iMac vs Retina MBP

[NbinHD]

21.5 iMac baseline vs.
Retina Macbook Pro 13'' baseline.

My uses - parallels 8 for office 2013 for school work, youtube, web browsing, movies, sketchup.
Is the ssd but smaller screen better or the bigger screen but slower hdd?
I dont generally need the rMBP for the portability as it will sit on my desk a majority of time, but will the ssd really help? I need some help with deciding. Thanks.

 

[Aameiel]

If it was me I'd go with the iMac and a fusion drive.

 

[NbinHD]

If it was me I'd go with the iMac and a fusion drive.

Cant add anything to the iMac - out of my budget.

 

[comatory]

any one of them will do - completely different machines though.

having a laptop is more universal. also the macbook will "feel" faster thanks to SSD, but actually iMac will have more horsepower because of quad core CPU.

but I think you'll be fine with macbook.

 

[omenatarhuri]

If you can't afford an external monitor for laptop, I would pay most attention to this. If you think you don't need to carry the laptop around and would instead use it at your desk, you might be happier with the better ergonomics of the iMac.

Go to your Apple Store and try to 'feel' which one you would enjoy using more.

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Cant add anything to the iMac - out of my budget.

Doesn't make sense to me...

Pricewise in my country iMac + Fusion = MBP Retina 13" Baseline.

 

[Serban]

Cant add anything to the iMac - out of my budget.

baseline imac =1300$+fusion drive=1500$
baseline rMBP 13"=1500$

 

[NbinHD]

baseline imac =1300$+fusion drive=1500$
baseline rMBP 13"=1500$

Arhhh, not in Australia it isnt.

 

[Serban]

Arhhh, not in Australia it isnt.

there what are the prices?

 

[NbinHD]

there what are the prices?

RMBP 13'' baseline - $1649.
iMac 21.5 baseline with 1tb HDD - $1559
iMac 21.5 with 1TB Fusion - $1839

 

[kis]

21.5 iMac baseline vs.
Retina Macbook Pro 13'' baseline.

My uses - parallels 8 for office 2013 for school work, youtube, web browsing, movies, sketchup.
Is the ssd but smaller screen better or the bigger screen but slower hdd?
I dont generally need the rMBP for the portability as it will sit on my desk a majority of time, but will the ssd really help? I need some help with deciding. Thanks.

Personally I think it's a bad idea to work on a 13" screen all day. I know plenty of people do so but it's definitely not great for the eyes and the neck. Get the iMac and buy a regular, non-retina MBP in a year.

 

[Kashsystems]

RMBP 13'' baseline - $1649.
iMac 21.5 baseline with 1tb HDD - $1559
iMac 21.5 with 1TB Fusion - $1839

In Australia do they sell certified refurbished over there? That might be a better option to get more features for your money.

If you are running Parallels you want as much Ram as possible especially if you have any intentions of running multiple virtual machines at once.