2 Macs or Macbook with Thunderbolt Display

[chin0]

Would you rather buy 2 refurbished macs, 1 low end MacBook and 1 iMac 27" or a new MacBook Pro and Thunderbolt display? Which would you choose and why?
Pricing is about the same.

I'm leaning towards a loaded new retina MacBook Pro and the Thunderbolt display with the latest and greatest, but can't go wrong with having 2 older 2012 macs.

 

[PDFierro]

Go with a rMBP and a Thunderbolt Display. Not only will you have a newer and better product, but you'll only have to manage 1 Mac.

 

[neilmacd]

Go with a rMBP and a Thunderbolt Display. Not only will you have a newer and better product, but you'll only have to manage 1 Mac.

Seconded. But I'd hold fire on getting a TBD, they've GOT to update it eventually!?

OP, What's your original reason for needing 2 Macs?

 

[MCAsan]

Would you rather buy 2 refurbished macs, 1 low end MacBook and 1 iMac 27" or a new MacBook Pro and Thunderbolt display? Which would you choose and why?
Pricing is about the same.

I'm leaning towards a loaded new retina MacBook Pro and the Thunderbolt display with the latest and greatest, but can't go wrong with having 2 older 2012 macs.

We are missing the requirements, like apps to be used, portability, desired lifespan,...etc. Hard to hit a hidden target.

 

[chin0]

Seconded. But I'd hold fire on getting a TBD, they've GOT to update it eventually!?

OP, What's your original reason for needing 2 Macs?

No real reason really, pricing is about the same so thought I'd look into it, but thanks, I think I'm gonna order a new rMBP tomorrow. My 2008 MacBook is getting slow and the battery is on its last legs.

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We are missing the requirements, like apps to be used, portability, desired lifespan,...etc. Hard to hit a hidden target.

Boot camp or parallels is needed for a software I use for work and I use Adobe Photoshop a lot. Also casual gaming. I plan on keeping the MacBook for at least 5 years.

 

[NewishMacGuy]

I'd been a desktop/laptop guy for just over 10 years until fairly recently, I'm about 18 months into the MBP/ATD setup and will not look back.

The ATD makes for a great 1.5 cable docking solution and it's really nice to reduce the total number of computers in the household. It's also ultra convenient to have ATDs in multiple locations (home/work, family-room/office, etc) and just plug in anywhere with your entire set-up.

It's holy-grailish, and really only recently as workable as it is given Thunderbolt, NAS, and laptops that are powerful enough to replace desktops for all but the most heavy lifting.

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