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Macbook Pro or Mac Pro?

M

metallic07039

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2009
7
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Initially I wanted to purchase the newest Macbook Pro (15", 2.66ghz), but the configuration I want is only about $300-400 short of a Mac Pro, which is almost 2x more powerful (according to Geekbench).

As a result, I am realizing that I am paying a huge premium for mobility and normally I do not bring my laptop to too many places outside of my bedroom (currently I own the first Intel Macbook Pro). Secondly, I have another laptop provided to me by my job also.

I was wondering if you guys can give me some buying advice. Macbook Pro or Mac Pro?

I am leaning towards waiting for a new version of the Mac Pro (they look like they haven't been updated in a while) and simply keep my current Macbook Pro and move most of my apps to my new Mac (whichever one it will be).

My first idea was get the new Macbook Pro and sell my old one to get some of my cash back. If I get the Mac Pro, I probably wouldn't sell my old Macbook Pro so that is a little extra money that would be coming out of pocket there too.

Option #1: Get new MBP
Total cost (with options): $1,923
Plus iTouch: $0 (rebate)
Ebay iTouch: approx. -$150
Ebay old MBP: approx. - $600
Taxes: approx. $120
TOTAL: $1,293.00

Option #2: Get new Mac Pro
Total cost (with options): $2,479
Taxes: approx. $140
TOTAL: $2,619.00

What do you think? Looking are my calculations above, I suppose that answers my question. Lol.
 
metallic07039 said:
Initially I wanted to purchase the newest Macbook Pro (15", 2.66ghz), but the configuration I want is only about $300-400 short of a Mac Pro, which is almost 2x more powerful (according to Geekbench).

As a result, I am realizing that I am paying a huge premium for mobility and normally I do not bring my laptop to too many places outside of my bedroom (currently I own the first Intel Macbook Pro). Secondly, I have another laptop provided to me by my job also.

I was wondering if you guys can give me some buying advice. Macbook Pro or Mac Pro?

I am leaning towards waiting for a new version of the Mac Pro (they look like they haven't been updated in a while) and simply keep my current Macbook Pro and move most of my apps to my new Mac (whichever one it will be).

My first idea was get the new Macbook Pro and sell my old one to get some of my cash back. If I get the Mac Pro, I probably wouldn't sell my old Macbook Pro so that is a little extra money that would be coming out of pocket there too.

Option #1: Get new MBP
Total cost (with options): $1,923
Plus iTouch: $0 (rebate)
Ebay iTouch: approx. -$150
Ebay old MBP: approx. - $600
Taxes: approx. $120
TOTAL: $1,293.00

Option #2: Get new Mac Pro
Total cost (with options): $2,479
Taxes: approx. $140
TOTAL: $2,619.00

What do you think? Looking are my calculations above, I suppose that answers my question. Lol.
Click to expand...

From what I gather, the reason you want a laptop is mostly for the mobility. Secondly, you are considering buying a Macbook Pro/Mac Pro for the performance of the processors, hard drive, graphics card, etc. Correct? And finally, you do not bring your laptop outside with you that often, making your stationary PC/possible Mac Pro a somewhat higher priority over a laptop.

Okay, so to address your issue, what purpose would the laptop be for? If it's just for word processing and simple programs, any decent laptop would do. If it's for 3D rendering or gaming, a Macboko Pro would be a better option instead.

What kind of laptop has the company provided for you? If the specs on it are somewhat decent, I would recommend getting the Mac Pro over the Macbook Pro. That way, you'd have a laptop for on the go purposes that does not need to be extremely powerful, and a great Mac Pro at home for whatever purpose you may need.

Overall, I say go the extra 300-400 bucks and enjoy having a Mac Pro.
 
pelicanflip said:
From what I gather, the reason you want a laptop is mostly for the mobility. Secondly, you are considering buying a Macbook Pro/Mac Pro for the performance of the processors, hard drive, graphics card, etc. Correct? And finally, you do not bring your laptop outside with you that often, making your stationary PC/possible Mac Pro a somewhat higher priority over a laptop.

Okay, so to address your issue, what purpose would the laptop be for? If it's just for word processing and simple programs, any decent laptop would do. If it's for 3D rendering or gaming, a Macboko Pro would be a better option instead.

What kind of laptop has the company provided for you? If the specs on it are somewhat decent, I would recommend getting the Mac Pro over the Macbook Pro. That way, you'd have a laptop for on the go purposes that does not need to be extremely powerful, and a great Mac Pro at home for whatever purpose you may need.

Overall, I say go the extra 300-400 bucks and enjoy having a Mac Pro.
Click to expand...


Currently, my MBP is my desktop replacement. I use it for everything, Photoshop, web development, word processing, Internet, gaming (although it has trouble running even Starcraft). I usually have my ram usage maxed out (it has 2GB total). I do everything on it with the exception of 3D modeling/video editing.

My work laptop is a brand new IBM with Windows (blah!). It goes it's job.

As I did the pricing breakdown, I realize that a Mac Pro will cost me about $1,000 more since I will not get a free iTouch and will not auction off my old MBP.
 
I have a MBP which "does everything" too, and essentially, is a desktop replacement. These days, laptops have more than enough power to do everything (unlike formerly) along with the added bonus of portability. I have not had a desktop in around a decade, and (the admittedly absolutely stunning screen of the Mac Pro notwithstanding), I'm not sure I'd wish to go back to that. My advice would be to go with the MBP, unless portability is not a need, and an incredible screen along with extra power are.

Cheers and good luck
 
metallic07039 said:
Currently, my MBP is my desktop replacement. I use it for everything, Photoshop, web development, word processing, Internet, gaming (although it has trouble running even Starcraft). I usually have my ram usage maxed out (it has 2GB total). I do everything on it with the exception of 3D modeling/video editing.

My work laptop is a brand new IBM with Windows (blah!). It goes it's job.

As I did the pricing breakdown, I realize that a Mac Pro will cost me about $1,000 more since I will not get a free iTouch and will not auction off my old MBP.
Click to expand...

Hmm, in that case, why not buy the new MBP, sell off the iPod Touch and the old MBP, and spend some cash upgrading the new MBP? I'd recommend getting the best processor first, and then focus on RAM, and wait until the new SSD's come out from Intel.


15" MBP + 3.06 GHz processor + base 4GB RAM and HD = $2369.00 plus tax
$2369 - $150 iPod touch - $600 MBP = $1619.00

I think it'd be a nice middle ground inbetween the MBP base and the Mac Pro.

It doesn't seem like you have any programs that are high in demand of RAM, so upgrading RAM might not be such a big factor, since RAM for the MBP is expensive. If you really need RAM, you could probably buy a 2GB stick for a fairly decent price, but it's still expensive. Just don't buy from Apple, Apple is a ripoff for RAM.

As for the hard drive, if waiting on an SSD is too long or it's just too expensive, an option you can consider is getting the 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm upgrade, which is a 33% increase in HD speed from the 5400 rpm, and it'd be an additional $45.00, which isn't too bad, and will handle most games well on low-medium settings.

Hope that helps.

-Dustin
 
Do you ever find yourself waitin for rendering to finish, or the building of a DVD?
If so, get the mac pro.
I have the previous mac pro, and the previous mbp and to me the mp feels more than twice as fast. If I have to do heavy editig or making DVDs I don't even bother startig before I'm back to my mp
 
I would get a Mac Pro or iMac because you already have two laptops. Unless you need power while you're not home.
 
metallic07039 said:
I am leaning towards waiting for a new version of the Mac Pro (they look like they haven't been updated in a while) and simply keep my current Macbook Pro and move most of my apps to my new Mac (whichever one it will be).
Click to expand...

I don't understand how it looks like the Mac Pro hasn't been updated in a while. What's CPU is out there that could feasibly be upgraded? The top-end Xeon is a 3.2 Nehalem and the top-end Mac Pro is a 2.93 Nehalem. Apple likely won't use the 3.2 because it's a significant jump in power consumption and thermals for a small increase in performance.

Anyways, the Mac Pro was just updated...
 
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