Hello!
Several months ago, Sir Isaac Newton--my 13" MacBook Pro (may he R.I.P) was stolen at university. I didn't have the money to replace it at the time, so I have been using my work laptop for the summer. That being said, I am looking to purchase a Mac notebook in August, and am debating which one to get.
I plan on using the laptop when I'm in class, on campus and travelling. I would like to, however, have a ~23" external monitor (most likely a dell monitor) and docking station at home to use. I used the iMacs on campus quite a bit after my laptop was stolen, and fell in love with having that much screen real estate.
I'm a Biology and Graphic Design student (Major and minor respectively, if you're wondering how that works), so I will be using internet and productivity applications for my biology work, and Photoshop, In-Design and Illustrator for my design work. I have one full year left, and then one semester abroad afterwards. Then, I am not sure what career path I will be pursuing (whether it be health, design, or possibly University student services).
I'm mainly debating between the Retina Pro and the Air (with 8GB RAM upgrade). I like the power of the Pro, but since I plan on using an external monitor much of the time, I am indifferent towards the Retina display. Do you think it's worth saving ~200$ going for the Air with the extra RAM? Will that give me the power I need to do my work? Do you have any other recommendations?
While I'm on the topic, what should I be looking for in a monitor? I am also wondering what everyone reccomends for file storage and back-up, considering SSDs are smaller on the entry-level models. Do you store/back-up online or use a certain external drive?
Thanks in advance for your help! Cheers!
Several months ago, Sir Isaac Newton--my 13" MacBook Pro (may he R.I.P) was stolen at university. I didn't have the money to replace it at the time, so I have been using my work laptop for the summer. That being said, I am looking to purchase a Mac notebook in August, and am debating which one to get.
I plan on using the laptop when I'm in class, on campus and travelling. I would like to, however, have a ~23" external monitor (most likely a dell monitor) and docking station at home to use. I used the iMacs on campus quite a bit after my laptop was stolen, and fell in love with having that much screen real estate.
I'm a Biology and Graphic Design student (Major and minor respectively, if you're wondering how that works), so I will be using internet and productivity applications for my biology work, and Photoshop, In-Design and Illustrator for my design work. I have one full year left, and then one semester abroad afterwards. Then, I am not sure what career path I will be pursuing (whether it be health, design, or possibly University student services).
I'm mainly debating between the Retina Pro and the Air (with 8GB RAM upgrade). I like the power of the Pro, but since I plan on using an external monitor much of the time, I am indifferent towards the Retina display. Do you think it's worth saving ~200$ going for the Air with the extra RAM? Will that give me the power I need to do my work? Do you have any other recommendations?
While I'm on the topic, what should I be looking for in a monitor? I am also wondering what everyone reccomends for file storage and back-up, considering SSDs are smaller on the entry-level models. Do you store/back-up online or use a certain external drive?
Thanks in advance for your help! Cheers!