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20" iMac or 15" MBP?

T

tonyC4L

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 13, 2007
10
0
San Luis Obispo, CA
This is kind of a different predicament I'm in. Most people seem to be deciding between a Macbook and a Macbook Pro, but here I am deciding between a laptop and a desktop.
I am a college student and I already have a Windows laptop, and I don't really move it out of my room except sometimes to study in the lounge. I really like the feel of using the iMac, moreso than the Macbook Pro. Although I don't move my laptop that much, I fear that getting the iMac will tie me down and I'll regret getting it, because there could be some instances where the MBP's portability could be really convenient.
Money isn't really an issue, as the configurations I want for each of them are within $100 of each other, but I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else is/was in a similar situation, and what did you decide to do and why?
 
If you prefer the iMac and as you don't move around too much with your laptop, go with the iMac.
 
Im in same situation as you but i chose the iMac because i also have a windows laptop that i can take anywhere if i need to. But im waiting out for the new iMacs first :)
 
How long can you wait? Are you able to wait for a few months, or however long it takes for the iMacs to be updated?

I assume you don't care about continuing to use Windows. In that case, go for the iMac when they are updated. If you can't wait, then get the MBP and an external HDD, because the MBP should be much faster at everything than the present 20" iMac, as it uses better and newer parts. I imagine you're looking at the 2.2GHz MBP and a beefed up 20" iMac to get the costs so similar?

So if you are a college student, how come you don't take your laptop to lectures? Would you if you had a (presuming lighter, faster and a hell of a lot sexier) MBP?
 
I am considering the same thing, but am waiting.

I have a windows laptop from work (running Windows 2000, Old School :D ) that if I absolutely need for portable reasons I can use whenever.

While I do like the MBPs, esp 15", I just need to have more hard drive space available to my main computer.

I'm thinking that I'll get a new iMac whenever they update them at all(if just a spec bump, esp wanting to wait for the motherboard to handle 4GB in case I want to update it in the future) then next year or so I'll get a macbook(b/c they are smaller too) for portable use.
 
New iMac when would that be ?

jordygreen said:
Im in same situation as you but i chose the iMac because i also have a windows laptop that i can take anywhere if i need to. But im waiting out for the new iMacs first :)
Click to expand...

I am also in the same position - I have an old slow PC and reasonably recent Laptop - I aim to keep the Laptop as it costs nothing to keep and gives me flexibility. I find I prefer the desktop for most things as I can concentate more in an enclosed space - the laptop is useful if you go on course or visit friends or travel.

I want to replace the PC with an iMac...but I wonder if now is a good time ?!!. Do you have any idea when the current iMacs will be out on the streets ?
 
iMac updates....maybe one day

dartzorichalcos said:
Check this thread. I am predicting late June.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that - looks like I am joining a huge band of happy apple shoppers just itching to spend money on a 'latest' iMac then.

..........and I was going to simply upgrade my PC (as I am fed up trying to edit video on the old duffer and putting up with it taking 1 hour to render every minute of edited film) until the guys in the apple centre spent an hour convincing me why I should convert !!! - but I don't like the white design much and would hate to buy something now and find a newer version comes out just after.

Will keep watching and waiting
 
Thanks a lot for your input guys, it really helps to hear other people's opinions and experiences. I think I may just wait it out to decide, since I probably won't be able to get one until around August anyway. Hopefully iMacs will have updated by then and the decision will be easier.
Erasmus said:
So if you are a college student, how come you don't take your laptop to lectures? Would you if you had a (presuming lighter, faster and a hell of a lot sexier) MBP?
Click to expand...
Well I'm a math major, so pencil and paper is a lot more convenient in most of my classes. But I guess I would probably take my laptop to my general ed classes if it were lighter and faster (and of course sexier haha). My current laptop is like 3 years old and a bulky piece of junk that takes like 10 minutes to boot (even after modifying what launches at startup) and has terrible battery life (45 min - 1 hour).
 
tonyC4L said:
Thanks a lot for your input guys, it really helps to hear other people's opinions and experiences. I think I may just wait it out to decide, since I probably won't be able to get one until around August anyway. Hopefully iMacs will have updated by then and the decision will be easier.

Well I'm a math major, so pencil and paper is a lot more convenient in most of my classes. But I guess I would probably take my laptop to my general ed classes if it were lighter and faster (and of course sexier haha). My current laptop is like 3 years old and a bulky piece of junk that takes like 10 minutes to boot (even after modifying what launches at startup) and has terrible battery life (45 min - 1 hour).
Click to expand...

Well it pretty much comes down to: Is the portability worth an extra $500? The low end MBP is similarly configured to the 20" iMac + 2GB RAM. I would go with the MBP. You can't beat portability in college.
 
i was in the same situation once, i chose the imac and i couldn't be happier with it. i had a windows laptop but i never used it as anything more than a desktop as it never left my desk. my roommates take their laptops to some classes, but i'm perfectly content with using a pen and paper.

the only thing that's kind of a pain is when i have to take it between college and home. it doesn't fit in a car all that well. with that said, i would definitely recommend you get an imac if the portability isn't that much of an issue.
 
I'm in the exact same position as you minus the windows laptop. For the past year I've been using a 15" MBP for my needs thinking it would be suitable seeing as I'm a college student. Well for the past year I probably took it to school twice, and to my friends house for a gaming session maybe 4 times in a YEAR. I've been waiting for the new MBP's so I sold my old one to my dad when I got thinking that the only benefit of having a laptop is portability. And since it's on my desk 95% of the time, I would be paying $500 for a computer with less performance, and a smaller screen. It doesn't make sense. So instead I'm highly considering getting a 20" iMac when they get updated, and perhaps down the road if I need portability I'll buy a used Macbook on ebay for $800 (which combined would be the cost of a 15" MBP and I wouldn't need an external monitor).

This isn't really related but I found that part of the reason why I never took my MBP around is because I always felt uneasy carrying a $2000 machine. It could easily be dropped or stolen, and not only that but I never found a need for it at school. Call me old fashioned but I prefer to do all of my notes by hand. That and I had the perfect desk setup with an Elevator stand and an external keyboard/mouse, so it was such a pain in the arse to take it off the stand with the power cord and move it to my room momentarily if I wanted to use it in bed, and then move it back again on the stand, so I just left it on the stand.
 
Dreamliner or Cruise ship?

Hi,

Can someone tell me if I should buy a Boeing Dreamliner or a luxury cruise ship please?

Thank you.

That is how silly such threads are :rolleyes:

Make up your own mind about what you want from a machine, and there is your answer. Strictly speaking if money is no object you can buy a 15" MacBook Pro, a 20" ACD, and a FW800 Raid array and have a very nice workable desktop solution.

Similarly if you are like most people, well if you do not need the mobility you can just buy the iMac and make do with that, or you can buy a 17" iMac AND a Macbook for a little more than the price of a MacBook Pro. It really depends on how much money you can afford to burn.
 
iW00t said:
Hi,

Can someone tell me if I should buy a Boeing Dreamliner or a luxury cruise ship please?

Thank you.

That is how silly such threads are :rolleyes:

Make up your own mind about what you want from a machine, and there is your answer. Strictly speaking if money is no object you can buy a 15" MacBook Pro, a 20" ACD, and a FW800 Raid array and have a very nice workable desktop solution.

Similarly if you are like most people, well if you do not need the mobility you can just buy the iMac and make do with that, or you can buy a 17" iMac AND a Macbook for a little more than the price of a MacBook Pro. It really depends on how much money you can afford to burn.
Click to expand...

What are you on about, iW00t now???
Clearly go for the Dreamliner. Boeing 787 all the way!
Boats suck.
 
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