Help me decided - iMac vs 13" MBP?

[Broric]

I'm completely new to macs but I've almost convinced myself to buy an iMac, however now I'm having second thoughts.

I work for a university (UK) so can access the HE store which gives around a 12% discount it seems.

My main hobby is photography and having a play on an iMac at the local Apple Store has just about convinced me to buy one mainly due to how slick everything feels. I'd also use it for web surfing, some basic programming (maybe including iphone dev), web design, etc.

However, I've been reading up on the 13" MBP and can't decide if i'd benefit more from getting one of those instead. I already have a 24" monitor on my PC which I could connect it to. I travel quite a lot and currently use my (old) EeePC but the tiny 7" screen can be a pain. I could also take it into work and use it there which would be a bonus.

What I guess I'm asking is how different is the experience of using a MBP with external monitor to using an iMac? Speed wise how comparable are the 24" iMac to the 13" MBPs? Especially using lightroom/photoshop and having multiple photos open. How's the keyboard on the MBP and can you use an external wireless keyboard easy enough? Anything else to consider?

Either way I'll probably wait until the new iMacs are released in the next month or two so that may be a factor.

Cheers

 

[Hellhammer]

Portability vs power and screen

iMac has gorgeous screen and is more powerful than MBP, but you said portability is needed, so it's up to you

 

[velocityg4]

Sounds like the MBP is for you. Just get the faster model and a fast 7200RPM Hard Drive for it and it should be well on par with the lower end iMac.

 

[Broric]

Portability vs power and screen

iMac has gorgeous screen and is more powerful than MBP, but you said portability is needed, so it's up to you

Portability's not really needed but is a bonus.

I'd always intend to get a dektop but I hadn't really considered using a MBP as a desktop replacement.

How much more powerful is the iMac than the MBP? Are there benchmarks or comparisons anywhere?

 

[Broric]

Sounds like the MBP is for you. Just get the faster model and a fast 7200RPM Hard Drive for it and it should be well on par with the lower end iMac.

That doesn't seem to be an option?

# 250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
# 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [+ £34.50]
# 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [+ £103.50]
# 128GB solid-state drive [+ £240.35]
# 256GB solid-state drive [+ £550.85]

 

[Hellhammer]

Portability's not really needed but is a bonus.

I'd always intend to get a dektop but I hadn't really considered using a MBP as a desktop replacement.

How much more powerful is the iMac than the MBP? Are there benchmarks or comparisons anywhere?

Base 24" iMac has faster CPU and bigger HD, but there isn't huge difference. You stated that you'll wait for new ones, so it's hard to say.

That doesn't seem to be an option?

# 250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
# 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [+ £34.50]
# 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [+ £103.50]
# 128GB solid-state drive [+ £240.35]
# 256GB solid-state drive [+ £550.85]

13" doesn't have option for 7200rpm drive straight from Apple, but you can buy one and install it yourself. I recommend SSD because they are a lot faster

 

[trip1ex]

Only reason to get a laptop is portability. If you don't need it then get a desktop as you get more screen, cpu, ports, speaker, etc for your money.

 

[Broric]

Only reason to get a laptop is portability. If you don't need it then get a desktop as you get more screen, cpu, ports, speaker, etc for your money.

Yeah I'm trying to weigh up the bonus of portability against the screen/power/etc.

How does using a MBP (connected to a 24" screen) as a desktop replacement compare to using an iMac?

 

[Hellhammer]

Yeah I'm trying to weigh up the bonus of portability against the screen/power/etc.

How does using a MBP (connected to a 24" screen) as a desktop replacement compare to using an iMac?

It works quite well but you need keyboard and mouse, so that's extra cost + cables. Reattaching it to monitor can be frustrating if you have to do it often and there'll be a nice cable hell too If you need portability only occasionally, MBP serves you quite well but why not to get iMac then? Remember that iMac with dual screens is AWESOME, 2 x 24"