New Dilemma: Macbook Pro or iMac & Macbook

[LillieDesigns]

So I may be crazy, but hear me out please. I was looking at Macbook Pros and I love the idea of it, but the steep price for one machine is killing me. Anyway, the specs of the base line iMac are (seemingly) the same as the baseline Macbook Pro. At $1,149.00, I could get the baseline iMac AND the baseline Macbook ($999.00) for almost the same price (about $300 more). So for $300 more I'm getting a notebook to run around with and a desktop to edit with.

Now, I'm sure it's too good to be true and there is something I'm greatly overlooking so that's why you are all here to bring me down to earth. Maybe I'm being too frugal.

Remember, I need to edit using Final Cut and also want mobility at times. What do you all think? Am I nuts?

 

[vegas-steven]

A little nuts maybe.

A macbook pro is like a desktop replacement, and most of the time has a more powerful video card than the imac does.

Seems that if you have the money, your solution would go like this:

1. macbook pro
2. seperate keyboard/mouse
3. Big external HDD
4. Nice big HD monitor

that way eventually you have a complete and portable solution that you can also throw on a desk and use as a replacement for a desktop.

 

[CaptainChunk]

If you're going to edit in Final Cut, you really want a MacBook Pro as your portable workstation. A few reasons for this:

1. MacBooks have integrated Intel graphics. If you plan on using companion applications like Motion and Color, you need a dedicated graphics processor with its own memory, which the MacBook Pro has.

2. MacBooks lack FW800 and an ExpressCard slot. If you plan on editing HD video, you really want the extra bandwidth FW800 provides for external hard drives and the ability to add an eSATA card later. Again, you get these features on the MBP.

3. There will be at least a few times when you will have to put an edit together and not have the luxury of connecting an external monitor. MBPs have larger, higher resolution screens. This is really important for editing.

And like vegas-steven has said, MBPs make damned good desktop replacements that are practically on-par with iMacs. In either case, the only way you'll get significantly more computing power is buying a Mac Pro tower, of course.

 

[chrono1081]

I agree with macbook pro and an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. Although I don't do video here is what I do (usually at once):

-Compile code in a virtual windows xp machine
-Batch process 25mb raw images, thousands at once in lightroom
-Batch process the images that were in lightroom in photoshop
-Rip and encode dvds
-have maya or corel painter running (this is what I use most)
-have iTunes running

and I notice no slowdown! Really I dont. I thought the sameway as you at first about a mac pro and a macbook pro but this macbook pro is amazing. (The configuration I have is in my signature). I travel between my living area and work (I live where I work) and I take my computer with me. When I am back at my living area here is my setup:

-Macbook pro
-26inch monitor ran in extended desktop mode
-5tb external raid drive (through eSata and an express card)
-mouse
-keyboard

You don't even realize you are using a laptop it runs so fast. At work I have this setup:

-Macbook pro
-22 inch monitor in extended desktop mode
-two 2 tb raid enclosures (firewire) and 1 tb game drive (express card/esata connection)
-keyboard
-mouse

The only thing I carry between the two places is the notebook. Its an excellent excellent computer. I would say get the mbp and see later if you need a desktop, but since it sounds like you need to be mobile get the laptop first.

 

[LillieDesigns]

I went with a Macbook Pro. I have 20 dollars in my bank account, but I think I made the right choice. Thanks everyone!