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MBP'11 with Thunderbolt Display Vs. iMac

F

Floris88

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 2, 2010
41
0
Amsterdam
He guys,

I just sold my ACD 24 that was already 3 years old and I was a bit tempted to upgrade it to the new 27inch thunderbolt display. I have a early 2011 Macbook Pro highress antiglare SSD and really happy with it. Use it for my study, work and some light photography.

For me with de edu discount in Holland, its a real small price (100euro) difference between the 21.5inch iMac and the thunderbolt display, what should I buy? I like the idea of having 2 computers, one at home with al my media on it and on for on the go.

Even the 27inch imac is only 450euro more expensive, and that case I will sell my MBP because its overkill but want to keep the mobility so maybe a MBA 11inch.

what do you guys recommend?
 
Option 3 - get a non-apple display. I have a high end NEC monitor which is wide gamut (useful for serious photography and printing) which is also non-glossy - actually cost less than a apple display. I hate glossy displays so my MBP and external monitor let me do anything. (Before that I had a 27" iMac and 13" MBP but much happier now)
 
I'm in the same position..

OP, I have exactly the same question, and glad I found your post.

I also have an early 2011 MBP, but I want a 27" display. I want an Apple display, so it leaves me with the option of a Thunderbolt display or an iMac. The thing is, that after researching some CPU benchmarks, the i7 2.0 Ghz quad core on the MBP is just as fast (or maybe even faster) than the entry level iMacs. Therefore I was just thinking that perhaps it's best to purchase the display, since the MBP packs more power than the iMac (please correct me if I'm mistaken, as I have my doubts).

The only downside to that is storage (which I can still solve with thunderbolt enabled external drives) and the GPU on my MBP is certainly not as powerful as the iMacs. Which leaves me to wonder if the MBP performance will be greatly affected when connected to the display (at full resolution output).

I'm still undecided, as for me the main driver for my decision is performance. So far, however, I'm leaning towards the TB Display. (This is also more flexibility, in case my wife wants to buy a MBA).

Hopefully someone can help me as well?

THanks!
 
I'm glad somebody is in the same situation :)

Im also leaning towards the display, however the iMac option comes with a whole computer and just some inches of screen estate less.

Now with iCloud its also easier to have 2 machines
 
Keep in mind you can use the iMac as an external monitor for your MBP too.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Thunderbolt/10.6/en/30822.html

I'm in the same boat, but i'm just going to get the Thunderbolt display. Why? I need the mobility of the Macbook, and having the screen act as a Dock for all of my hard drives and the like, whilst being able to leave my powerpack in my backpack is too nice.

If I didn't move around so much though, i'd totally buy the iMac and just plug it into the MBP when I need the screen real estate.

Does anyone know if the screens are any different?
 
Assuming: a) your work is not so critical as to warrant computational redundancy and b) you have ample storage space on your laptops, I would go with the display not the iMac. You can sell you MBP in 2 years for $1,000 towards a new liquid metal 15" MB air and plug it into your display which will not be outdated for many, many years.
 
did you already made a choice?

who's got some advice?


caligomez said:
OP, I have exactly the same question, and glad I found your post.

I also have an early 2011 MBP, but I want a 27" display. I want an Apple display, so it leaves me with the option of a Thunderbolt display or an iMac. The thing is, that after researching some CPU benchmarks, the i7 2.0 Ghz quad core on the MBP is just as fast (or maybe even faster) than the entry level iMacs. Therefore I was just thinking that perhaps it's best to purchase the display, since the MBP packs more power than the iMac (please correct me if I'm mistaken, as I have my doubts).

The only downside to that is storage (which I can still solve with thunderbolt enabled external drives) and the GPU on my MBP is certainly not as powerful as the iMacs. Which leaves me to wonder if the MBP performance will be greatly affected when connected to the display (at full resolution output).

I'm still undecided, as for me the main driver for my decision is performance. So far, however, I'm leaning towards the TB Display. (This is also more flexibility, in case my wife wants to buy a MBA).

Hopefully someone can help me as well?

THanks!
Click to expand...
 
FuNGi said:
I would go with the display not the iMac. You can sell you MBP in 2 years for $1,000 towards a new liquid metal 15" MB air and plug it into your display which will not be outdated for many, many years.
Click to expand...

This is what makes the most sense to me... When thinking about it, I don't really need another computer, I have an excellent one already, which provides me with the mobility I require. With an TB display, I:

1) can upgrade to a 2013 or 2014 MBP, and still have that wonderful display which will probably not be outdated.. (as mentioned above)

2) can share it with my wife if she decides to get an MBA

3) don't have to keep two computers in sync. iCloud helps, but it's still kind of a pain to keep everything perfectly in sync between to computers. And pretty much all cloud solutions out there require extra $$ for storage..

4) have a Thunderbolt hub which may come in handy with future TB products as Apple seems to be headed that way..

5) can save around $600, as I would need to get a 27" iMac for that same display.

In the end, I think I would just be plugging in my computer for the display and not really using the iMac that often. Perhaps my kids would end up using the iMac more than me, but they are fine with snagging my iPad right now.. THe iMac has more graphics power, but for me it's not a big deal, as I don't do heavy video editing, and almost no gaming.. I just edit home movies, watch Netflix, web videos, and not much more.. THe MBP works beautifully for those needs, and I just need a big beautiful display to enhance it..:D

Good luck deciding, although its a win-win decision regardless..:)
 
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