Switching To Mac

Higher MBP is great for HD video editing.

Does he need high resolution screen in glossy or Antiglare?

Get 8GB of RAM yourself.

 

Why not ask your son?

 

+1 on this.

He should know what he does and doesn't want more than anyone here. Tell him the budget and let him figure it out.

 

Maybe it is going to be a surprise

I think the high end 15" would be ideal if it needs to be portable, otherwise the 17" for that extra screen when editing HD movies.

 

Get a MacBook Pro 15" with the Hi-Res Antiglare Display. Even though I prefer a glossy screen for causal use, my wife's 15" anti-glare MBP has more accurate color rendition than my glossy 13" MBP.

 

I considered that, but it didn't sound like it. He already had some pretty specific requirements from his son.

Anyway just giving a $2200 MBP with Apple care is more than enough in my world. I don't think you'd get any complaints.

Extra software depends on the user's preference. As do many of the upgrades.

I guess if you wanted to bump up against the $2500 budget after 15% discount then put a SSD in the thing for an extra $500. But you can do that after market too.