2.8 iMac and Macbook or Macbook Pro?

[BrittQ]

I would like some suggestions on what to do. I want a small laptop for travel, to and from work, etc. I would just be using iChat, word processing, spreadsheets, browsing the internet, and watching movies. But, when I am at home I would like to do video encoding, editing, burning, etc. Would I be better off having a 2.8 iMac for home and a macbook for travel? Or just getting a 2.4 MBP?
I'm going to wait for leopard before I buy anything. I was thinking about getting an iMac, then waiting for MWSF 08 to see if there are any updates to the MB or the rumored ultra-portable comes out.

 

[aLoC]

The iMac and Macbook Pro are similar speed. The question is whether a bigger screen will be useful to you.

 

[fr4c]

its a personal preference. but if you do a lot of travel, I would suggest going with the bigger iMac at home and using the lighter/smaller Macbook on the go.

 

[bennyboi]

MBP all the way

I'd do a MacBook Pro all the way man. Here's what I did: Instead of spending another grand on another cpu, perhaps look to MacGurus.com and buy yourself a 4 drive SATA enclosure with 1 or 2 terabytes stuffed inside (+45 dollar sata card for your express 34 slot). Raid them together, and have a fast, fast solid system to keep at home for editing. The throughput will be amazing for photoshop/video/etc. And you'll have lots of space to do those big projects at home. The imac and macbook have no express slot or pci expansion, so those options are out.
I also own a G4 powerbook that's never been in for repairs (knock, knock), though I never met an ibook that hasn't been in due to its plastic casing. The powerbook / mbp's are as solid as solid gets IMO, and with the express slot, you can get yourself a very fast raid system faster than any firewire or firewire raid can get. What's great is: Once you have the enclosure, the drives are hotswappable. So- if you fill up a terabyte with some hefty projects, swap out for another. And those Sata drives aren't really pricey so it's not a bad investment.

So to recap: MBP, great for travel, use on the go.
For the extra bump at home (editing etc) get a SATA RAID system.
By the way- you can do editing without the raid- I'm just sayin- some people get the imac for storage issues, but the RAID will solve this plus give you throughput beyond what the imac can do.

Just a suggestion! Good Luck! Feel free to ask more about the RAID or visit MacGurus.com. I'm their biggest advocate right now mainly because they are quite possibly the friendliest in customer service and helping people find solutions that fit their needs.

 

[BrittQ]

Just a suggestion! Good Luck! Feel free to ask more about the RAID or visit MacGurus.com. I'm their biggest advocate right now mainly because they are quite possibly the friendliest in customer service and helping people find solutions that fit their needs.

Thanks for the reply. I never thought about doing this before (because I don't know what it is ) I started researching and it looks like something I might be interested in. I am a little confused on what it means to "RAID" things. Can you point me to a link or explain this to me.

If I have a 7200 SATA drive connected, it will be faster to work with that then it would be my internal HD assuming its a 5400rpm?

From macgurus I would need an Enclosure Kit, some hard drives, and a express34 SATA Host Card. Am I missing anything?

I'm going to research a lot more before buying anything. I don't have plans on buying a mac until leopard or early next year (whenever an update comes).

 

[mr_matalino]

Thanks for the reply. I never thought about doing this before (because I don't know what it is ) I started researching and it looks like something I might be interested in. I am a little confused on what it means to "RAID" things. Can you point me to a link or explain this to me.

Try this

 

[teflon]

If I have a 7200 SATA drive connected, it will be faster to work with that then it would be my internal HD assuming its a 5400rpm

I'm going to research a lot more before buying anything. I don't have plans on buying a mac until leopard or early next year (whenever an update comes).

The internal HD of the iMac is 7200rpm since it's a desktop drive.
By early next year, there's a big chance that you can get a Penryn mbp.
Anyways, the decision depends on your preference. Do you want to have all your stuff on one machine, or are you ok with constantly syncing the two machines? You can always get a dock (although it's expensive) and connect external HDs, monitors and such. This way you don't have to plug and unplug every time.