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21.5" iMac or MacBook Pro 15"

Deezero5

Deezero5

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 29, 2014
2
0
Hi guys!

I'm going to college this year and I'm going to take Multimedia arts. I need a new laptop/desktop that will be able to handle programs like After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Flash, and Photoshop.I also intend to learn 3D modeling and Animation with Autodesk Maya and Cinema 4D.

Anyways, here are the options:

iMac
21.5-inch: 2.9GHz
Specifications
2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB (two 4GB) memory
1TB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB video memory

MacBook Pro
15-inch: 2.2GHz with Retina display
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

I'm on a budget but maybe I can save up enough money for the other 15" MacBook Pro (the one has dedicated graphics card).

Portability is not an issue (for now, I think). What I want to know is, which one is more powerful, faster, and will last longer? I need the one that will last 4 to 6 years (or maybe more) without affecting the performance.

I'm also considering a refurbished Mac but my Mom thinks it's only a hassle since the refurbished items/part in the Apple site is not available in my country (unless if I talk to my Aunt who lives in the USA). Oh and just so you know the pricing in my country is different. Macs are more pricey here so...

Please help me. Any of you guys that went through the "iMac or Macbook pro" dilemma? Do share your opinions~

Thanks in advance :)

Oh and sorry for my English, it's not my first language :eek:.
 
Deezero5 said:
Hi guys!

I'm going to college this year and I'm going to take Multimedia arts. I need a new laptop/desktop that will be able to handle programs like After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Flash, and Photoshop.I also intend to learn 3D modeling and Animation with Autodesk Maya and Cinema 4D.

Anyways, here are the options:

iMac
21.5-inch: 2.9GHz
Specifications
2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB (two 4GB) memory
1TB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB video memory

MacBook Pro
15-inch: 2.2GHz with Retina display
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

I'm on a budget but maybe I can save up enough money for the other 15" MacBook Pro (the one has dedicated graphics card).

Portability is not an issue (for now, I think). What I want to know is, which one is more powerful, faster, and will last longer? I need the one that will last 4 to 6 years (or maybe more) without affecting the performance.

I'm also considering a refurbished Mac but my Mom thinks it's only a hassle since the refurbished items/part in the Apple site is not available in my country (unless if I talk to my Aunt who lives in the USA). Oh and just so you know the pricing in my country is different. Macs are more pricey here so...

Please help me. Any of you guys that went through the "iMac or Macbook pro" dilemma? Do share your opinions~

Thanks in advance :)

Oh and sorry for my English, it's not my first language :eek:.
Click to expand...

I think the MacBook Pro is better for your needs only the screen size could bother you.

But the Retina display will be stunning also that MacBook has a SSD which is much much faster than the HDD in the iMac. Also if you ever need to bring your computer to school you have a great preforming device. Than, the amount of RAM: 16GB vs 8GB well if you work with large files you will notice that the performance on the MacBook Pro will be a lot better. For the CPU they are both quad cores don't think you will notice a lot of difference between them. But if you can save up that money you will be glad that you opted for the dedicated video card..
And well like the post above certainly check if you have you student discount or otherwise check the refurbished store maybe there is the exact model you want. Good luck deciding and good luck with your studie
 
Deezero5 said:
Hi guys!

I'm going to college this year and I'm going to take Multimedia arts. I need a new laptop/desktop that will be able to handle programs like After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Flash, and Photoshop.I also intend to learn 3D modeling and Animation with Autodesk Maya and Cinema 4D.

Anyways, here are the options:

iMac
21.5-inch: 2.9GHz
Specifications
2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB (two 4GB) memory
1TB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB video memory

MacBook Pro
15-inch: 2.2GHz with Retina display
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

I'm on a budget but maybe I can save up enough money for the other 15" MacBook Pro (the one has dedicated graphics card).

Portability is not an issue (for now, I think). What I want to know is, which one is more powerful, faster, and will last longer? I need the one that will last 4 to 6 years (or maybe more) without affecting the performance.

I'm also considering a refurbished Mac but my Mom thinks it's only a hassle since the refurbished items/part in the Apple site is not available in my country (unless if I talk to my Aunt who lives in the USA). Oh and just so you know the pricing in my country is different. Macs are more pricey here so...

Please help me. Any of you guys that went through the "iMac or Macbook pro" dilemma? Do share your opinions~

Thanks in advance :)

Oh and sorry for my English, it's not my first language :eek:.
Click to expand...

Hey, I would say go after the 15" MacBook Pro, but get the next up, 2.5ghz quad core i7 with the NVIDIA
Discrete graphics card. You'll certainly appreciate that more with photo/video editing on a Retina display.... Always get as much ram as possible when doing any major work in software. The SSD will be much better, too. Also, i7 is a more powerful processor than i5. I would definitely check out education to pricing, too.
 
I checked the educational pricing. The price of the iMac (converted to dollars) is $1620 while Macbook pro (w/o the Dedicated graphics one) is $2134 and other one w/ the dedicated graphics costs is $2577.

Still expensive I know. Though I was thinking if an iMac + iPad would work somehow? The MacBook pro with dedicated graphics is too expensive for a me while the other MacBook pro seems cool, I have a feeling that Cinema 4D or Maya won't work that well with just the Iris pro or maybe I'm wrong. As for the iMac the only problem is the portability, which I think I would need soon.


Any thoughts?

Is Iris pro graphics okay with 3D rendering?
 
Odd advice here

J&JPolangin said:
...for school, I'd get the iMac and add your own SSD to it...laptops tend to walk away when they aren't watched carefully.
Click to expand...

Portability is a must for taking a computer class if you need to do that then the iMac is useless unless you can use an ipad with a keyboard instead.

The New iMacs are quite difficult to update with an SSD I would just order one with a fusion drive or 256 SSD.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2805+Hard+Drive+Replacement/27886
 
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