15 vs 17 for designing and film editing! HELP PLEASE :)

[designkf]

Hello all!

I have been reading these forums for a while, but have yet to post! I am getting a new macbook pro for college. I currently have a white macbook and have used it taking all of my gen-ed classes but I need to get a pro for my majors (design and interactive media as well as digital filmmaking.) My question is if I should get the high end 15" pro or 17"? I am going to be using Final Cut Studio 2 and Adobe Design Premium CS4 along with After Effects CS4. I have a few questions...

1) is there anyone out there using these programs that has a preference to the 15" or 17" pro? and why?
2) i have heard that the matte display is better for design because the fact that the colors are more realistic, however after looking at the designs in person I prefer glossy... any opinions? Will glossy be a problem with the programs I am going to be using?
3) Also, another concern with the matte... I am worried after apple not making the matte 15" option after the update today that they will soon do away with matte macs, and I would prefer to have an updated machine, as I plan to keep this till I complete my next 3 years of college and grad school. Any opinions?
4) 2.8 vs 3.06? is there that much of a difference? I am thinking about getting the 3.06 being I want this computer to last for the next 5 years. Do you think the extra $270 is worth it?
5) I really cant afford the SSD.. so my question is 500GB @ 5800 or 500GB @ 7200? is the 7200 that much faster? is it much louder?
6) will 4GB be enough RAM? I def can't afford the extra $900 for 8GB...

Thanks in advance for anyones help! I really appreciate it!

 

[Demosthenes X]

If you can afford it, I'd spring for the 17". The screen real estate will be appreciated in the programs you'll be using. Or get the 15" + an external display. The advantage of the external is you can get a matte display if you like. No LCD is perfect for doing colour work, but matte tends to be more accurate that glossy, which over-saturates images. Not a big deal if you're doing web work, but if you're doing designs for print, you'll notice they print differently than they appear on the screen.

Don't bother with the 3.06 - the difference between it and the 2.8 is minimal, and you're best off saving your money. The same goes for the RAM - 4GB is plenty, and you can always upgrade in the future for cheaper. I'd go with the 7200RPM hard drive, because it's a bit faster, but realistically there's not a whole lot of difference.

All in all, I'd say the base configuration 17" Pro would be a good fit. The mid-range or top-end 15" would also be fine.

 

[rgarjr]

I concur, if you have the ends, then get the behemoth.

 

[miles01110]

Nah, just get the 15" and a nice external monitor.