macbook pro+ACD vs. iMac+mbp

[ian1285]

hello everyone, need help on my next buy.

late 2011 15-inch mbp 2.4 + 27-inch ACD vs 27-inch iMac 3.1 + discounted early 2011 13-inch mbp 2.3 (less $100)?

1. i'm into photography and video editing - (will use machine mainly for this)
2. also would like to use bootcamp for games (2k12, cod, rage, dirt3)
3. i do travel from time to time that's why i need a portable laptop as well

*how's the graphics when you play these games using 15inch mbp 2.4 + ACD? is it just like playing it in an iMac 3.1? really have no clue...

thanks in advance everyone

 

[Kendo]

I think it will be annoying juggling between two different machines. I'd probably go with the first option considering the MacBook Pro is a "pro" machine and plenty powerful for all of your needs. And you have convenience of having a "desktop" when you attach it to the Thunderbolt Display.

 

[dlimes13]

I think it will be annoying juggling between two different machines. I'd probably go with the first option considering the MacBook Pro is a "pro" machine and plenty powerful for all of your needs. And you have convenience of having a "desktop" when you attach it to the Thunderbolt Display.

That is exactly what I'm doing and it's perfect. Powerful top-of-the-line MacBook Pro w/ portability, and basically an iMac (Thunderbolt Display) at home. Another note is have the portable an Anti-Glare screen since the Thunderbolt is glossy, so best of both worlds there also.

Plus, no managing 2 computers. Huge plus.

 

[ian1285]

I think it will be annoying juggling between two different machines. I'd probably go with the first option considering the MacBook Pro is a "pro" machine and plenty powerful for all of your needs. And you have convenience of having a "desktop" when you attach it to the Thunderbolt Display.

i thought so too... i was wondering, when you connect your mbp with the 27inch cinema display, is it like you're using an iMac 27 inch? in terms of the performance like speed and also the quality of the graphics.

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That is exactly what I'm doing and it's perfect. Powerful top-of-the-line MacBook Pro w/ portability, and basically an iMac (Thunderbolt Display) at home. Another note is have the portable an Anti-Glare screen since the Thunderbolt is glossy, so best of both worlds there also.

Plus, no managing 2 computers. Huge plus.

hi have you tried playing games using bootcamp (dirt3, cod, starcraft) how's the performance? is it just like you're playing in an iMac 27 inch?

 

[Kendo]

i thought so too... i was wondering, when you connect your mbp with the 27inch cinema display, is it like you're using an iMac 27 inch? in terms of the performance like speed and also the quality of the graphics.

It will be the same in terms of everything except gaming. It won't have the same gaming performance since the MacBook Pro has a 6750M and the iMac has a 6970M which is much more powerful.

I wouldn't be so hung up on the gaming aspect though. You can easily buy a separate gaming PC and hook that up to the ACD.

 

[Adamantoise]

i thought so too... i was wondering, when you connect your mbp with the 27inch cinema display, is it like you're using an iMac 27 inch? in terms of the performance like speed and also the quality of the graphics.

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hi have you tried playing games using bootcamp (dirt3, cod, starcraft) how's the performance? is it just like you're playing in an iMac 27 inch?

How do you expect a MBP to suddenly have the power of an iMac simply because it's connected to an external display?

I mean, seriously?

 

[Mackilroy]

How do you expect a MBP to suddenly have the power of an iMac simply because it's connected to an external display?

I mean, seriously?

You can be a bit kinder about this. Not everyone is a computer expert.

ian1285: No, an MBP with a 27-inch display won't run as well as the iMac - it has both a slower CPU and a slower GPU. If you're looking to game quite a bit, I'd go with the iMac/MBP combo, but if gaming isn't your primary concern, I'd do the MBP/27-inch display.

 

[ian1285]

You can be a bit kinder about this. Not everyone is a computer expert.

ian1285: No, an MBP with a 27-inch display won't run as well as the iMac - it has both a slower CPU and a slower GPU. If you're looking to game quite a bit, I'd go with the iMac/MBP combo, but if gaming isn't your primary concern, I'd do the MBP/27-inch display.

Really appreciate it, thanks a lot Please correct me if I'm wrong so basically the faster gpu is essential for gaming? So if most of the time I'm editing photos in cs5 or editing videos in final cut pro x the high end 15 inch mbp is more than enough to do the job?

 

[Mackilroy]

It depends on if you think medium settings are acceptable or if you're someone who prefers to maximize everything and still get 60+ FPS. If the former, the MBP should be fine; if the latter, you'll want the iMac. Otherwise, sure, the MBP will certainly be good enough for FCPX and Photoshop.

 

[Kendo]

You can be a bit kinder about this. Not everyone is a computer expert.

ian1285: No, an MBP with a 27-inch display won't run as well as the iMac - it has both a slower CPU and a slower GPU. If you're looking to game quite a bit, I'd go with the iMac/MBP combo, but if gaming isn't your primary concern, I'd do the MBP/27-inch display.

Only the ultimate iMac configuration performs a little higher than the top of the line MacBook Pro but the 15" models pretty much smokes even the mid-range iMacs when it comes to regular tasks. And even more amazing, the MacBook Pro benchmarks below are from the February 2011 release and not the recent updated release!

When it comes to graphics though, the MBP doesn't compare to the iMac. That 6970M is much more powerful.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/25/new-macbook-pro-benchmarks-show-massive-improvement/

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/0...ormance-improvement-over-previous-generation/

 

[Freyqq]

I'd do the MBP with an SSD and a 3rd party monitor. $1000 for a glossy monitor is unnecessarily expensive.

 

[Mackilroy]

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I was assuming that since he mentioned gaming he would be going for a higher-end model, but you make a good point nonetheless.