Trading out a 20" iMac for a previous-gen 15" MBP... is it worth it?

[cadz86]

So I bought a brand new iMac in August because I needed something powerful enough to edit HD footage, play the occasional video game on and all of my other daily tasks. I bought the current 2.66Ghz model and upgraded the HDD to 500gb. It has been wonderful except for the fact that I have to leave it at home every day! If I could have afforded it I may have gone Macbook Pro when I made my initial purchase, but now with the previous-gen MBPs at a somewhat comparable price to mine, I'm feeling the itch to sell my iMac and get the 2.5Ghz MBP.

There are some advantages (better graphics card, portability) and some disadvantages (a sliver slower cpu, half the space on a slower hard drive, smaller screen, not as knock-out gorgeous as the iMac so I am stuck. All in all, I'd probably end up spending ~$250 extra to switch.

So, is it worth it?

btw, any experience on whether I will notice a significant difference in the speed or performance between the machines would be appreciated, especially re: HD video editing.

Thanks!

 

[Freewayjim]

I lost my 2.8 24" iMac in a fire/lightning strike in July and have been using my 2.33 15" MacBook Pro for everything since, including video work (not HD) with Final Cut Express 4 and honestly the speed difference isn't that great, at least not that I can tell. I work off a 7200 RPM scratch drive so the slower 5400 HD in the MBP does not come in to play that often with regards to video. As for everyday work with MS Office & such the MBP does just fine and you won't notice much difference in speed.

Honestly, with the insurance money I'm going to buy another MBP as opposed to replacing the iMac, the portability factor is really nice to have.

I'd say go for a Refurbished MBP and if you have the extra cash get a 22-24" external monitor and 500GB External HD to go with it. You'll have the best of both worlds that way, Portability and a nice screen, bigger than what you were using and all the HD space you need.

 

[Scottsdale]

Do It Now!

That is totally worthy. The MBP will do everything NEARLY as fast. You lose screen real estate but portability, even to the couch, is ALWAYS great.

Best wishes with it.