imac or macbook pro

phrozenthedruid

Solid State Member
Messages
6
So I know this thread is for non computer topics, but I didn't know where else to post this.

So I have been racking my brain for days now, undecided with what to do. I am stuck between getting either a Macbook Pro, or a 21.5inch imac (the $1499 upgraded one). Now let me explain my issue.

I currently have a Dell studio 17inch laptop, which is still in great condition, I use it for school, homework, browsing the web, and more importantly, video games.

My desktop I have sitting at home is complete garbage, I havent used it in months.

So I'm stuck between the pro or the imac. I find it weird to have two awesome laptops, if i get the pro, but the portability is nice, but the price is high!

The imac gets me with the huge screen.

I plan to use the computer for school, gaming, as well as the option to use the high end editing programs, or even just imovie. My major in college is broadcast communications, and I might need to dabble in editing and what not, just to be well rounded.

But still unsure what to get, so I ask for your help.
What do you think?

specs for the imac

21.5-inch: 3.2GHz
3.2GHz Intel Core i3
1920-by-1080 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB

specs for the pro
15 inch 2.4ghz
4gb memory
320 gb harddrive
nvidia geforce gt 330m 256mb
 
Many people are going to try to convince you to purchase a PC instead. I might even do the same, but I'll refrain from that. Since you've already got a laptop (and it's a PC), I'd go with the iMac if I were given these two choices. It doesn't sound like you need the Mac to physically be WITH you in your class (unless I'm wrong.)

Reasoning? You've got a perfectly fine laptop to fill-in the need for portability. Get yourself the desktop and enjoy the best of both worlds. Plus, if you're a student, you can get a free printer and iPod touch (if they're still running the promo). I sold the extras and got myself $250 back when I purchased my sister a Macbook a few months ago.

If you absolutely have to stick with a Mac, then iMac it is. Leave the MBP for another time.
 
Better hardware for a lower price.

I'm not a PC fanboy, nor am I anti-Apple. But when it comes to desktops, you can build yourself a monster computer and get a great monitor for the price of the iMac. Hell, even if you're not interested in building your own computer, places like Costco, Sam's Club, etc, offer amazing packages that are ridiculously good. There's a package on Costco.com that has a 27" LCD and an amazing i7 build. Pretty nuts if you think about it.

Just my $.02. I'm eating pasta so I can't type much atm. :)
 
If you REALLY feel like the Mac will come in handy with class, then the choice is clear. There is no easy alternative when they're required tools for class. But if you have a choice and a PC can do the job for you, then your options will become cheaper and more plentiful.
 
I'm just so unsure! No one has come out and said we NEED a mac, it's just everyone has one, and they all say they are good for editing and what not and blah blah blah.

this is what someone had to say, is it true for the most part?

You can put any versions of Windows on a Mac and they will run better. Why do people not build their own Macs - because the hardware in each Mac is optimized to mesh together with each other component. When building a PC - you will have compatible hardware - but latency's etc do not always match which affects the performance of the computer. Yes you can get a PC for $700 - take a look at the components - the RAM, Processor, Chipset, etc and compare replacement costs for that model with the components from a Mac. You will find the $700 machine components are definitely on the lower spectrum, whereas the Mac components are on the upper. There is more to it than just marketing and numbers, eg. 2.8Ghz or 2GB RAM. Also a quick note on the Office Suite - MS Office is not free for PC - MS Works is - but Office is quite expensive. Also to say Mac is having problems updating MS Office for Mac - Mac has nothing to do with updates for MS Office - hence the name MS (Microsoft) - this is their software and if Microsoft wants more people working with Windows on a PC - do you think they will have a completely flawless version of office that will run on a machine that does not have a Windows OS that they can monitor. Picking the right machine is important - you need to figure out what you want to do with it. For office drones - a pc is great. For marketing, productivity, development, etc a Mac is great because the OS is built on a Unix backbone. If we leave the Operating Systems alone for now - and just look at hardware as both OS's can be installed on either set of hardware. To compare a Mac which is optimized to run at the highest speeds without interference at all times with a thrown together PC - where one buys this video card because it has SLI and 512MB of onboard memory with great reviews but it has conflicts with the MB chipset and then say the systems are the same is equivalent to comparing a Ford Mustang to a Ferrari.
I am both a PC user and a Mac user - have built PC's for years and know that should be rebuilding every 18 months if I want to keep the system from crawling. A Mac does not experience the drop in performance.
 
While some of the stuff he points out are correct and make sense, other stuff are merely opinion or, quite frankly, junk.

If you don't absolutely need the Mac, then you have a choice. At that point, you can either go for the laptop or the desktop. THEN, you have to decide if you'd want a Mac or a PC; THEN, you have to decide whether you'd want to build your own or buy a pre-built one.

You've got quite a lot of choices to make, so I suggest you start by answering some of those questions I asked since they are, in the end, your decision you need to make. We can post here all day and give you our opinion on things, but you have to make that initial decision.

If I were you, I'd consider a desktop, and I'd build my own PC. You wouldn't have any compatibility problems to worry about between your laptop/desktop at that point, either.
 
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