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The perfect companion for a Mac Pro ?

What notebook to buy to go along with a Mac Pro Desktop?

  • Macbook Air

    Votes: 39 32.0%

  • Macbook Pro 13"

    Votes: 64 52.5%

  • Macbook Pro 15"

    Votes: 12 9.8%

  • Macbook Pro 17"

    Votes: 7 5.7%
  • Total voters
    122
entatlrg

entatlrg

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Mar 2, 2009
3,385
6
Waterloo & Georgian Bay, Canada
My Mac Pro does an excellent job at all tasks but there's times I don't feel like being tied to a desk.

I'm trying to decide on one main notebook to use along with my Mac Pro for email, surfing, word processing, light to medium tasks in photo shop at the most, the Mac Pro does the heavy lifting...

I'd like to hear what you would buy to go along with a Mac Pro and why.

Right now I'm juggling work between too many computers and need to cut it down to two.
 
Macbook Air, small, powerful, and light. Has a great screen. Fashion statement? More for the casual user with a other beast computer {like you with the mac pro
Cons- Lines in most screens, virtually non-upgradable.
 
having a mbp with your mp is like having to work horses. i mean ya you could be like o i want to be on the coach and use ps.

but really, are you going to be using ps not on your mp. i mean it prob screams on there.

get an air.
does all you want. except photo shop, don't really know about that though.

a kid at my school has a beast of a computer at home and has a macbook air. he really likes it. he said also i thought about programming on the air but releazed it works so much better on my home computer.
 
MacBook Air. Extremely portable and definitely enough performance for on-the-go use (Photoshop CS4 runs like a champ). But of course I'm talking about Rev. B with the 9400m. In my opinion any of the Pro's are unnecessary for something portable for your uses, unless you also wish to take the computer to LAN party for gaming or something. But then again you'll need the 9600GT to make a difference :p
 
I'm surprised the 15 and 17" aren't getting more votes.....

With the idea that if you had a 15 or 17" companion to the Mac Pro you could benefit from having more screen real estate with you when you're away from your desk..... the question is I guess you'd select a larger screen most likely if you did a lot of computing away from your desk.....

Or, do most people find a 13" screen really is adequate for most tasks anyway?
 
entatlrg said:
I'm surprised the 15 and 17" aren't getting more votes.....

With the idea that if you had a 15 or 17" companion to the Mac Pro you could benefit from having more screen real estate with you when you're away from your desk..... the question is I guess you'd select a larger screen most likely if you did a lot of computing away from your desk.....

Or, do most people find a 13" screen really is adequate for most tasks anyway?
Click to expand...
Its not really a screen size issue, but the weight difference between the computers. It may not seem like much of a difference on paper, but that .5-1LB makes a hell of a difference when you're carrying other stuff. Try doing that on the subway commute in the city.
 
base mbp 13 is my vote. No need to go for anything fancy when you have a mac pro to handle anything heavy :)
 
the companion to my octo MP is a 12" PowerBook. Had the thing for 5+ years and it still does what I need it to ... web, email, word processing, and portable access to my MP.

I think a MBP is overkill as a companion to a MP. Simple never goes out of style, go with a refurb MacBook.
 
13" MBP as you can use the difference in price between it and the Air to do upgrades of RAM and HDD. Not to mention the device has a longer lasting battery and more power albeit being a pound heavier.
 
Well... I'd say it's entirely up to you. I'm surprised by the fact that Apple does not have a buying advisor like Adobe's one, in which you select what you'll be using the product for, and then get the recommendation.

But coming back to the original idea, it's entirely up to you. If you want it to be PORTABLE, you've got to go for the Air. If you are a lot on the road, or if you've got to present many products to other people, possibly business-related stuff, you'll have to choose between a 13" MBP or a 15" one. In any case, I strongly recommend you going for the cheapest one, except you really need the dedicated GPU the entry-level 15" lacks.

The thing is that OS X is strong enough in order to do just fine with any machine. I've got the entry-level 13" MBP, and it runs smoothly with all my applications opened, including Second Life (which was only installed for this testing purpose) and Adobe Photoshop CS4 with 5 *.PSD tabs, so there isn't any point really in paying a lot more for some 100Mhz CPU addition.

I'd also say the HDD and the display resolution are the most important factors you should consider. If you're using a lot of software and are saving a lot of your work for a very long time, the difference could be enormous between a 150GB HDD and a 500GB one, but they're easily upgradeable. Also, if you're working in the graphical business, there will be a difference between a 13" screen and a 15" or 17" one. Again, the choice is entirely up to your needs.

The bottom line is... if you need real portability, go for the MBA, of course. If you need to take and do a lot of your work on the road, go for a 15" one. Based on your needs for graphical performance, go for the first or the second one.

Also try PM-ing fr4c, I see he's got EXACTLY the setup you have, so he could tell you a whole lot more.

By the way, I see you've got both an MBA and an MBP in your signature. What is the point of it?
 
Not Available said:
By the way, I see you've got both an MBA and an MBP in your signature. What is the point of it?
Click to expand...


Yes, that's why I made the post ... when I'm desk bound the Mac Pro does everything. I needed a computer to use away from my desk so I bought the Air. Soon after I thought it would be nice to have more power for heavier work when I'm away from my desk so looked at the the 13 and 15" MBP.

I tried both and ended up with the 15" MBP spec'd out pretty good :) Reason I went for the 15" over the 13" was comparing the two I didn't feel there was much difference in weight so I thought I'd go for the screen real estate with the 15", plus I already had a 13" MBA so why have two 13" notebooks.

In day to day work the 15" MBP proved to be a good purchase I thought, it shows photo detail better than a 13", and a 15" screen is probably more pleasant to stare at over long periods of computing like I do....

As time goes by I really don't like owning three computers and trying to keep them all in sync. Fact is if I don't mind listening to the fan once in a while from the Air it does do all my tasks quite well, plus its so light, portable and fun to use... So much so that I'm thinking it's time to either part with one them or set up something like SugarSync and get them organized properly.

Right now the Mac Pro at my desk gets a lot of use, I need a desktop system for work related duties, also as a server, movie/music downloads, I have numerous HD's, peripherals attached....

Sometimes I wish I never had a taste of the MacBook Air, it's spoiled me ... I probably should simply own my Mac Pro and a 13" MBP then I'd have the small size and more power, instead I've got the 15" MBP and the MBA and I'm juggling between the two....

Having used and likiing the MBA sort of prevents me from doing the right thing... which could be to sell my 15" MBP and MBA and buy a 13" MBP then I'm down to two computers, more organized I think?
 
13" MBP is perfect or the MBA, I think the 17 is way too big and the 15" could work but might be a bit too big.

ChrisN
 
I'd go for the 13" if I had a Mac Pro… that said if I do get a Mac Pro, I'm not giving up my 15" either. :D

sukanas said:
may I ask what you do for a living that lets you afford all your mac gear?
Click to expand...

I know the OP kind of answered that, but that's also a bit too personal ;)
 
the MacBook Air is catching up to the 13" in the Poll ....

I was sure the 15" MBP would get far more votes .... the 13" MBP has been leading all along .... this new 13" MBP is a real winner for Apple I guess.

Will 12" Powerbook users accept the new 13" MBP as their replacement I wonder?
 
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