photographer/student is this good choice?

[gatepc]

Hello now i will mention i have been using pc's all my life until 1year ago i got a mac mini ( current computer ) and ditched pc for good, even though i consider myself very good with computers ( i know how to program java hack wifi etc ) i dont know much about the life span of mac computers. I am a photographer and a student looking at the new 17 inch mbp for a couple reasons

long batt life ( i dont care that its not replacable not a problem )

high res screen ( this computer will serve as a desktop replacement as well )

decent GPU

and fast cpu ( looking at faster 2.9ghz option )

I will use it mostly for extreme mutl tasking ( 10-20 windows open at any given time : photoshop , aperture, MS word , firefox etc )

so first question is it worth the faster processor and hdd speed? ( dont have money for 8gb ram ) and how long do you think this will last me until this laptop is nothing more then just macbook speed? ( i mean when will it become so obsolete that a macbook out preforms it? )

thank you and sorry for the spelling and the long post.

edit: and i heard that the 17inch has better color then most laptops do is this really the case? i have a spyder 3 pro ( color calibrater ) will it match up to average desktop lcd color?

 

[Scottsdale]

I think the 17" MBP is a very wise choice. It's very fast and will last you at least three years. By then, things will change a bit. But, to do everything that you can do today, it will last at least three years. You could push it for more, especially since it will have a seriously nice display.

Even though you cannot afford the 8 GB RAM now, in a year it will probably cost around $100 for that upgrade. In three years, 8 GB may be the standard, but maybe not even by then.

As far as the 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, it should fly with Snow Leopard when it's released within the next six months.

With the battery lifespan, you should easily get three great years from that battery with great usage of at least six hours per recharge.

I think the new 17" MBP is one amazing computer, and I would not point you anywhere else.

I would upgrade the CPU if it were mine, you cannot upgrade that later, like you can the RAM and HD.

I wish you the best with it. I think it's a worthy computer and definitely will last three to five years without ever being considered slow. Can make it last longer if you want to... but by five years, I think the new Macs will be double the speed with many new options/features.

Congratulations on your new Mac!

 

[bumzo1]

you seem to be coping with your mac mini now. Unless you need the portability, I would say get the Mac Pro. With all of the things you are running I think you can justify all that power. It would also last you a lot longer than any laptop. The ram is like $200 for 8gb more. And you can keep the screen you have so it would cost less than the MBP but it would last much longer and that seems to be important to you. If you do decide on the Mac Pro wait a few months because they are about to release a new one.
Also if you want to save a ton of money on either get the student ADC membership and you can save 20%.

 

[gatepc]

you seem to be coping with your mac mini now. Unless you need the portability, I would say get the Mac Pro. With all of the things you are running I think you can justify all that power. It would also last you a lot longer than any laptop. The ram is like $200 for 8gb more. And you can keep the screen you have so it would cost less than the MBP but it would last much longer and that seems to be important to you. If you do decide on the Mac Pro wait a few months because they are about to release a new one.
Also if you want to save a ton of money on either get the student ADC membership and you can save 20%.

unfortunate i do need/want the portability i plan to take it to school as well as on the field shooting ( this can range from the side walk in a city to a hiking trail )


but thanks for the information guys i didint know i could get a discount for being a student thanks

anyone have any real info on how good this screen is for a photography? ( after calibration of course )

 

[Abstract]

anyone have any real info on how good this screen is for a photography? ( after calibration of course )

It's not bad compared to other laptops today, but it used to be the best.

so first question is it worth the faster processor and hdd speed? ( dont have money for 8gb ram ) and how long do you think this will last me until this laptop is nothing more then just macbook speed? ( i mean when will it become so obsolete that a macbook out preforms it? )

1 year.

The new MacBooks aren't too much slower than the new 17" except with regards to the graphics performance. In that area, it's around 20-50% faster than the MacBook, although it really depends on the task you're doing. Editing photos doesn't require the video card unless you're using Photoshop CS4.

However, in terms of processing speed, reviews have shown that the MacBook 2.4 GHz and the 15" MBP 2.4 GHz are identical in speed for the large majority of tasks. They have the same processor, of course. The difference was mainly seen in the games, where the 9600 M resulted in 30% faster frame-rates.

Have you seen Rob Galbraith's review on laptop LCD screens? If you don't know him, he's THE Canon guy, much like Thom Hogan is the Nikon guy. He reviewed the new 15" MBP's screen when compared to the Lenovo W700, and the Lenovo won. The MBP around 3rd best (out of 4 laptops), and one of those laptops was actually a netbook!!

unfortunate i do need/want the portability i plan to take it to school as well as on the field shooting ( this can range from the side walk in a city to a hiking trail )

Then get the 15" MBP so that you can do necessary editing on the road, but use an external display while doing serious work. I don't see why you would bring such a large laptop on the field, even if it has better resolution. Again, do your serious work at home. Doesn't matter if you calibrate your laptop screen or not, unless you always use your laptop outdoors in the same lighting condition.

Also, by buying the 15" MBP, you can save money and afford to sell your MBP in 1.5 years, allowing you to upgrade your laptop every 1.5 years rather than every 3 years, which appears to be the norm.

 

[gatepc]

It's not bad compared to other laptops today, but it used to be the best.




1 year.

The new MacBooks aren't too much slower than the new 17" except with regards to the graphics performance. In that area, it's around 20-50% faster than the MacBook, although it really depends on the task you're doing. Editing photos doesn't require the video card unless you're using Photoshop CS4.

However, in terms of processing speed, reviews have shown that the MacBook 2.4 GHz and the 15" MBP 2.4 GHz are identical in speed for the large majority of tasks. They have the same processor, of course. The difference was mainly seen in the games, where the 9600 M resulted in 30% faster frame-rates.

Have you seen Rob Galbraith's review on laptop LCD screens? If you don't know him, he's THE Canon guy, much like Thom Hogan is the Nikon guy. He reviewed the new 15" MBP's screen when compared to the Lenovo W700, and the Lenovo won. The MBP around 3rd best (out of 4 laptops), and one of those laptops was actually a netbook!!



Then get the 15" MBP so that you can do necessary editing on the road, but use an external display while doing serious work. I don't see why you would bring such a large laptop on the field, even if it has better resolution. Again, do your serious work at home. Doesn't matter if you calibrate your laptop screen or not, unless you always use your laptop outdoors in the same lighting condition.

Also, by buying the 15" MBP, you can save money and afford to sell your MBP in 1.5 years, allowing you to upgrade your laptop every 1.5 years rather than every 3 years, which appears to be the norm.

well the main reason i wanted the 17 inch version is for the longer batt and becouse i wont have enough money for a good external display afterwords ( i have a "OK" 1440x900 res screen and would do all my photo editing indoors on my laptop screen i would only use the laptop outdoors for tethering or dumping memory cards on the computer, the large size does not bother me. Honestly if there was a laptop in a suitcase ( like long time ago ) and it was as powerful as a mac pro and had a super long batt life i would not mind carrying a suitcase around lol size does not matter as long as it is some what portable lol, i was planning on using my current "ok" monitor as a second display but NOT as my main display since its not that great lol

but thanks guys/gals for your re assurance in my choice i think i will end up getting the mpb 17inch the only thing that sucks is i will have to wait until summer ( parents wont pay for it until then lol ) its going to be torture

 

[gatepc]

sorry it double posted