15" MBP or 24" 2.8 ghz iMac

[brandonpcv]

I posted this thread in the macbook pro forums and they all said to get a mbp.
I will be going to college this year and will be working with final cut express.

Any suggestions?

 

[chscag]

College? Go with the MBP. But be sure you have something like this:

http://www.safeware.com/

Regards.

 

[204467]

Get a MBP for the portability. If you need a bigger screen, get an external. Then you have dual displays!

 

[norcio]

Yeah I would go with the MBP as well. One thing I would definitely do is buy Applecare. Definitely worth the money, but doesn't cover accidental damage.

I have both a 15" MBP and a 24" iMac. To be honest, the new MBP's are fast enough and if you want just buy a 23" ACD and you're money!

 

[204467]

Yeah I would go with the MBP as well. One thing I would definitely do is buy Applecare. Definitely worth the money, but doesn't cover accidental damage.

I have both a 15" MBP and a 24" iMac. To be honest, the new MBP's are fast enough and if you want just buy a 23" ACD and you're money!

I wonder if he's on a budget...
I don't see a college student being able to afford both Apple Care and a 23" Cinema Display.

 

[norcio]

I wonder if he's on a budget...
I don't see a college student being able to afford both Apple Care and a 23" Cinema Display.

True. Here's a piece of advice:

Apple Care is just a box with a DVD and a phone number. You call Apple (or go online), register your computer and that's it. So my advice would be to scour the internet (eBay, craigslist, etc) for an unopened box of Applecare for your MBP at the cheapest price you can find. I used to work for one of the large websites that sells Mac hardware/software, and I know from experience that Applecare has about 30-40% margin built in, so find it cheap online.

As for the display, it's college. Time to get started on that debt!

 

[204467]

True. Here's a piece of advice:

Apple Care is just a box with a DVD and a phone number. You call Apple (or go online), register your computer and that's it. So my advice would be to scour the internet (eBay, craigslist, etc) for an unopened box of Applecare for your MBP at the cheapest price you can find. I used to work for one of the large websites that sells Mac hardware/software, and I know from experience that Applecare has about 30-40% margin built in, so find it cheap online.

As for the display, it's college. Time to get started on that debt!

Ah, good point! I had forgotten that to be in college you either have to be broke as ***** or up to your eyeballs in debt (both the consequence of numerous purchases of various drugs).

 

[SkiHound]

Clearly depends on how you'll use it but I'd think for a college student the MBP. Portability is a pretty big plus. I do the vast majority of my work on a desktop. I really like the real estate of larger screens and have a dual screen (Windows) set up at work. If you think you'll do almost all of your work at the place you reside, I think the iMac is a better choice. BUY a MBP will pretty much give you all the computing power you need and you'll be able to take it to the library (do students ever go to library anymore?), Starbucks, back and forth when making trips home, to class, etc. I have an iMac at home that I really like. I also have a dated, relatively inexpensive notebook. At some point I'll replace the notebook with a low end portable Apple. With a desktop, I just need a low end light weight laptop. If I only had one computer, I'd probably choose a 15" MBP.