MBP 13 vs MBA 13 Maxed

[dr endospore]

Which laptop should I buy?
-I'm a filmmaker, so I'll be doing heavy HD editing with Final Cut Express
-I'm going to need to bring this to class every day, so something portable
-And I have a not-so-limited budget of $3k

the blue pill: MBA 13-inch maxed?
2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo
256GB Apple SSD
4GB DDR3 RAM
other specs identical to high-end MBA 13

the red pill: MBP 13-inch?
2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo
500GB SATA HDD
8 GB DDR3 RAM
other specs identical to high-end MBP 13

Thanks in advance,
Jason

 

[netdog]

I hate to say it, but really you want a 15".

 

[beret9987]

Agreed with the above poster. With your budget, 15" i7(might as well spring for the 2.8Ghz option), 8GBs of RAM(upgrade it yourself would be the most cost efficient thing), and a 7200rpm HDD or an SSD as your main drive, using the FW800 as a source capture. i'd also consider getting the high-resolution screen(glossy or anti-glare up to you).

 

[keantan]

Agreed with the above poster. With your budget, 15" i7(might as well spring for the 2.8Ghz option), 8GBs of RAM(upgrade it yourself would be the most cost efficient thing), and a 7200rpm HDD or an SSD as your main drive, using the FW800 as a source capture. i'd also consider getting the high-resolution screen(glossy or anti-glare up to you).

I don't know about the i7, but definitely an i5. The i7 doesn't give you that much of a speed boost. The 8GB RAM upgrade is a definite though, especially if your doing video editing. Either an SSD/Seagate Momentus XT depending if you need pure speed/speed + capacity.

Just my 0.02cents

 

[Dented]

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From these two, obviously the MBP - you need the bigger drive, beefier processor and extra ram, none of which the Air will ever give you - not even as a future upgrade.

 

[dr endospore]

15-inch?

I really dunno about the 15-inch.
Really, a 15-inch is just a little clunky for carrying around the campus.
Otherwise, I suppose it's really a good idea, and an antiglare hi-res would be awesome. And I guess for Final Cut, I'll need an i7..

Wait a sec... If Apple releases a new 13-inch MBP with at least an i5 option within the next 3 months or so, would that work? The MBP should get an upgrade soon, and it sucks really bad [firsthand account] to buy something just to see it get replaced by something that owns it and is $200 less. What dya think?

Thanks,
Jason

 

[dr endospore]

Okay...just calculated

Alright, I went on the Apple website and here's what I found for the 15-inch MBP

$3100 for:

2.8 GHz i7
8GB RAM
Glossy Hi-Res Display
Default 500GB HDD
+Final Cut Express

Hm...not too bad, but a little pricey...maybe if I custom modded the RAM, then that would be $2700 plus about $180 or so. Hmm?

Jason

P.S. SSD is nice but wayyyy too expensive

 

[netdog]

If you aren't exaggerating the amount of "heavy" editing that you'll be doing, you'd better get used to carrying around the 15".

If you can wait, the 13" might be upgraded to an i5, but the 15" will probably get a bump that makes it even more attractive to a filmmaker.

The 15" is not very portable, but it excels at heavy lifting.

 

[arcite]

If you have 3k to spend AND you need the most performance, you would be a fool not to go for a 15 inch.

I would have gone for a 15, but considering that I focus on desktop publishing and some light website design, the 13 suits me fine at the moment.

I used a maxed out 15 inch thinkpad for years and loved the screen real estate. Apple is not sony, they are not going to jam in a i5 into the 13'. The 15 will always be more powerful. The key is to buy yourself the best tool for the job.

ps. don't forget to buy AppleCare

 

[dr endospore]

ps. don't forget to buy AppleCare

I laughed so hard at that; I guess a 15-inch will have to do. Maybe I'll wait few months for the next gen, though, because I'm not really in that much of a hurry. I've been using a Mac Mini (from 2007 I think) with an early Core 2 Duo, and it was really very slow - but I heard about people using Final Cut fine on a new Core 2 Duo. Plus, putting huge files on my USB, getting them onto school computers are a huge pain, so I started looking for a laptop. As for the heavy editing, would having full 1080p for about 20 mins be heavy?

 

[beret9987]

I laughed so hard at that; I guess a 15-inch will have to do. Maybe I'll wait few months for the next gen, though, because I'm not really in that much of a hurry. I've been using a Mac Mini (from 2007 I think) with an early Core 2 Duo, and it was really very slow - but I heard about people using Final Cut fine on a new Core 2 Duo. Plus, putting huge files on my USB, getting them onto school computers are a huge pain, so I started looking for a laptop. As for the heavy editing, would having full 1080p for about 20 mins be heavy?

1080p anything i usually consider pretty heavy And I did some HD editing on a Santa Rosa MBP(2.2Ghz C2D, 4GBs of RAM) and it was definitely slow going...

If you're not in a rush though, I'd probably hold off. Who knows what kind of magical unicorn dust Jobs is putting on the next-gen MBP

Edit: Oh, and putting in your own RAM is definitely recommended. Considered a user-replaceable part so you wont be voiding your warranty and its just so much cheaper than buying it through Apple.

 

[SatyMahajan]

I laughed so hard at that; I guess a 15-inch will have to do. Maybe I'll wait few months for the next gen, though, because I'm not really in that much of a hurry. I've been using a Mac Mini (from 2007 I think) with an early Core 2 Duo, and it was really very slow - but I heard about people using Final Cut fine on a new Core 2 Duo. Plus, putting huge files on my USB, getting them onto school computers are a huge pain, so I started looking for a laptop. As for the heavy editing, would having full 1080p for about 20 mins be heavy?

FYI, Final Cut Express 4 does not edit 1080p.

 

[dr endospore]

FYI, Final Cut Express 4 does not edit 1080p.

O crap - I'll have to get Adobe Primere Pro like the school computers; it's like 2 times the price. O well...crap. I'll have to talk to my teacher. I didn't know that - maybe I shouldn't have been dozing in class

Sure, I'll wait for the fairy dust a few months later, I can survive. Thanks to all you posters!

 

[snaky69]

O crap - I'll have to get Adobe Primere Pro like the school computers; it's like 2 times the price. O well...crap. I'll have to talk to my teacher. I didn't know that - maybe I shouldn't have been dozing in class

Sure, I'll wait for the fairy dust a few months later, I can survive. Thanks to all you posters!

If that can reassure you, I carry my older, non-unibody MBP 15'' to class and around camps all the time, no need to worry about that.

I'd spring for the 15'' at the very least, editing means that the most screen real estate you can get, the better!

 

[SatyMahajan]

O crap - I'll have to get Adobe Primere Pro like the school computers; it's like 2 times the price. O well...crap. I'll have to talk to my teacher. I didn't know that - maybe I shouldn't have been dozing in class

Sure, I'll wait for the fairy dust a few months later, I can survive. Thanks to all you posters!

Final Cut Pro does 1080p. You can find legit used copies of Final Cut Studio 2 on ebay for $300 or less. Final Cut Express 4 is mostly based on the codebase from Final Cut Pro 6, which is included in Final Cut Studio 2 (along with Color, Motion, Soundtrack, Compressor, and DVD Studio Pro).

 

[aimbdd]

nothing here. Hah i failed at reading.

 

[MikeinJapan]

lol the 15" is not a heavy lifter you most be tiny and out of shape if you think so.

I think he mens heavy lift as in power not weight.

 

[Mac Composer]

You identify yourself as a filmmaker first not as a student.

A student is one who has modest needs and typically won't need maximum horsepower from their computer. They can get by with less. A filmmaker uses a tool that gets the job done, hence a higher end computer is what they use.

You decide how serious you are.