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Switching from Pc to iMac or Mbp

D

Dolphinton

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 27, 2012
6
0
Hi,
I am new to this forum. I currently have a pc with windows 7 which is really driving me nuts. I had been thinking about getting an iMac and was hoping for new ones to be announced recently. My question is, as a professional photographer does the Mbp have the processing power to handle all the associated programmes that go with it, I would intend using it with my current Eizo monitor. Or do I wait and see if and when new iMacs get announced?
Many thanks in advance to any thoughts.
 
Why is Windows 7 driving ou nuts? I tought it was suposed to be the stable version of Windows.

Anywyas, the retina MBP will be your choice. Even when they release a new iMac, its processing power will be the same as rMBP and the macbook has teh advantage of being portable, besides the retina display. It can also power a external monitor.
 
It may be not the Windows OS that is the problem, perhaps it is just my particular machine, it crashes consistently, whether under load or not, and despite sending it back to the shop where I got it from they cannot seem to resolve the issue.

The machine is not that old, two years at most and I guess I have simply lost faith it.
I had a mac laptop years ago and spoke to a fellow photographer who only had good things to say about the mac (macpro) he has.

I have a really good Eizo monitor which puts me off buying the iMac but I don't think it justifies the extra to go to mac pro, I was intending to use the Eizo as a second monitor for the iMac or Mbp.
 
Mbp Spec

If I was to go down the route of a Mbp, what would be an ideal spec? Given that most of the post production would take place using the external monitor (most seem to agree that the Mbp screen is too small) at home, is it necessary to have the retina display?
Would this refurb do the job?

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6770M

I guess all I want to know is what spec do I need to run Cs5, lightroom, video editing etc and an external monitor. I'm not interested in gaming etc.

Again, many thanks for your thoughts.
 
Dolphinton said:
If I was to go down the route of a Mbp, what would be an ideal spec? Given that most of the post production would take place using the external monitor (most seem to agree that the Mbp screen is too small) at home, is it necessary to have the retina display?
Would this refurb do the job?

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6770M

I guess all I want to know is what spec do I need to run Cs5, lightroom, video editing etc and an external monitor. I'm not interested in gaming etc.

Again, many thanks for your thoughts.
Click to expand...


Dang, this is the exact one I was going to buy when I got my money from school! But besides the fact, this would be good enough for you. I would suggest upgrading to an SSD which is a lot faster then a typical hard drive, and then buying an external hard drive which I assume you have if you are a photographer.
 
Dolphinton said:
Would this refurb do the job?

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
Click to expand...

That's a great machine, and buying refurbished is the way to go. I think you'll be very happy with that one.

As others have suggested, upgrading to a SSD is a huge quality of life improvement, assuming you store your projects on external drives. You can buy the bare drive from OWC or Newegg, and have it installed by an Apple-authorized retailer to preserve your warranty.
 
two years running windows and crashing now…sounds about right. go Mac

I recommend then getting a MacMini or a macbook, you can power the monitor from a macbook.

If you are a photographer, getting the rMBP will be your dream machine.
 
Your best bet is to get the rMBP, not only for the display, but also for the option to get more screen real estate, as well as the fast SSD.
 
I wouldn't bother with the rmbp. As you already have a pro Eizo screen, just get a mbp. I work with a number of photographers and they all use this set up. Use the Eizo for the photoshop work and use the mbp for your pallets etc. that way you get to use all of the screen with the photo you are editing.
You may need to buy an adaptor cable though as I'm not sure the Eizo ships with a mini display port cable which I think you would need.
 
LeandrodaFL said:
two years running windows and crashing now…sounds about right. go Mac
Click to expand...

Sounds like the OP needs to reformat his Windows machine with a clean install of 7. Works wonders. And sorry to burst your bubble, it's not just a PC thing; I just recently had to reformat my MBP because I was constantly getting beach balls and random crashes - a clean re-install fixed everything. I agree, though, that it is nowhere near the problem for Mac OS that it is for Windows, even Win 7. :)
 
Hi, yeah, first it seems you just need to reinstall your Windows PC.
And then, welcome to the long list of users who would like a mid-tower mac. The mini is too underpowered, the iMac comes with a monitor we don't need, and the Mac Pro is overkill.
 
Many thanks for all your thoughts and comments, I'll try a re-install and see how I get on with that.

If no joy then I'll look at a refurb with an SSD, I store all my work images on a Drobo so storage is not an issue.

Thanks again.
 
Dolphinton said:
Many thanks for all your thoughts and comments, I'll try a re-install and see how I get on with that.

If no joy then I'll look at a refurb with an SSD, I store all my work images on a Drobo so storage is not an issue.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

An SSD will help a lot! Another thing to do is to delete anything you don't use any more or will never use. Also make sure you install any updates using 'Windows Update'.
 
Acidglaze said:
What is causing your windows 7 machine to drive you crazy?
Click to expand...
I do have hp laptop dv6 windows 7 had it for a year or so its great but it warns up that you can't even touch the keyboard plus they don't update the video card sometimes it crashes and recovers.
 
Shade12 said:
I do have hp laptop dv6 windows 7 had it for a year or so its great but it warns up that you can't even touch the keyboard plus they don't update the video card sometimes it crashes and recovers.
Click to expand...

It could be your laptop's fans are dirty and need cleaning. Or it could even be that you need a notebook cooler. Either would help for sure. :)
 
I recently came from a Windows PC to a MacBook. I actually had two Window 7 Laptops, the first one was an HP which lasted just over a year, then started crashing and blue screening. I had reformated and did a clean install of Windows 7 and it still blue screened. Then one day it decided to stop working, so I ended up getting a new Windows 7 laptop, which was a Toshiba. This one is much more reliable than the first, and still works now, but I was going back to school for Web Development / Web Design, and I was told that the Adobe Suites would run better on a Mac rather than on a PC, so I got a MacBook Pro.

I would rather work on my MBP than my Toshiba Laptop, OSX seems to run better and more stable than Windows 7 and Windows 7 ran very well. It may also just be better hardware also.

If you don't need portability, iMac. If you need portability MBP. If you value lightness and portability over everything else, MBA. I chose MBP over MBA because I wanted portability and more power, as well as upgradability.
 
Dolphinton said:
It may be not the Windows OS that is the problem, perhaps it is just my particular machine, it crashes consistently, whether under load or not, and despite sending it back to the shop where I got it from they cannot seem to resolve the issue.

The machine is not that old, two years at most and I guess I have simply lost faith it.
I had a mac laptop years ago and spoke to a fellow photographer who only had good things to say about the mac (macpro) he has.

I have a really good Eizo monitor which puts me off buying the iMac but I don't think it justifies the extra to go to mac pro, I was intending to use the Eizo as a second monitor for the iMac or Mbp.
Click to expand...

Frankly with all the photographic software for the Mac like Aperture along with tons of plugins & whatnot and being a photographer too I wouldn't even consider windows as an option. Aperture 3.0 runs flawless on my 2009 MBP and I'm dual screening it with a 27'' LED 3D display.
 
Dolphinton said:
If I was to go down the route of a Mbp, what would be an ideal spec? Given that most of the post production would take place using the external monitor (most seem to agree that the Mbp screen is too small) at home, is it necessary to have the retina display?
Would this refurb do the job?

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6770M

I guess all I want to know is what spec do I need to run Cs5, lightroom, video editing etc and an external monitor. I'm not interested in gaming etc.

Again, many thanks for your thoughts.
Click to expand...

That's the same machine that I have and it's awesome.
 
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