MBP + 30" ACD vs. 27" iMac

[ojwk]

Regardless of the price difference (i'm not paying) i'm not sure what would be better for me.

MBP 15" or 17" high-end + 30" ACD

27" iMac i7

I intend to use either display to game on via a Windows machine, but arguably the construction of that can be postponed depending on the relative performance of said systems.

Frankly I'm unsure of the benefit mobility would bring me; do I actually need a laptop? My iPhone can handle pretty much everything I'd want a laptop to do on-the-go and it seems that an iMac would excel at everything I'd want a laptop to do at home.

What's the 30" ACD like in comparison with the iMac's panel? I've never really had to consider this before because iMacs obviously have never had a target display option before.

The only other plausible permutation I can think of is an iMac with a MacBook Air, offering the best of both worlds?

 

[MythicFrost]

I'd just guess the 27" will be better, I don't know if this is true or not, but I think the GPU in the iMac is better than that of the MBP.

 

[Transporteur]

Get the iMac!

I had a Macbook hooked up to the 30" in 2007. Never again.
It runs smoothly without any issues and it's nice to have just one computer to work with because you always have your data with you, but a Notebook can't replace a desktop computer though.
The 2,5" harddisks are considerably slow compared to a 3,5" desktop drive which is used by the iMacs.
Another thing is the issue with the cable management. I don't know how often you intend to take a Macbook book with you, I've done that every day, so I had to hook up all my peripherals twice a day, which is absolutely annoying.

Unless you really need a matte display, I would recommend the iMac.

 

[2contagious]

yeah, if it's for games and you don't need portability, I'd go for an iMac.

 

[skye12]

The new Imac's are incredible. A significant leap in performance for
a great price.

I wasn't even planning to get a new machine for at least a year, but am
now considering the i5. My MB will be great for traveling. I don't move it that much anymore.

 

[MovieCutter]

The 2,5" harddisks are considerably slow compared to a 3,5" desktop drive which is used by the iMacs.

Well that's simply not true. I have a 500GB 7200RPM drive in my MBP and I edit HD video off of it all the time, no problems. I also have a 256GB SSD, and that's no slouch either...