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Would This be downgrading?

S

soul18

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 11, 2010
8
0
Hey,

I have bin in the mix for a Macbook Pro for a couple of months now, Waiting for the upgrade like many others. Not sure whether or not i should, i currently own this computer:

ATi 4850. Intel® Core® 2 Duo. (E8400 (3.0GHz, 6MB, 1333FSB) , 1 - 4850 1GB PCI-E Graphics Card, Asus P5Q PRO Motherboard , 500GB Sata 2 Hard Drive , 4GB - OCZ2P800R22GK Memory )

I was wondering really by selling this and going for the macbook pro would this sort of be downgrading instead of the opposite. I work with macs most days, and i am very familiar with them. One of the main reasons i want one!

I know i am comparing a desktop computer with a laptop, but how much would i be sacrificing if anything? My uses really consist of photoshop, video editing, photo editing and a some light gaming.

Any comments will be appreciated.
 
Depends on which version of the MBP you're going to be going for.

I have a 2009 MBP (specs in sig), and I do pretty much the same things you mentioned - use PS CS4, Aperture, and I play a few games on there too, mine's snappy and fast, never (I repeat, *never*) noticed much to any lag at all, and since macs tend to run faster than PC's (even when the PC is spec'd with slightly superior components), I wouldn't say it's a 'downgrade', even if you're going for a base model MBP with slightly lower specs.
 
I'd hazard a guess that the 15" MBP would be faster, given that you'll be using an arrandale based machine as opposed to C2D machine. The GPU is another question, and others who are more familiar with both can chime in.

I'd say that's really the one wildcard in the equation. All else is the same or faster performer then your current machine.
 
soul18 said:
Hey,

I have bin in the mix for a Macbook Pro for a couple of months now, Waiting for the upgrade like many others. Not sure whether or not i should, i currently own this computer:

ATi 4850. Intel® Core® 2 Duo. (E8400 (3.0GHz, 6MB, 1333FSB) , 1 - 4850 1GB PCI-E Graphics Card, Asus P5Q PRO Motherboard , 500GB Sata 2 Hard Drive , 4GB - OCZ2P800R22GK Memory )

I was wondering really by selling this and going for the macbook pro would this sort of be downgrading instead of the opposite. I work with macs most days, and i am very familiar with them. One of the main reasons i want one!

I know i am comparing a desktop computer with a laptop, but how much would i be sacrificing if anything? My uses really consist of photoshop, video editing, photo editing and a some light gaming.

Any comments will be appreciated.
Click to expand...


Well the main deciding factor is... do you want OSx, worse spces, and a glowing apple? or do you want crappy windows and better specs? I would go with the MBP. It should definitely fit your needs.
 
Can't you keep that PC? Selling it ain't really worth it as C2Ds are dirt cheap and 4850 is also less than 100$. Keep it and get a refurb/low-end MBP
 
soul18 said:
Hey,

I have bin in the mix for a Macbook Pro for a couple of months now, Waiting for the upgrade like many others. Not sure whether or not i should, i currently own this computer:

ATi 4850. Intel® Core® 2 Duo. (E8400 (3.0GHz, 6MB, 1333FSB) , 1 - 4850 1GB PCI-E Graphics Card, Asus P5Q PRO Motherboard , 500GB Sata 2 Hard Drive , 4GB - OCZ2P800R22GK Memory )

I was wondering really by selling this and going for the macbook pro would this sort of be downgrading instead of the opposite. I work with macs most days, and i am very familiar with them. One of the main reasons i want one!

I know i am comparing a desktop computer with a laptop, but how much would i be sacrificing if anything? My uses really consist of photoshop, video editing, photo editing and a some light gaming.

Any comments will be appreciated.
Click to expand...


I would say it would be an upgrade, just not a drastic one. The machine in my sig lightning fast. I don't do video or image editing so I don't need the machine for quite the same purpose. I can get away with a SSD because I work with text files (programming) all day where as you couldn't get away with using one (at least an affordable one) and need more space. I say upgrade and get an i7 with 8gb of memory and a high res screen of your choice.

If you already had a Mac I wouldn't say upgrade. But since you are getting slightly better hardware and much better software, I would pull the trigger and get an i7. I have never been more satisfied with a computer.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, i could keep my current set up but the idea is i will be using the laptop, at home and when out and about as my primary computer. Ideally i would like to sell it to give my self some extra funds, all be it not that not much.

I would most likely go for the 2.66 15-inch Macbook Pro with the i7 and the 512mb of vram, which i think could come in handy with some of applications and maybe some games.

Do you think this computer will be future proof for at-least say 3 years or so? Maybe a little shorter, Hoping i could keep this for a couple of years and hope the computer can keep up with the future applications etc.

Cheers.
 
I kept my last 17'' PowerBook G4 for 5 years before getting a new one (two weeks ago). I could keep this one for another 5 but I am actually going to start upgrading with every refresh (other than minor speed increases) to avoid dropping $2500 every 4-5 years. Instead I would rather spend $400-$500 dollars and selling my old one every year or so to constantly get a new machine. It seems more practical and cheaper in the long run...at least the way I have looked at it.

The 15'' i7 is perfectly sized. Not too big and not too small. Sometimes I honestly feel like I am holding a 13''....maybe it's just the drastic switch from the PowerBrick to the MBP.
 
soul18 said:
Do you think this computer will be future proof for at-least say 3 years or so? Maybe a little shorter, Hoping i could keep this for a couple of years and hope the computer can keep up with the future applications etc.
Click to expand...

3 years? If you got a 2.66 i7 you'd be fine for longer than that. I'd argue that C2D's will be great for 3 more years, and longer than that for the average user.
 
Yeah i guessed in terms of the Processor it would be perfectly fine for at-least a couple of years, but how about in terms of the graphics card? Maybe a silly question but is there any chance i would be able to change the graphics card in the future? As i am guessing this is going to be the only component lacking some what for some applications maybe.

Although i would probably go with upgrading for most refreshes as i here that that re-sell prices are fairly good for these laptops?
 
shadygrove said:
I kept my last 17'' PowerBook G4 for 5 years before getting a new one (two weeks ago). I could keep this one for another 5 but I am actually going to start upgrading with every refresh (other than minor speed increases) to avoid dropping $2500 every 4-5 years. Instead I would rather spend $400-$500 dollars and selling my old one every year or so to constantly get a new machine. It seems more practical and cheaper in the long run...at least the way I have looked at it.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I've been doing the past 2 years. Except now, I own the 13" from last spring and it's only gonna get me about $850 and I'm gonna be getting the 17" i7 ($2279 after tax and student discounts). But this kne will last me a few product refreshes before I upgrade again.
 
As far as I can tell the high end 15" MBP would be faster in everyday except the GPU the gpu in that computer is almost twice as powerful if I remember correctly.
 
I the ATI GPU in your PC is better than the graphics in the MBP, but that's just a tradeoff with a laptop. The graphics certainly aren't bad, it just doesn't quite have the power of a desktop. I would say go for it, any of the 15" or 17" could easily handle what you want to do, and I'll bet the 13" could even do a pretty good job of it.
 
soul18 said:
Hey,

I have bin in the mix for a Macbook Pro for a couple of months now, Waiting for the upgrade like many others. Not sure whether or not i should, i currently own this computer:

ATi 4850. Intel® Core® 2 Duo. (E8400 (3.0GHz, 6MB, 1333FSB) , 1 - 4850 1GB PCI-E Graphics Card, Asus P5Q PRO Motherboard , 500GB Sata 2 Hard Drive , 4GB - OCZ2P800R22GK Memory )

I was wondering really by selling this and going for the macbook pro would this sort of be downgrading instead of the opposite. I work with macs most days, and i am very familiar with them. One of the main reasons i want one!

I know i am comparing a desktop computer with a laptop, but how much would i be sacrificing if anything? My uses really consist of photoshop, video editing, photo editing and a some light gaming.

Any comments will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
In case you go for the 15" or 17": You'll gain a little bit of CPU power but lose quite a bit of graphics performance (which should be only relevant for games, the graphics card in the MBP is more than enough for your work needs). Overall the performance will feel pretty similar to what you're used to from your desktop machine (except for gaming). If you want the notebook be (significantly) faster: Upgrade to a SSD later.

For Photoshop and especially video editing, I highly suggest getting at least the 15" w/ hi-res display because applications like Final Cut are no fun at 1440x900. I also suggest getting a 7200rpm hard-drive in the MBP.

Oh, and BTW: I don't know what you use for photo/video editing but if you plan to use the machine exclusively under windows, there are better alternatives out there. Boot Camp is okay for occasional use but it's far from optimal.
 
The 13" has all the power you need...the 320m is probably the fastest integrated graphics card out there.

If you still want to stay in the price range of the 13" but want a larger screen for photoshop, have you considered a refurb 15" from the 2009 refresh? These are core2duo machines with dedicated and integrated graphics. You'll get these for significantly cheaper than the current i5/i7 machines, as you really don't need that much power.

Just trying to save you a buck! Good luck man.
 
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