A big ole iMac or a whining MBP?!

[mrfop]

Here's my dilemna.

I've been waiting a while to get back into music production using a mac and I'm a bit unsure as to where to lay my hard earned credit card.

It's gonna either be the lovely new MBP 2.0 with 7200 drive, or the 20" iMac with the better graphics card (both with a gig of ram). Now I'm a student so it means I can get a good discount on either of these, and an massive discount on Logic Pro (which is native to Intel now).

To compare prices, with Logic Pro the MBP will cost me £425 more than the iMac. In a nutshell, is this £425 justified?

Another factor to consider is the adoption of different software, because I've heard some brilliant stuff about Ableton Live 5 - you can use it to DJ/play out live using everything on your HD. Here the MBP looks well worth the extra £425.

Taking into account the above factors, I was almost set on going the MBP route, until I got wind of this MBP whine!!! The iMac appears to be silent, yes there are a few fan issues, but nothing that cannot be fixed with a powerdown/reset (certainly nothing compared to the Rev A. G5 iMac issues). Furthermore, I can get the iMac in a few days!!! £425 less, and a massive screen. No whine, will the MBP whine be fixed?!

Of course the main thing to consider is the fact that I will not be able to plonk the iMac in my rucksack and then play out with it. DJin out is not essential via the laptop, there's always vinyl and CDs, but the opportunities it affords ...

The pro's of the iMac are definately the massive screen, Logic Pro on that would be a dream.

I'd love to know your thoughts.

Cheers. Dave

 

[jadekitty24]

Do you know for a fact that the MacBook whines or are you just going by what you've read? I played around with one for a bit and didn't notice any whining.

 

[mvelinder]

Do you know for a fact that the MacBook whines or are you just going by what you've read? I played around with one for a bit and didn't notice any whining.

I'm beginning to think it's all in their heads...

 

[watchmainspring]

my macbook whines, very loudly and very clearly.

 

[buryyourbrideau]

i was at the apple store today, i went to check the buzzing out for myself since mine will be here in 8 days, the only way i heard it was having my ear to the keyboard, i can assure its not a big deal.

 

[ieani]

i was at the apple store today, i went to check the buzzing out for myself since mine will be here in 8 days, the only way i heard it was having my ear to the keyboard, i can assure its not a big deal.

Thats also the only way I can usually here anything on the speakers, since the stores are pretty loud.

 

[mrfop]

Well obviously ppl are concerned, I have not heard this whine first hand for myself. I'm store bound as soon as I get chance.

The stores are noisy however, you cannot get a true rep of the problem. I had a Rev A G5 iMac, and that noise was infuriating ... took it to the store, couldn't hear it! Perhaps people could ask to take it out to a studio room, that's what they're there for.

The other point one guy made was that his dad couldn't hear it, probably bec it was a high frequency, hence the old fella was immune!

This mirror widget thing seems to sort it, hopefully this can be replicated by Apple in a standard software update.

In my frustration at Apple not releasing a beautiful AND silent machine, I've been looking around for alternatives (i.e. PC laptops! ). What did I find? Apple's machine is the best, it's the best gaming/music/portable laptop on the market. No other laptop that offers 256 graphix is less than an inch thin, and the battery life is never over 2 hours, plus they never look so damn sexy. If only it were quiet (like every iBook I've ever used), Apple would have a laptop revolution!