Upgrading From Late 2006 White iMac...

[Austin M.]

I've searched through the forums for a little bit and couldn't find a lot of resolution for my particular situation.

Anyway, I'm looking to upgrade my ancient white iMac (late 2006 model with 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and upgraded 3GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM) and need some advice on which laptop to get.

My budget is about $1300-$1400 as I'm going off to college and need a computer for school and a computer than I can connect a second display too for at home. I'm looking at either the MacBook Air (the most expensive model) or the MacBook Pro with Retina Display (the least expensive $1299 model). I'll be doing a bit of gaming, not super heavy, and will be using Final Cut Pro X to edit my tech and audio videos, and just everyday basic tasks.

What's the best for me? Mostly worried about speed and power. Thanks!

 

[fig]

Neither one has a dedicated graphics card so the gaming performance will be similar, though the MBP does have the updated Iris graphics which will make it a bit faster there.

As they've both got SSDs I'd go with the MBP, the more powerful CPU will benefit you a bit more when it comes to video and graphics work.

 

[east85]

If you want speed and power definitely go with the MBP over the Air.

 

[comda]

i would most defiantly go for the macbook pro. The air is GREAT for students/business men looking for a long lasting battery, speed, lightweight and very portable, but sadly it wasnt designed for gaming as the on board graphics is only a intel Hd 4000 i think? and being very thin and small cooling while gaming could be an issue. With the macbook pro you have much for graphics power, better cooling system and a faster laptop overall.