What to buy!? MPB/MBA/???

[hipwr]

Okay folks here is my dilemma...

1.
I have been a PC user all my life but I am finally making the switch to mac.
My PC has 1TB worth of files on a NTFS drive so I need to find a way to either transfer that data to my new Mac or share it possibly by purchasing a NAS system?

2.
I will be using my next computer for: Final Cut pro, Logic Pro, Photoshop, Word, and some gaming/media etc.

I'm trying top decide between....

Option #1

15” MBP 2011 Sandy Bridge i7 2.0
W/ Hi-resolution screen
EDU discount + B2S promo $100 iTunes GC
TOTAL : $1849

Option #2

13” MBP 2011 Sandy Bridge i7 2.7 *or* MBA Refresh
W/ Hi-Resolution screen
EDU Discount + B2S Promo $100 iTunes GC

+
Upgrading my current PC and converting to Hackintosh
Intel i7 3.3 Quad Sandy Bridge,
G-Skill 8gb Ram
$575.00

Already have:
*Nvidia 9800GTX
*Coolermaster 600w ATX
*Thermaltake Soprano Case
*Creative Audigy 2 SC

Approximate Total: $2124.00


Help me decide which set up and whether or not I should go NAS storage


Thanks!!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Where is the "MBA" option you alluded to in your thread title?

Anyway, I would go with the HR 15" MBP just due to its bigger resolution.
Btw, Mac OS X can at least read NTFS formatted volumes.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

• Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
• Maximum file size: 4GB.
• Maximum volume size: 2TB

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

• Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
• Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
  [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X: Install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free)
  
• Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx 33USD).
• Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard, but is not advisable, due to instability.
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
• Maximum file size: 16 TB
• Maximum volume size: 256TB

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended)

• Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
• Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner backups of Mac internal hard drive.
• To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive
• To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
• Maximum file size: 8EiB
• Maximum volume size: 8EiB

exFAT (FAT64)

• Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
• Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
• Maximum file size: 16 EiB
• Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB

Helpful Information for Any Mac User by GGJstudios​

 

[steeler]

I would go with option 1.

With your existing data, I would get an external drive* and an additional enclosure for your existing hard drive and copy the data over to the new external hard drive (formatted in HFS+) using your new MBP.

*I have a few external hard drives and prefer to buy the enclosure and hard drive separately and put it together myself. I've never done anything else.

 

[palpatine]

Option 1.

I have the MBP 13" / 8GB RAM. It is great for my needs, but I am just doing work with Adobe Acrobat, Word, Excel, and other programs that are not especially taxing on the processor. These programs also look great with this resolution, and I have no complaints.

But, for your activities, the larger 15" screen, higher resolution, and quad core would probably come in handy.

I think the i7 13" is a poor value, so I wouldn't even consider it. The refreshed MBA (coming any day now) might be OK (we don't know what the specs will be), if you are looking for something portable (it has better resolution than the MBP), but I think you'd probably want an external monitor for heavy work.