MBP Vs. iMac.. performance vs. cost...

[Bugs78]

Im handing my MB to my wife when she goes back to work in september, and will be replacing it with either

24" iMac (2.8ghz, with 4gb)
or
15" MBP (2.4ghz, 4gb, 7200rpm drive) + 24" LCD


Im having a heck of a time deciding which route to take.

imac pros: faster and cheaper
imac cons: married to desk

mbp pros: mobile when i want it to be
mbp cons: slightly? slower, more expensive

notes: storage is not an issue, file server all data. I do very minimal gaming, so im sure both will be adequate. Video editing newbie, web surfer etc..

Essentially the concern i have is, with both having equal amount of ram, and same speed HDDs, will the performance be that noticable between the two processor and video cards? Coming from a MB with 2gb, and 5400rpm drive, both will be a big step up. Assuming they are close enough in speed, is 600$ worth the price of mobility.

 

[jroller]

Frankly, I think this comes down to the issue of portability. I do not believe you would find there is a significant (noticeable) difference in processor speed. As someone who owns both a MBPro and iMacs, I think you will be fine with either decision. I think the question you have to answer is: are you willing to spend more for the portability, which is worth a premium?

 

[zer0tails]

I think in terms of screen estate, the iMac would provide a more enjoyable experience, that is if you can live without the portability.I know what some people have done is buy a top of the line desk top like the imac and get a cheap portable solution like the eee pc or msi wind, but if you had more cash you could pick up a refurb air or macbook.

Performance wise though, I feel the iMac edges the MBP out. 2.8 or 3.06 ghz vs 2.4, 2.5, and 2.6. Not to mention the gorgeous 24 inches of screen. imac probably gives you bang for the buck.

 

[fivepoint]

Performance: Almost identical.
Screen Size: +1 iMac
Portability: +1 MBP
Hard Drive Capacity: +1 iMac

The others are right... it all comes down to portability vs. screen size. Side issues to consider: If price is not a concern, you can get a good 24" LCD to go along with your MBP for around $400. Also, if you have a lot of video files, you're going to need a lot more HD space than the MBP has to offer. Be prepared to own several externals.

For me, the iMac was the obvious choice. I do a lot of video collecting, and the big screen is just lucious... if I had an extra $500 sitting around, I would have considered getting a MBP and a 24" screen, but I didn't.

Also, you can get a a 20" iMac and a new Macbook for the same price as a 15" MBP.

 

[Batt]

I have a 17" 2.33 MacBook Pro at home and a 24" 2.8 iMac at work. Be damned if I can see any performance difference between the two.

 

[Bugs78]

thanks for the input guys..

as i said in the original post, if i go mbp, i will be adding a 24" lcd (lg or samsung likely, as i can purchase them at dealer cost).... and also, hdd space is not an issue. I have been using my MB for a year now, and still have 65gb free on my 120gb drive.. I save all data on a linux file server... so its not an issue..

The info most of you touched on which is beneficial is performance differences.. Thats what its coming down to for me. Performance vs portability. From the sounds of things, my irc, surfing for pr0n and occasional video editing/gaming, both should have more then enough power to do the job....

now i just need to come up with hard prices for both optioned the way i want and figure if portability>cost.

Also, just thought of another question... MB vs MBP: would there be any difference when using with an external 24" LCD? ie: are they capable of the same resolutions? I realize the MBP has better video power for gaming, but what about running large displays externally? Aside from gaming speed, would i see a difference? If not, I may just grab another MB
thanks!

 

[fivepoint]

Apple's Macbook tech specs page states this:

Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory3

Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors

Apple's Macbook Pro tech specs page states this:

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor with dual-link DVI support and 512MB of GDDR3 memory

Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors

Bottom line? The Macbook would be perfect for "irc, surfing for pr0n and occasional video editing/gaming" as you stated you did. If you did more frequent gaming it might be worth the upgrade. Save that $1000 and get a new 42" 720p HDTV to go with!