it needs to have a brilliant screen for colour accuracy and off course, Macs use the best panels. I've taken a look at the base 15 inch Macbook and I fancy it, but whispers on the web are telling me that its GPU is barely adequate for casual gamer. The 6750M 15 inch on the other hand seem capable enough for my gaming demands and future proof. However the starting price is at a ridiculous £1,850 and when Apple Care and the high resolution screen options are ticked, the cost tips at a shocking £2,200. It's a crazy sum of money to spend on a laptop. Especially when the same bag of coins buy me an entyre level iMac with 6750M + money left over for a Macbook Air - giving me the best of both worlds.

I badly want the 15 inch but would hate nothing more than feeling regret 12-18 months after purchase due to being stuck with a sub-par GPU. Likewise I wouldn't want to feel financially burdened for taking out substantial credit in the region of £2,000 to buy the laptop I really want.

Does anyone have any thoughts, advice or guidance to share on this matter? I'm in a trance here.

 

[Resqu2]

Prices for anything over a 13" laptop are just to much for me. I would go with the new Imac if you don't need to take it places and pick up an Air for portability. I got my IMac in January and LOVE it, but the specs on the refresh look great.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Yeah, portability is a must as I'll be working at a freelancer. I'll need a laptop to go through concepts, photographs and other material. I guess I can't have it all with Apple unless I'm ready to fork over a heavy chunk of money. As it looks, I need to forgo something fundamental and make a compromise. So I think graphics power for gaming will have to be shunted to the bottom of the list. The entry level 13 inch option seems to be the best choice. I'll be able to do light photo editing and colour correction on it. To make up for the loss of real estate I'll splurge on a decent 24 inch TN or a used cinema display. Gaming will have to be taken care of by a PS3 or something.

I just wish that Apple made it a bit easier for PC buyers to jump ship to Cupertino.

 

[dagamer34]

Color accuracy means you need to hunt for a used 24" Cinema Display, don't bother for TN.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

I currently own the 15" mbp and am looking at switching to an iMac/MBA combo instead.

Really it's going to come down to where you need the power at. If you can get away with a workstation at home and just need a portable for occasional photoshop touchups and showing content to clients/email/web etc. I'd go for the iMac/MBA.

If you need more power on the road than what the MBA can provide, you are going to need to get the 15" MBP, possibly an external monitor for use at home as well.

Also remember, when you buy the computer you are covered by Apple Care for 1 year and can purchase the AC extension at any time during that 1 year period, so if money is tight you can always wait and buy apple care later when you have some extra money.

 

[entatlrg]

For sure iMac and MacBook Air.

I've had a few set ups, tried going solo with a 15 and 17" MBP in the past and I've had an iMac, Mac Pro in the mix as well.

It's so much better to work from a desktop and notebook compared to a notebook only.