new MBP 15 or iMac 27"?

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Help! I've been trying to decide on which computer to buy for weeks.

I don't really need the mobility of laptop per se (since my company gave me a laptop to use), but I'd love the power of quad core for under $2000 since I know I'd be using VMware and some other intensive stuff.

But almost for the same price, I can get a computer with incredible screen size... hmm... and I know I'll be getting an iPad2 soon, and I thought carrying a laptop and the ipad could be too much.



What do you think?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doppio View Post


    help! I've been trying to decide on which computer to buy for weeks.

    I don't really need the mobility of laptop per se (since my company gave me a laptop to use), but i'd love the power of quad core for under $2000 since i know i'd be using vmware and some other intensive stuff.

    But almost for the same price, i can get a computer with incredible screen size... Hmm... And i know i'll be getting an ipad2 soon, and i thought carrying a laptop and the ipad could be too much.



    What do you think?



    mbp 15 all the way
  • Reply 2 of 4
    reganregan Posts: 474member
    Well, if you already have a laptop from work, and you plan on getting an ipad2 later....id go with the 27" iMac for sure! Especially if you prefer power over mobility.



    HOWEVER....i'd WAIT a few more weeks since the iMacs are about to be updated. It should be a minor speed bump update, but They will most definitely be getting Thunderbolt which just debued in the macbook pros.



    And thats my 2 cents. :-p
  • Reply 3 of 4
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doppio View Post


    Help! I've been trying to decide on which computer to buy for weeks.

    I don't really need the mobility of laptop per se (since my company gave me a laptop to use), but I'd love the power of quad core for under $2000 since I know I'd be using VMware and some other intensive stuff.

    But almost for the same price, I can get a computer with incredible screen size... hmm... and I know I'll be getting an iPad2 soon, and I thought carrying a laptop and the ipad could be too much.



    What do you think?



    It's hard to compare right now as the iMac is due a refresh. Right now, you can get a 2.00GHz quad i7 MBP for $1799 and only a quad i5 iMac for $1999 and the 2.00GHz MBP comes close to matching the $2200 iMac i7 performance.



    http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/398879

    http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/398814



    The 2.2GHz MBP matches/exceeds the i7 iMac for the same price:



    http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/399298



    Also exceeds the entry Mac Pro:



    http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/397681



    One huge benefit the MBP has is that it's far easier to access the storage so you can throw in an SSD drive in place of the optical or internal HDD and this will help with virtualisation a lot when it comes to suspend/resume or heavy IO tasks:



    http://h30423.www3.hp.com/?fr_story=...9a8&rf=sitemap



    You do only get 2 USB ports vs 4 on the iMac but I'm sure someone will come up with USB adaptors for Thunderbolt or docking stations.



    Concerning the screen size, the 27" screen is a very spacious screen and would let you run a VM at a high resolution but it's very glossy and the high density makes UI elements quite small. If you got the $1799 MBP, you could get a $300 external 23" IPS screen:



    http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VP23...3468229&sr=1-2



    Then you have both the MBP screen and the external to use so you can even run a VM on one and your main desktop on the other.



    Apple could wait until WWDC to bring in new iMac and Mac Pro designs (6-7 weeks away) so it might be worth waiting for. I'd personally get the MBP just to be able to install an SSD and to get what is essentially a Mac Pro that you can put in a backpack.
  • Reply 4 of 4
    I went for the 17" MacBook Pro for the portability. After years of owning a desktop I realised I wanted the mobility and hate having the extra space that is needed together with a desk... chair.



    My laptop hooks up to my 42" hdtv set if I want to hook up to a larger screen and I even have the wireless trackpad + keyboard if I want to charge the laptop and stick it out of the way whilst I work with the hdtv set-up.



    I love this so much as I have a bit more freedom. Plus the latest MacBook Pro screams. The 2.2GHz quad is as fast as a current iMac pretty much.
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