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Is The MBP Right For Me?

A

Applefan17

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 15, 2012
41
0
So I'm in a bit of a conflict.

I'm in the market for a new computer. I have been looking at both the iMac and the MBP for a while lately. Since I am going into high school I will be taking a lot of technology classes such as graphic and web design. I will mainly be using things like Photoshop, Dreamweaver and other things of that nature on my computer. I also plan to do some video editing in FCP X and some photo editing in both Lightroom and Aperture.

I am looking at both the baseline MBP 13" and the iMac 21.5". I like the idea of having a fully portable laptop to plug into a monitor when your at your desk, yet still be able to be on the go. Although I like the portability, will I still be able to efficiently run all the programs I listed above? I will most definitely be waiting for the new updates of each of the products so maybe the performance boost will make the MBP even more attractive as a viable option.

I just don't want to buy the MBP for portability and then not be able to run the programs I want because of the limitations set due to the MBP's mobile components.

So, will the baseline MBP 13" pack enough "oomph", will I have to rely on a desktop option to satisfy my needs?
 
I was in a similar boat you last year and I went with the MacBook Pro. So far it has run photoshop and the rest of the CS5 suite flawlessly. I also do a little programming on Xcode and while I sometimes find the screen size to be a little small for things like this it is completely doable. I just thought the iMac would be too restrictive and i'd rather have something portable that I can hook up to my larger monitor while at home. In terms of computing power this device is fine for graphic/web design. I also have an SSD though which makes photoshop a lot snappier. I have tried some video editing and it was a little slow though. I don't know what speeds to compare to though as I usually do my video editing on a high end PC which is insanely fast.
 
Applefan17 said:
Thank you for your replys.

More insight is appreciated
Click to expand...

I'm kind of in the same shoes as you but I'm planning to buy a new mac for my new classes in September. I've decided either a MBP or an iMac but ruled out iMac pretty quick as I like the idea of traveling with the computer and I can always fetch it with me as I go around. As I'm in classes I can use it for taking notes and doing tasks. If I do some work in my accommodation, then I'll plug it into my monitor for the extra screen real estate.

I also plan on using dropbox and my iCloud to sync files when I go home as I might be going home quite often, but I can also always pick up my Macbook to take home too, and plug that into my monitor at home.

If you like the portability, find a good monitor that you can pair the two up, and you won't regret it. But if you want something that's less cumbersome, then get an iMac.
 
I have both the iMac and MBP and I prefer my MBP hands down. The iMac is nice but there is nothing like the power and portability of the MBP. I would recommend the dual core i7 MBP 8GB of RAM and maybe a SSD+HDD setup and that will serve you very well. The MBP, if you properly outfit it will have enough power to do what you want. Plus you can always pick up an external monitor if you want, they have some decent ones that are pretty cheap.
 
Applefan17 said:
So I'm in a bit of a conflict.

I'm in the market for a new computer. I have been looking at both the iMac and the MBP for a while lately. Since I am going into high school I will be taking a lot of technology classes such as graphic and web design. I will mainly be using things like Photoshop, Dreamweaver and other things of that nature on my computer. I also plan to do some video editing in FCP X and some photo editing in both Lightroom and Aperture.

I am looking at both the baseline MBP 13" and the iMac 21.5". I like the idea of having a fully portable laptop to plug into a monitor when your at your desk, yet still be able to be on the go. Although I like the portability, will I still be able to efficiently run all the programs I listed above? I will most definitely be waiting for the new updates of each of the products so maybe the performance boost will make the MBP even more attractive as a viable option.

I just don't want to buy the MBP for portability and then not be able to run the programs I want because of the limitations set due to the MBP's mobile components.

So, will the baseline MBP 13" pack enough "oomph", will I have to rely on a desktop option to satisfy my needs?
Click to expand...

I was in a similar boat as you, and from my experience, as far as design goes, RAM is going to be your best friend as opposed to raw processing power. Now if you're running CAD, that's a completely different ballgame.
 
Thanks you all for your replys but I am mostly trying to see if the baseline MBP will handle the needs I stated above. It's not so much a portability issue as I would much rather have a solid computer over a wimpy, yet still portable computer. That is why I'm looking for a happy medium with the MBP.

----------

I'll also say that if the issue of the MBP is due to the lack of RAM I am planning to upgrade to 16GB or at least 8GB if 16 is compatible. Hopefully stocking the RAM up will allow for the MBP to run all the programs I plan. So any word on the compatibility of 16GB of RAM in the baseline 13" and how it will affect the programs would be greatly appreciated!
 
Applefan17 said:
Thanks you all for your replys but I am mostly trying to see if the baseline MBP will handle the needs I stated above. It's not so much a portability issue as I would much rather have a solid computer over a wimpy, yet still portable computer. That is why I'm looking for a happy medium with the MBP.

----------

I'll also say that if the issue of the MBP is due to the lack of RAM I am planning to upgrade to 16GB or at least 8GB if 16 is compatible. Hopefully stocking the RAM up will allow for the MBP to run all the programs I plan. So any word on the compatibility of 16GB of RAM in the baseline 13" and how it will affect the programs would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...


Based on your needs, and the people who have posted and their replies, it is clear that the people giving you advice believe that the 13 inch would suit your needs.
 
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