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What MBP for web design, photoshop, (minimal) video editing, photography?

K

Ksb-online

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 4, 2010
117
0
London
Hi Guys/Girls ..

I've been reading up on this forum for a while now constantly looking at new posts hoping to find some one in a similar situation to mine, I found a few answers but most of the posts went off on a tangent about something else - pretty annoying

SO, I was wondering, shall I get the 15" or 17" MBP for my needs, I want to be able to use it around the house as im fed up of being stuck up in my loft room in the summer working on websites/photoshop and not being able to "chill" out downstairs with the family.

Im a web designer/developer so my main use will be photoshop, illustrator, 3Dmax and dreamweaver.

I've just got my self a cheap SLR so I want to be able to edit some RAW/high resolution images (going to Thailand soon so really want to get some epic pictures from our travelling)

What do you guys recommend?

I was looking at the 15" but now im leaning towards the 17" ..

I will want to upgrade the RAM to 8GB but not go through the apple store as their prices are insane ..

Im also thinking about doing the optibay drive mod with an SSD as I heard its a good speed increase when working with large files, but I also have a very large film/music collection (500GB's worth) that I would like to keep with on the laptop too...

what to do ?!

**sorry about the essay**
 
Ksb-online said:
Hi Guys/Girls ..

I've been reading up on this forum for a while now constantly looking at new posts hoping to find some one in a similar situation to mine, I found a few answers but most of the posts went off on a tangent about something else - pretty annoying

SO, I was wondering, shall I get the 15" or 17" MBP for my needs, I want to be able to use it around the house as im fed up of being stuck up in my loft room in the summer working on websites/photoshop and not being able to "chill" out downstairs with the family.

Im a web designer/developer so my main use will be photoshop, illustrator, 3Dmax and dreamweaver.

I've just got my self a cheap SLR so I want to be able to edit some RAW/high resolution images (going to Thailand soon so really want to get some epic pictures from our travelling)

What do you guys recommend?

I was looking at the 15" but now im leaning towards the 17" ..

I will want to upgrade the RAM to 8GB but not go through the apple store as their prices are insane ..

Im also thinking about doing the optibay drive mod with an SSD as I heard its a good speed increase when working with large files, but I also have a very large film/music collection (500GB's worth) that I would like to keep with on the laptop too...

what to do ?!

**sorry about the essay**
Click to expand...

For anything image related go with the antiglare 17". You can get 8gb of ram for 200 bucks and the SSD will be a nice addition.

Definitelly stay away from the 13" and the low resolution version of the 15".

That if you don't intend to use an external monitor.
 
Gabriel GR said:
For anything image related go with the antiglare 17". You can get 8gb of ram for 200 bucks and the SSD will be a nice addition.

Definitelly stay away from the 13" and the low resolution version of the 15".

That if you don't intend to use an external monitor.
Click to expand...

Yea I definitely don't want the 13" , i had one for a month earlier this year, it was about 2 years old and I struggled to "see" well with that screen size ..

I have a 24" external screen that I would use every now and again, but I really want to be able to use the laptop anywhere as I like to get creative ideas from my surroundings ..

Frosties said:
Help me config my MBP for photograph
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link :)
 
im still stuck on what to get!! :(

this is the 17" spec -

£1,930.53 incl. VAT
Ships: 3 days
Free Shipping

Specifications
2.66GHz Intel Core i7
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)

and this is the 15" -

£1,766.03 incl. VAT
Ships: 3 days
Free Shipping

Specifications
2.66GHz Intel Core i7
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)


Would the extra £200 be worth spending for the extra screen space ?!?!
 
If screen size is the key factor get the 17". The screen and resolution is gorgeous. However for me I bought a 17" and realized its a tad big after bringing it home. I usually leave the laptop sitting on the couch arm rest while watching tv and it looked massive and it seemed like it would fall over. Also on my lap it appeared massive but on a table....beautiful. Couple days later returned it for the 15"......but I do miss the 17" gorgeous screen.
 
I just got a 15" and took the money i saved and put it towards my 26"hd tv which was $320 and much cheaper than the $200 for 2" of screen :)
 
tjb1 said:
I just got a 15" and took the money i saved and put it towards my 26"hd tv which was $320 and much cheaper than the $200 for 2" of screen :)
Click to expand...

No need for the TV as I have a 24" desktop screen and a larger TV downstairs :) ... so 17" for the win??
 
well since my last post i have purchased a new computer, i bought the 15" MBP high res glossy, 2.66 ghz i7, 4 GB ddr3 ram, 500 GB 72-- rpm HDD, and i am in love with this machine, it is unfathomably fats the screen feels so much bigger then it is. And i have a 26" tv sitting 6 feet from it with vga/adapter and audio cables running to plug it in. But i have not used it because i just love the look of my mbp screen SO much more then the tv. I do believe 15" is the way to go if you want something bigger then the 13" and don't want a imitated desktop.
 
Really 15 inch is fine for screen real estate.

Getting a 17 inch would kill the concept of portability for your macbook pro. I mean sure you can still carry it around, but it will be uncomfortable as heck, and sometimes finding a area suitable for a 17 inch at a school or something is quite hard.
 
Bankaimadness said:
Really 15 inch is fine for screen real estate.

Getting a 17 inch would kill the concept of portability for your macbook pro. I mean sure you can still carry it around, but it will be uncomfortable as heck, and sometimes finding a area suitable for a 17 inch at a school or something is quite hard.
Click to expand...

Im coming from a 24" PC screen, thats my only worry, I think I'll miss the large screen .. I understand what you mean about portability , but this is going to be my main and only machine for all my work so I want to make sure I can work to the full any time I work on the machine .. that's my reason considering a 17" ..
 
I have had the 13", 15" and 17" at different times over the past year, and I use the 27" iMac at work and the 24" iMac at home.

Since I'm more concerned about mobility, and don't need a huge screen for desk work, I stuck with the 13" for the long run... it works great and travels well, even when I bring it with my iPad someplace :)

If you can live with a few less pixels, get the high-res 15" option, and a large screen to use at your desk; it's a better compromise than only having a 17" screen anywhere.
 
I use 3 different cad programs on my 15" and really have no problems, I find when using the tv also the screen isnt really bigger as far as more room for me to draw and such, everything is just kinda zoomed since the tv wont support a higher resolution...
 
Ksb-online said:
Yea I definitely don't want the 13" , i had one for a month earlier this year, it was about 2 years old and I struggled to "see" well with that screen size ..
Click to expand...

I always wonder how people manage to get by with Netbooks? Maybe the cheaper price helps them to see better. :rolleyes:
 
I think I'm going to have to go in to town tomo and have a look at the 15 and 17" and make my final decision from that , still itching to get a 17" but a 15" would make sense with a hi res screen, just got to see if I feel like I have to strain my eyes a little with the 15" or if i can sit back and use it comfortably ..
 
I was having the same issues you are having, and after having asked the Apple people at the store if they could move the 17" next to the 15" for a side-by-side. Im SUPER glad I went with the 15". I sit with it on the couch and it can be quite cumbersome. I think the 17' screen size is awesome, but after having used the 15" and then getting on my 24" imac and then back to the laptop, I don't think I would want the higher resolution of the 17." It would be too straining on my rapidly aging eyes.


Its just my opinion, but I hope that helps.
 
Bankaimadness said:
Getting a 17 inch would kill the concept of portability for your macbook pro. I mean sure you can still carry it around, but it will be uncomfortable as heck, and sometimes finding a area suitable for a 17 inch at a school or something is quite hard.
Click to expand...

lol yes. The 17" is pretty much immobile compared to the 15", I mean, with its whole 1 pound increase and whatnot. Don't forget the expresscard slot, I'm sure that adds some weight too.

I've never had a problem plopping it down, granted I don't compute in a plane or under the bed.
 
Eddyisgreat said:
lol yes. The 17" is pretty much immobile compared to the 15", I mean, with its whole 1 pound increase and whatnot. Don't forget the expresscard slot, I'm sure that adds some weight too.

I've never had a problem plopping it down, granted I don't compute in a plane or under the bed.
Click to expand...

Seconded, I have yet to find my 17" "difficult" to carry around.
 
If you're going to be moving it around often, I would suggest the 15". 17" is still portable, but if you've got bags and books and whatnot to carry around with you, the size kind of becomes a drag.
 
Get this:

15" 2.66 i7 HR AG with 8GB RAM, SSD to boot up pro applications, external HDD to host files.
 
iphone1 said:
Get this:

15" 2.66 i7 HR AG with 8GB RAM, SSD to boot up pro applications, external HDD to host files.
Click to expand...

Anyone know of any accessories that would allow one to "permanently" affix an external harddrive to the mac without sacrificing the optical drive, maybe stick it on the cover or something? SSD sizes aren't very big at the moment and it seems like a pain to have to pull out an external hard drive everytime I wanted to listen to some music, etc.
 
kairun said:
Anyone know of any accessories that would allow one to "permanently" affix an external harddrive to the mac without sacrificing the optical drive, maybe stick it on the cover or something? SSD sizes aren't very big at the moment and it seems like a pain to have to pull out an external hard drive everytime I wanted to listen to some music, etc.
Click to expand...

1. NAS or just use spotify over 3G
2. Tape or glue is the MacGyver way though.
 
The resolution of the 15" with HR screen is so high, I don't think going to the 17" MBP gets you much more resolution.....or at least not enough to justify the gain in size and weight.
 
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