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seanerin

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2010
56
4
Soon, I will upgrade my late 2013 MacBook pro (2.6 ghz intel core i5, 16 gb ram). My 2010 iMac died about 6 months ago, so I was leaning to buying the 2019 iMac. But this 16in MacBook pro has me rethinking purchasing the iMac.

Beyond the computing basics, I do quite a bit of photo editing (photoshop and lightroom) and do enjoy the occasional game when I have a moment (WOW, Original Sin 2).

After checking out the 16in and the iMac (went back and forth many times), I could not make up my mind. I LOVE the screen on the iMac and found that to be ideal working within photoshop. But the 16in was a beautiful machine, and while I do not NEED the mobility, it would be a nice perk.

I would love to hear from folks who have relied primarily on a MacBook pro for photoshop and lightroom, especially if you moved to the MacBook pro from the iMac.

Thank you.
 

tskwara

macrumors regular
May 6, 2010
103
85
If circumstances allow you to own a desktop and laptop, having both can remove friction in your creative process. With me having an iMac Pro and MacBook Pro, there's not much in the way of getting the job done.

The software you mention is part of my workflow.
 
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agmmac

macrumors newbie
Sep 9, 2012
17
21
I LOVE the screen on the iMac and found that to be ideal working within photoshop. But the 16in was a beautiful machine, and while I do not NEED the mobility, it would be a nice perk.

Sounds like the iMac screen is more of a must-have and the laptop portability is more of a nice-to-have. So if you need to save money, get the iMac and you'll be more productive. Or maybe you could get the 16in laptop, and buy a separate monitor, dock, keyboard, and mouse for "desktop" work.
 
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gugy

macrumors 68040
Jan 31, 2005
3,928
5,377
La Jolla, CA
I love desktops and usually they are better value. But increasingly I need a portable solution and there is an advantage of having your main computer at all places. I was at first considering to buy the new Mac Pro but with the new MBP 16", I am thinking going that route.
I am not sure you are a pro, so it's usually a good idea to have two computers in case one fails and needs repair. The last thing you need is to lose work due down time at Apple repair.
 
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Sirmausalot

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2007
1,135
320
I'm in a similar situation. But the choice as I see it is either get the 16" Macbook Pro NOW and use an external 4k monitor (black Friday sale please) or WAIT for the inevitable iMac update hopefully early/mid 2020. I wouldn't get the 2019 iMac given what the future graphics update is on the iMac.
 

PROFESS0R

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2017
363
347
In the not too distant past, I had both a laptop and a desktop. I now have only laptop. I love having everythong in one single, portable computer.

I love desktops and usually they are better value. But increasingly I need a portable solution and there is an advantage of having your main computer at all places. I was at first considering to buy the new Mac Pro but with the new MBP 16", I am thinking going that route.
I am not sure you are a pro, so it's usually a good idea to have two computers in case one fails and needs repair. The last thing you need is to lose work due down time at Apple repair.
 
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Steve121178

macrumors 603
Apr 13, 2010
6,461
7,159
Bedfordshire, UK
Soon, I will upgrade my late 2013 MacBook pro (2.6 ghz intel core i5, 16 gb ram). My 2010 iMac died about 6 months ago, so I was leaning to buying the 2019 iMac. But this 16in MacBook pro has me rethinking purchasing the iMac.

Beyond the computing basics, I do quite a bit of photo editing (photoshop and lightroom) and do enjoy the occasional game when I have a moment (WOW, Original Sin 2).

After checking out the 16in and the iMac (went back and forth many times), I could not make up my mind. I LOVE the screen on the iMac and found that to be ideal working within photoshop. But the 16in was a beautiful machine, and while I do not NEED the mobility, it would be a nice perk.

I would love to hear from folks who have relied primarily on a MacBook pro for photoshop and lightroom, especially if you moved to the MacBook pro from the iMac.

Thank you.

For photoshop/lightroom? Get the iMac. Only go for the 16" if you literally must have something portable.
 

seanerin

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2010
56
4
Thanks for all the responses. I like the idea of the MacBook pro with an external display. But, I have never tried that setup and there is so much I don't know. So, one of my concerns is that the MacBook pro will use much of its power to power the display, and there will be little left to power programs like photoshop. That concern is born out of ignorance of how this setup works, so my apologies for what may be a silly concern. Is that a legit concern? Are there any drawbacks to this setup?

Also, if I were to go with this setup, should I upgrade from 32 to 64gb ram?
 
Last edited:

m0nkeyb0y

macrumors regular
Jun 16, 2009
168
119
I'm in this same bind. Have a 4k and 1080 monitors currently running off a 2013MB Pro. I travel about 4 months out of the year, so having all my power portable would be nice. But another thread is claiming that the 16" spins up the fans loud just driving one external 4k monitor, and I'd like to add a second one. Plus I'd need a TB3 dock and active DP cables (I believe), which add more money.
[automerge]1574121865[/automerge]
Also, I *have* to buy now or wait another year. One-day academic sale, 8% below normal Edu discount.
 
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