MacBook Pro decision help!

[celeste.n]

Hi!
I'm going to buy a macbook pro in the very near future and need some advice on what would be best to meet my needs.
I'm doing graphic design so I need one that can run a few Adobe programs at once and not lag or freeze. (I'd also use it for internet, photo and music as well) I wasn't sure if the 2.88 ghz would be sufficient or if 3.06 ghz would make a big difference? Also with the 500GB hard drive you can have 5400rpm or 7200rpm; which would be better for what I'm doing? Is there a large difference?

And with the screen size, I can't choose between 15" or 17". I'd like to have the 17" because well, you know, it's big. But if I need to take it to uni then 17 might be a bit massive?

If anyone could help me choose, that'd be great! I kind of know about all that technical stuff but don't know how much difference it would make for the kind of stuff I'd be using it for.

Thanks!

 

[miles01110]

Is price an issue?

 

[vstephenson]

mmm what to buy

Hi

About a month ago I bought a 2.8 uMPB with the two graphics cards/chipsets

I do photography work with Photoshop, lightroom etc etc and it is noo problem

As for the hard drive, if your serious about your work/images then you will be adding an external drive as backup anyway. I use that to keep my main library on that and back up to another one I keep offline (then again, I am a little paranoid! no really look they are behind me)

So I wouldn't worry too much about the hard drive but hey 7200 is a better speed

Just get the fastest machine you can afford but I would definitely recommend the two graphics card model

 

[The Samurai]

Could always get a 15" and an external display for that real estate that you require. Could work out better and cheaper than a 17".

 

[GoCubsGo]

If you must get a 15" or a 17" then I'd go 15" with external display as well. It's a great combo and really allows you to lug the 15" around but come home and have the larger screen to work on larger projects.

 

[celeste.n]

Thanks for all your replies so far!

Is price an issue?

Price isn't a massive issues, but it's part of it.
I was doing some comparison and the difference between 15" and 17" (with everything the same except screen size and including applecare) was $300 (australian) so it's not much of a difference.

Hi

About a month ago I bought a 2.8 uMPB with the two graphics cards/chipsets

I do photography work with Photoshop, lightroom etc etc and it is noo problem

As for the hard drive, if your serious about your work/images then you will be adding an external drive as backup anyway. I use that to keep my main library on that and back up to another one I keep offline (then again, I am a little paranoid! no really look they are behind me)

So I wouldn't worry too much about the hard drive but hey 7200 is a better speed

Just get the fastest machine you can afford but I would definitely recommend the two graphics card model

Is the 2 graphics card model the 17" or is it with the 15" as well? Yeah, I will probably still use my external hard drive (I've got one of those WD passport ones at the moment to transport my stuff on my imac g5 I have at the moment to uni) to back things up on. I'm paranoid too! I want to invest in one of those 1TB hard drive that wakes your computer up, backs everything up, then puts it back to sleep again. So handy!


That's what I was wondering, would it be a big difference in speed between 5400 and 7200?

If you must get a 15" or a 17" then I'd go 15" with external display as well. It's a great combo and really allows you to lug the 15" around but come home and have the larger screen to work on larger projects.

I'm just looking at the apple store now to see the price for an external display...
From what I can see the 24" external display is $1249 (AUS) which would make the whole package are $4500 AUS (2.8 ghz, 500gb hard drive, 4gb ram)

It'd be nice to have an external display, and really, really helpful but that's a lot of money!

But I was thinking that if I needed to see something on a bigger screen, I could just put the file on my hard drive and open it up on my iMac 'cos I won't be selling it. Wouldn't get much for it.

 

[MacKiddyWiddy]

the base 15 with an external monitor would be the best, as for disk space, just get external drives unless you are always on the move editing photos and purely need space, thats only when a 17 would be needed

 

[Techhie]

I'm just looking at the apple store now to see the price for an external display...
From what I can see the 24" external display is $1249 (AUS) which would make the whole package are $4500 AUS (2.8 ghz, 500gb hard drive, 4gb ram)

It'd be nice to have an external display, and really, really helpful but that's a lot of money!

But I was thinking that if I needed to see something on a bigger screen, I could just put the file on my hard drive and open it up on my iMac 'cos I won't be selling it. Wouldn't get much for it.

If you are thinking about a display, run far, far away from Apple. Many people here would say that they make "quality" displays, but in actuality they are using the same LCD panels as other OEMs for hundreds more. The ACD 24" is the worst of it all, save the money and go with a 24" Dell and the 7200 RPM HDD (yes, you will feel a speed difference)