iMac vs new MacBook Pro

[cberry240]

I know there are all kinds of threads about today's product announcements so sorry for adding one more but I need some help. I'm a designer so am doing work within the Adobe CS Suite.

I had a early 2008 MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo up until the logic board gave out 3 weeks ago. I had every intention of replacing it with a 27" iMac if new ones came out. They didn't, obviously so my dilemma is do I buy the 1+ year old tech iMac or a new MacBook pro non retina.

I've got a 2011 iMac at work with 16 gb of ram. Just want some thoughts.

 

[skywalker1010]

In same boat as OP . I have a Quad 2.5 G5 PPC at the mo, just about making it through my design work, web and print. I have been hanging out for at minimum a bump to the latest iMac 27", so disappointed on yesterdays WWDC announcement.

But pretty blown away with the new MacBook Pro and now thinking as the OP, would I be just as productive with a new MacBook Pro but 'retina' and Thunderbolt 27" screen with Adobe Cloud Suite, or should I still go with a purchase of the current iMac 27"

Whatever I go with will be waaaay faster than my current doorstop. But a laptop with Adobe Cloud will allow me flexibility on working, but someone has mentioned that the Flash drive is not great as Scratch Disk, because of the re-writes?

First post of loooooongtime lurker so please go easy

Cheers

 

[leman]

If you are going for a 15" MBP, then honestly, just get the retina model. Its actually cheaper then the non-retina model upgraded with an SSD. And you also get more RAM + VRAM and that brilliant display 'for free'. The display is not only HiDPI, but is also supposed to be less glossy and have better contrast.

 

[Fifemacuser]

Its taken me about a day to get over the dissapointment.

I have a now very old Windows laptop that just isnt up to my gaming needs anymore. Core 2duo T7600 with an nvidia 7950GTX. It was top of the range at the time and has done me proud, but i decided in about February that i wanted to go the way of the mac.

I bought an IPAD 3 on launch to tide me over for non gaming purposes till the new imac came out having decided that i dont need mobility for gaming. I actually love the ipad and it cemented my thoughts on getting into the apple ecosystem. i am (or was) planning on getting an iphone 5 as well when it comes out.

I really dont see why i should buy a current spec imac. Its old tech and whilst i dont mind paying top whack for quality i just cant bring myself to buy something that is so out of synch what what is being released elsewhere.

I am now thinking that maybe i should just get the new retina macbook pro. It will kick the ass out of my current laptop (although its smaller than my 17"). and will still allow me to game away on the livingroon couch!

Interested on thoughts any of you guys have on this and if anyone has seen a comparison between the GT650 and the 6970 in the current imac.

 

[maflynn]

I had every intention of replacing it with a 27" iMac

The iMac has an advantage of a larger display. You'll have more screen real estate. The downside is you'll have wait until apple refreshes the iMac line and while we can only hope that will be soon. We really don't know.

Given the large display size, what are the odds that it will be retina, I'm thinking the manufacturing cost for large retina display is going to be hideously high, so high they may not offer a retina display yet.

If you can live within the 15" display then the MBP is a good fit, if not then I suggest waiting (as hard as that will be)

 

[boyd1955]

What idiot is going to buy something with half the screen space to work on if they are used to an iMac
Anyone who does anything visually creative on that sized screen is more or less guaranteed to be turning out second rate work
Which explains a lot really )

 

[leman]

Interested on thoughts any of you guys have on this and if anyone has seen a comparison between the GT650 and the 6970 in the current imac.

Its not 'GT650' but a 650m, and its around 30-40% slower than the 6970M currently found in the iMac. Given that you will play games at 1440x900 resolution on the retina MBP, the 650m should be adequate.

 

[Liquinn]

What idiot is going to buy something with half the screen space to work on if they are used to an iMac
Anyone who does anything visually creative on that sized screen is more or less guaranteed to be turning out second rate work
Which explains a lot really )

It's quite a change going from my 27" Thunderbolt display to my 13" Macbook Pro lol

 

[lannisters4life]

What idiot is going to buy something with half the screen space to work on if they are used to an iMac
Anyone who does anything visually creative on that sized screen is more or less guaranteed to be turning out second rate work
Which explains a lot really )

Now I know this, choosing which designers to work with will be so much easier!

 

[cberry240]

How does 15" with a 27" display handle?
I'm not sure I can wait for a refreshed 27" iMac as much as I'd like too.

 

[lucasfunkt]

How does 15" with a 27" display handle?
I'm not sure I can wait for a refreshed 27" iMac as much as I'd like too.

Are you rich? Even the low end Macbook Pro Retina costs a lot more than the low end 27" iMac which probably performs almost as well (possibly better) and then if you were to add 27" thunderbolt display as well you're looking at £2,700 for macbook with 27" display versus £1,400 (£1,260 on amazon) for iMac with 27" display. I'm in a similar position as you and if you can afford the more expensive option good on you but I'm going to wait.







Do you think in the future, (I'm talking 10 years or more) there will be HD TVs of over 40 inches that have retina displays like the macbook pro does? And games will be developed specifically for them?

 

[forty2j]

How does 15" with a 27" display handle?
I'm not sure I can wait for a refreshed 27" iMac as much as I'd like too.

If you mean "handle" you mean "gets good frame rates on demanding games"? A bit worse than today's 27" iMac, comparing the benchmarks of the 650M to the 6970m.

Outside of hardcore gaming, it will handle it just fine.

 

[InlawBiker]

How does 15" with a 27" display handle?
I'm not sure I can wait for a refreshed 27" iMac as much as I'd like too.

It would handle an external monitor perfectly.

Can I ask, if you have a 27" iMac at work, why do you need one at home? If you're already working at home (or were before your 15" Macbook died), you should know if your job is doable on the 15" screen already.

I would think as a designer a laptop screen is just too small. But I'm not a designer so what do I know. I do process photography and I'll take all of the screen real estate I can get.

Personally, I think if you're not gaming then a Macbook Pro 13" with an external display is plenty of power and size, but still more expensive than a similar 27" iMac.

Plus you're stuck with the hassle of plugging/unplugging the monitor and external storage from the laptop whenever you want to carry it somewhere. I hate that!