iMac or MacBook Pro?

[MyAccount]

Hi all,

Just wondering what would be better for me: the baseline 21.5" iMac or a 13" MacBook Pro.

Here are the exact specifications of the computers I'm considering (don't question the pricing, I'm getting third party upgrades):

iMac 21.5"

6 GB DDR3 RAM
3.06 GHz C2D
GeForce 9400M
500 GB 7200 rpm HDD

$1250

MacBook Pro 13"

4 GB DDR3 RAM
2.26 GHz C2D
GeForce 9400M
128 GB Kingston SSDnow V Series (they were recently updated with faster speeds, and maybe something else... I don't know what that would be)

$1600

I'm going to use them for photo/video editing, intermediate MMO gaming, heavy web browsing, video playback, online chatting, and music on iTunes.

I like the MacBook Pro's portability, trackpad (the Magic Mouse doesn't have all the multi touch features of the trackpad), backlit keyboard, and SSD upgradeability. I've tried out standard iMacs and they're definitely suitable for me; would a MacBook Pro with an SSD give me similar performance? Good enough to handle what I'll be doing without running too slow? Just for the record, I won't be doing more than two of those at a time.

Thanks in advance! I can't wait to get rid of my Vista craptop!

 

[Hellhammer]

If you really need/want portability, get MBP but if you can live without it, get iMac. iMac will be faster as it has faster CPU

 

[MyAccount]

Yeah, but you're not taking the SSD into consideration. I'm not exactly sure how much of a performance boost it would provide, but if it can make an MBP at least feel equally responsive if not more responsive than an iMac I'm definitely going for the MBP.

 

[Hellhammer]

Yeah, but you're not taking the SSD into consideration. I'm not exactly sure how much of a performance boost it would provide, but if it can make an MBP at least feel equally responsive if not more responsive than an iMac I'm definitely going for the MBP.

But SSD still ain't a CPU. Yes, it'll speed thing up a lot but faster CPU will make rendering times faster and speed up importing/exporting.

SSD will make app launch times billion times faster but for photo/video editing and gaming, CPU is more important and you can still upgrade iMac's HD to SSD as well.

Don't think about the performance, think about portability because there wont be huge difference in performance

 

[MyAccount]

I know, it's just that I care more about the overall system performance than just one component.

Anyway, isn't it VERY hard to upgrade the iMac's storage drive?

 

[nsknike]

If you care more about the system performance than anything else, get the iMac, it will be faster while actually running the tasks.

 

[Hellhammer]

I know, it's just that I care more about the overall system performance than just one component.

Anyway, isn't it VERY hard to upgrade the iMac's storage drive?

It's not really that hard but it involves taking off the glass etc. so yea, it's long process but not impossible and net is full of great tutorials.

And as nsknike said, iMac will be faster while RUNNING something but MBP with SSD will be faster when launching something big like Photoshop but is few seconds really going to ruin your life? 128GB is quite small too if you're going to edit videos and photos so you would have to use external HD all the time which will again, slow things down quite a bit

 

[Jamo12]

I like the MacBook Pro's portability, trackpad (the Magic Mouse doesn't have all the multi touch features of the trackpad), backlit keyboard, and SSD upgradeability.

There is an app called Better Touch Tools (which is free) that gives you everything that the trackpad can do (and more!) in the magic mouse. The iMac screen is so bright that you would never need a backlit keyboard. As for the SSD, yes they are nice. After a few weeks, though, the performance gets a lot slower than when it was new.

All that aside, if you think your computer will stay in the same spot 90% of the time, get the iMac. The MBP will be able to handle any of the video editing you through at it, if you are willing to wait a bit longer for exporting and that stuff, but the bigger screen, and faster computing makes the iMac much more usefull, especially for hd video playback and web browsing.

 

[SamTheeGeek]

I would say the iMac just because the faster processor. It really helps when it comes with video editing and gaming too

 

[MyAccount]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm going to go pick up an iMac soon

 

[Hellhammer]

After a few weeks, though, the performance gets a lot slower than when it was new.

Not true. Unless it's full (you should always have at least 5GBs of free space) it'll be as fast as new one and it'll anyway be faster than any hard drive

 

[greygray]

MBP. You can't go wrong with them since they can be lugged everywhere.

 

[AAPLaday]

Assuming you can wait a week or two the MBP might have better processor options than current model

 

[All Taken]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm going to go pick up an iMac soon

When you get it and decide you want an SSD then follow the guide in my sig.

 

[student_trap]

unless you have a serious need for a large screen, i'd go for the portability of the mbp.

Also, you could always get a larger screen to go with it at some point?

 

[SXR]

I went with the iMac cause portability was not a must for me, and this machine is FAST.

 

[logimech]

If I were you, I'd go with the iMac for the larger screen and lower price point.

If you need a portable computer, grab an iPad with the money you saved.

It's not like you'll be playing WoW on the road anyway.