Looking to do a large purchase, what would you do?

[nizmoz]

I am considering two options. I eventually want to convert all over to Mac's, but for now here is what I am thinking.

I currently have a AMD X6 1100T, 8GB, etc PC for gaming, with two 24" LCD's. I sold my 13" MBP 2010 model for a MBA Ultraimate 11" 2011 model but due to the latest rumors of possible no upgrades ever to it, I am concerned about it and thinking I might go another route. I do not travel much with my computer but if I had a MBA I would use it at work for my basic stuff like email, etc. So here is my route.

1) Buy a 15" MBP 2.2ghz, i7, 4gig, 750gig HD, and with the left over funds I do have, spend it on a Vertex 3 SSD 240gb drive and upgrade the ram to 8gb+. Use this to my 2nd 24" LCD for a desktop machine when I want to use it and still use my PC for gaming if I need more power.

2) Buy a base MBA and buy a base 27" IMAC i5, 4gb, 1TB, 6970M, etc. And have both machines one for portable use and one for my desktop to go with my PC too. This means no SSD 3, or ram upgrades for a while.

I do photo editing, video editing, and just browsing, etc on the web, email, gaming with (Battlefield and COD series).

What do you think I should do? I was about to run over to Best Buy and buy the item today, but decided to hold off a little bit to discuss it with you guys.

Let me know what you all think?

 

[r0k]

I am considering two options. I eventually want to convert all over to Mac's, but for now here is what I am thinking.

I currently have a AMD X6 1100T, 8GB, etc PC for gaming, with two 24" LCD's. I sold my 13" MBP 2010 model for a MBA Ultraimate 11" 2011 model but due to the latest rumors of possible no upgrades ever to it, I am concerned about it and thinking I might go another route. I do not travel much with my computer but if I had a MBA I would use it at work for my basic stuff like email, etc. So here is my route.

1) Buy a 15" MBP 2.2ghz, i7, 4gig, 750gig HD, and with the left over funds I do have, spend it on a Vertex 3 SSD 240gb drive and upgrade the ram to 8gb+. Use this to my 2nd 24" LCD for a desktop machine when I want to use it and still use my PC for gaming if I need more power.

2) Buy a base MBA and buy a base 27" IMAC i5, 4gb, 1TB, 6970M, etc. And have both machines one for portable use and one for my desktop to go with my PC too. This means no SSD 3, or ram upgrades for a while.

I do photo editing, video editing, and just browsing, etc on the web, email, gaming with (Battlefield and COD series).

What do you think I should do? I was about to run over to Best Buy and buy the item today, but decided to hold off a little bit to discuss it with you guys.

Let me know what you all think?

Either option is good but I would approach the MBA with caution as an update is due "soon." Notice the Buyers' Guide tab above the forums? Always go there when purchasing Apple gear as it gives you an idea where you are in the product lifecycle. I neglected to do this and I wound up paying restocking to exchange a Santa Rosa macbook 2 weeks later for a Penryn macbook.

It's just my opinion but I find SSD to be a bit overkill at today's prices. Especially at Apple's prices. I would consider a 7200 RPM drive or even a hybrid over an SSD until prices come down a bit more. I have a 500 GB Seagate Momentus XT and I am quite happy with it. One note of caution is that Apple uses a proprietary hookup for SATA drives in some of their systems. I think iMac is the one that has the proprietary hookup but watch out for this.

 

[nizmoz]

Either option is good but I would approach the MBA with caution as an update is due "soon." Notice the Buyers' Guide tab above the forums? Always go there when purchasing Apple gear as it gives you an idea where you are in the product lifecycle. I neglected to do this and I wound up paying restocking to exchange a Santa Rosa macbook 2 weeks later for a Penryn macbook.

Well that was my point in mentioning why I sold my 2010 for the new MBA update. But now due to new info released today that the MBA you can't even upgrade the SSD on it too, that turned me off a bit. And also making me think if the MBA is really powerful enough to do what I want. So the question.....hmm

 

[r0k]

Well that was my point in mentioning why I sold my 2010 for the new MBA update. But now due to new info released today that the MBA you can't even upgrade the SSD on it too, that turned me off a bit. And also making me think if the MBA is really powerful enough to do what I want. So the question.....hmm

My 2008 Penryn Macbook geekbenches faster than today's 11.6 in MBA. I would definitely hold off until it becomes clear how fast these machines are. OTOH, SSD provides a performance boost that is not to be underestimated. If you can manage to "live within" the SSD that comes with the MBA, it could work out to be a good overall compromise, especially if the new models geekbench closer to the newer MBP models that came out earlier this year (scoring 5900 and up).

An external drive, especially a thunderbolt drive could be the ticket to getting by with a MBA. Again you mentioned a pair of machines where the MBA was your "road machine." The only thing is that the iMac may not have upgradeable storage either (unless you buy it from Apple), but again an external firewire, USB or thunderbolt drive might make all the difference with the iMac versus spending a premium to buy upgraded storage from Apple.

 

[nizmoz]

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully more will respond as I wanted to go today and get the items.

 

[Bradison]

That's a tough decision, and I really couldn't justify picking one choice instead of the other. However, if it were me and I would be travelling a bit but not a lot, I think I'd go with the 27" iMac and MBA instead of the MBP. that gives you the portability and stability of being at home, or away from home.

Another option would be iMac (with a few upgrades) and iPad 2? As you only mentioned checking emails whilst travelling.

EDIT: just saw that you have an iPad 2. I would get an iMac if I were you and upgrade it to your needs.

 

[63dot]

Both options appear to excellent ones.

You definitely did your research and congrats on either package you go with. The great thing is that today's technology allows for something as light as a MBA yet still being able to do most tasks pretty briskly.

 

[nizmoz]

I decided to go ahead and just purchased a 15" Pro, i7, 4gb, 750mb hd, 2.2ghz and hook up an external monitor, keyb, mouse. Use it at the house on that setup and on the go when I want too. And it really isn't that much bigger and heavier than the 13" with way more power. I think I made the right decision over getting a MBA especially a newer one. I won't feel like I am held back with the video/photo editing I am doing anymore.

 

[Bradison]

I decided to go ahead and just purchased a 15" Pro, i7, 4gb, 750mb hd, 2.2ghz and hook up an external monitor, keyb, mouse. Use it at the house on that setup and on the go when I want too. And it really isn't that much bigger and heavier than the 13" with way more power. I think I made the right decision over getting a MBA especially a newer one. I won't feel like I am held back with the video/photo editing I am doing anymore.

All in all a great decision! Enjoy the MBP