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iMac or Macbook Pro?

N

NightLord

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 25, 2005
162
0
At the moment I have a macbook which I like, but I feel like getting an upgrade. Since I'm off to university soon, I think now is as good a time as any to do so.

However, I'm a bit stuck. I can't decide between a 20 inch iMac with a 2.4Ghz processor, 4Gb RAM, wireless mouse and keyboard and a 250Gb drive at £1,012.99 or a 2.4GHz 15 inch macbook pro with 4Gb of RAM and a 200Gb drive at £1,419.

I know the macbook costs more, but its portability is a bonus, especially at university. The iMac isn't portable, but it benefits from the wireless mouse and keyboard and the larger screen.

Basically, you lot can cast the deciding vote :D
 
They are two different beasts. Since you already have a laptop, I would go for the iMac and keep the MB. This way you have the best of both worlds.
 
If you can keep the MB and get an iMac, do that. If you need to sell the MB, then I'd suggest the MBP route. Portability is a must for me in college. I would always recommend a laptop.
 
I use the wireless Apple keyboard and the wireless Logitech VX Nano mouse with my MBP at home. When I travel, I still take the mouse. You can always connect the MBP to an external monitor if you want a bigger screen. Portability is an important issue to me and some others; I don't know how important it is to you. I never met anyone who said they wish their MBP wasn't portable, but many have had times they wished their desktop system was. Remember you can save about £50 on the MBP by getting the 4GB RAM upgrade from someone other than Apple.
 
I would go with the MB and iMac combination.

Also, your prices seem massively incorrect. If you are going to University, you can benefit from Apple's Higher Education prices.

For the 20" iMac with 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, 4GB Memory, SuperDrive and Wireless Keyboard & Mouse you will only pay £890.65.

For the 15" MBP with 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 200GB HDD, 4GB Memory, SuperDrive you will only pay £1206.73.

In addition, if you just get the standard memory form Apple and upgrade through Crucial, you will save a lot of money and the upgrade is very easy on both machines.

Lastly, I would strongly recommend purchasing AppleCare when buying as a Higher Education Customer. It will only cost you £44.65 for the iMac (normally £139) and £58.75 for the MBP (normally £279).

To benefit from these prices, either visit an Apple Store with proof that you are a student at a Higher Education Institute (student card or timetable), or log on to www.apple.com/uk from a University computer.
 
The iMac + Macbook combo seems to be popular, so I'll go that route :)

And david, thanks a lot for the information on the student rates, I forgot about them :D
 
I can't access that because I'm not at university yet, but thanks for posting it, I'll stick it in my bookmarks :)
 
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