Macbook Pro 17" or iMac 27"

[Regnis]

I just don't know what to do at the moment guys.... I can:

a) get the Macbook pro 17" laptop ($2899 refurbished) or
b) get the iMac 27" ($2047 - with student discount)

I know this is a question that really only I can answer but I wouldn't mind a little bit of help.

I am primarily using it for
*photography
*university studies
*using the web
*a little bit of gaming.. (does anyone know if you can hook a xbox 360 up to the iMac?/ think you can)

I don't travel a whole lot at the moment...
The laptop would be good for taking it around to peoples places to show them photos, (I do alot of surf photography and football matches) but I know I can just put it on a disk and take this around anyways.

[MATT]

Go the Quad 27" sweet as.. Not portable but would be fantastic..

And why not a PC??

MATT

[JM Tran]

A PC will be a better system for your budget as well as better for gaming, and upgrading parts in the future etc

a decent gaming spec PC from MSY can be built for around 1k or less, leaving u with another 1.5k to get a decent laptop to take around to show ppl pics

[Nikolas]

If you get a pc just be sure to shore it up against trojans viruses etc.
Be prepared to defrag it whenever it needs etc. etc. etc.
Or get the imac and just use it as intended.
If you "must" use windows then make a pc partition load windows 7 and you have 2 pc's

[Calxoddity]

Hi,
If you actually NEED portability, then the laptop is the only viable option. The iMac is the better computer though - I've got the 24" and it's fantastic - the 27" only gets better (bigger screen, disk, processor, RAM).

It's going to be a trade-off between portability at the expense of features and speed, versus screen, features and speed at the expense of portability. Your call!

PS - Ignore that PC tout in the earlier post. If I'm in the market for a BMW, I'm not going to be interested in a Commodore with a body kit....

Regards,
Calx

[TOM]

If I'm in the market for a BMW, I'm not going to be interested in a Commodore with a body kit....

[Colourised]

id go for the imac 27" if i dont need much portability. it definitely is that awesome imo!

[JM Tran]

Hi,
If you actually NEED portability, then the laptop is the only viable option. The iMac is the better computer though - I've got the 24" and it's fantastic - the 27" only gets better (bigger screen, disk, processor, RAM).

It's going to be a trade-off between portability at the expense of features and speed, versus screen, features and speed at the expense of portability. Your call!

PS - Ignore that PC tout in the earlier post. If I'm in the market for a BMW, I'm not going to be interested in a Commodore with a body kit....

Regards,
Calx

so I guess a Mac would be more comparable to a Rover then, not a BMW sorry. As Rovers are often overpriced, lack aftermarket parts, used by uptight ppl who wants to be different and claim its better, but dont really have any real reasons to

you should work for Apple's marketing dept, Commodore with a bodykit, hilarious!

[bigdazzler]

but dont really have any real reasons to
!

how bout because they simply work better ?? Plenty good enough reason for me .. neither of mine have missed a beat ... ever ... unlike my previous Windoze PCs ...

[JM Tran]

how bout because they simply work better ?? Plenty good enough reason for me .. neither of mine have missed a beat ... ever ... unlike my previous Windoze PCs ...

I use both for work though, for full time photography. Unless you have CS4 and Lightroom running over 12 hours a day for 7 days a week then u would be in a better position to comment on it for photography work right? Not to mention I play a lot of games too in between on both machines.

They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but to say Mac is better cos they work better - is not very substantial. A previous post about PCs getting trojans a lot, well mine doesnt get that, I dont look at porn or go on stupid sites and have decent anti virus software.

Never misses a beat Darren? How about when something shat itself? My PC's mobo shat itself when I was doing some editing work in HK, I just walked down to some electronics market in Mong Kok, bought a replacement and installed it myself and resumed my editing 6 hours later.

If Macs simply work better, the whole world would be using it by now, and carrying Ipods too. But we dont, so thank god for that!

[bigdazzler]

, used by uptight ppl who wants to be different and claim its better, but dont really have any real reasons to

you expect your opinions to be respected yet you make stupid comments like that ?? "Used by uptight people ??" please mate ...

I was speaking from my experience .. Ive had PCs and at some point theyve always failed for one reason or another. Now I have macs, and guess what ?? they havent, EVER.

I use Aperture and CS4 for a good portion of most days too mate .. so your point about that is moot. Admittedly I dont "game" ... Not really my thing, if you know what I mean

And you say "your PC shat itself in HK .. ?? " Ah right your PC .... the mac probably wouldnt have stopped in the first place

[JM Tran]

you expect your opinions to be respected yet you make stupid comments like that ?? "Used by uptight people ??" please mate ...

I was speaking from my experience .. Ive had PCs and at some point theyve always failed for one reason or another. Now I have macs, and guess what ?? they havent, EVER.

I use Aperture and CS4 for a good portion of most days too mate .. so your point about that is moot. Admittedly I dont "game" ... Not really my thing, if you know what I mean

And you say "your PC shat itself in HK .. ?? " Ah right your PC .... the mac probably wouldnt have stopped in the first place

u realize that uptight comment was meant to be a joke

ah yes, the myth about Macs never having a problem or breaking down, well my colleagues and friends have had problems in the past, photographers and casual users etc. Off it goes to the Apple Centre and disappear for weeks to god knows how long. Wonder how that would affect your clients because you cannot do any processing on it?

all hail the almighty Macintosh, for thou are invincible to any break downs or problems*sarcasm meter explodes*

[bigdazzler]

only stating the facts for me mate ... no myths, no going along with the masses, no anything. As I said, my PCS have broken down, my macs havent. So in regard to my original comment about them working better, they do. Simple really.

Anyways, to the OP ....Unless you really need the portability, go the 27" imac mate, I havent heard of anyone switching over and then saying "Oh geez I really miss my PC and its wonderfully stable Windows OS ... "

[Culhwch]

I've used nothing but PCs (desktop and laptop) for a decade and a bit now (and that makes me feel real old thinking about it) and never had an issue. So the coin flips both ways. You can get burned with both. You can have great luck with both. I'd never go for a Mac, purely because of the inability to upgrade after purchase (and the price - that much and refurbished!). I built the machine I'm running now, and it cost about a grand total, and it absolutely purrs along. And if I want to boost its performance now that the tech has moved on a bit, it'd only cost me a couple of hundred to do it, rather than shilling for a whole new machine - as I assume you'd need to for a Mac. But each to their own - if a Mac is what you want, go for it. We have iMacs at work (running Windows, go figure) and they sure do have a pretty screen, though they are overly reflective (turns out in an open-plan office that's a real bad choice...). I hate the keyboard and mouse that come standard, though, I swapped out the mouse for an old Dell one first chance I got.

Oh, and I love my iPod Classic. You'd have to pry that out of my cold, dead fingers.

[nisstrust]

Read this:
http://macperformanceguide.com/
+ plus this:
http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/index.html

= and then make up your mind.