Hello, everyone.
I am looking to buy a new Mac desktop. Maybe one of the most important things for me is the screen. I had a MacBook Air for about 8 or 9 months, but I had to sell it and go with a Retina MacBook Pro. I"ll say this from the beginning : this laptop is great and it's a great work machine, for my needs. I mainly use Premiere Pro and Final Cut, and even though it doesn't have a dedicated GPU, it still works flawlessly. I now use that as my main computer, and while a 15" display is more than enough for when I'm on the go, I would like more real screen estate when I am at home.
However, I am not looking for a powerhouse. The only things that I will be doing on a new machine will be web browsing, email, iTunes and word processing, as well as watching movies. Therefore, I want :
1. A high resolution display.
2. A big display.
2. A computer that runs OS X without any issues.
The 21.5 iMac won't cut it for me, because it's 1080p. While I find the 27" iMac's resolution decent enough, it starts at 1800$ and there's no way I"ll buy anything that has a spinning hard drive. Yes, I know I can throw some flash storage in there, but that"ll make my purchase even more expensive, and at this point, I can't afford a 2000$ computer. Needless to say, I would have gone with the Retina iMac if I had the money.
So I considered two options :
1. Get a 4K monitor and use the MacBook Pro in closed clamshell mode when I am at home - while I find this to be the cheaper option, I don't think I"ll be too comfortable plugging my MacBook constantly into a monitor and also keeping it connected to a power source. This way, I would spend about 500$-600$ on a 4K display and I would have the screen estate I want on a computer I already own.
2. Get a 4K monitor and a Mac Mini late 2014, and go with the mid range model - Dual core 2.6GHz i5, 8GB RAM and get a 256SSD. I am not interested in a 2012 Mac Mini, as it only supports 1080p and the high resolution of the display is a big deal for me. If I get this, I will end up paying 1400$ for a Mac and a 4K display, which I believe is more than decent and I wouldn't have to constantly plug the MacBook into a power outlet.
As far as the 4K monitor is concerned, I am leaning towards the Samsung UHD 28" monitor. The reviews have been pretty good and I can get it for an excellent price where I live. I can hardly get other 4k monitors in that price range, so I think it's a great deal.
What should I do?
I am looking to buy a new Mac desktop. Maybe one of the most important things for me is the screen. I had a MacBook Air for about 8 or 9 months, but I had to sell it and go with a Retina MacBook Pro. I"ll say this from the beginning : this laptop is great and it's a great work machine, for my needs. I mainly use Premiere Pro and Final Cut, and even though it doesn't have a dedicated GPU, it still works flawlessly. I now use that as my main computer, and while a 15" display is more than enough for when I'm on the go, I would like more real screen estate when I am at home.
However, I am not looking for a powerhouse. The only things that I will be doing on a new machine will be web browsing, email, iTunes and word processing, as well as watching movies. Therefore, I want :
1. A high resolution display.
2. A big display.
2. A computer that runs OS X without any issues.
The 21.5 iMac won't cut it for me, because it's 1080p. While I find the 27" iMac's resolution decent enough, it starts at 1800$ and there's no way I"ll buy anything that has a spinning hard drive. Yes, I know I can throw some flash storage in there, but that"ll make my purchase even more expensive, and at this point, I can't afford a 2000$ computer. Needless to say, I would have gone with the Retina iMac if I had the money.
So I considered two options :
1. Get a 4K monitor and use the MacBook Pro in closed clamshell mode when I am at home - while I find this to be the cheaper option, I don't think I"ll be too comfortable plugging my MacBook constantly into a monitor and also keeping it connected to a power source. This way, I would spend about 500$-600$ on a 4K display and I would have the screen estate I want on a computer I already own.
2. Get a 4K monitor and a Mac Mini late 2014, and go with the mid range model - Dual core 2.6GHz i5, 8GB RAM and get a 256SSD. I am not interested in a 2012 Mac Mini, as it only supports 1080p and the high resolution of the display is a big deal for me. If I get this, I will end up paying 1400$ for a Mac and a 4K display, which I believe is more than decent and I wouldn't have to constantly plug the MacBook into a power outlet.
As far as the 4K monitor is concerned, I am leaning towards the Samsung UHD 28" monitor. The reviews have been pretty good and I can get it for an excellent price where I live. I can hardly get other 4k monitors in that price range, so I think it's a great deal.
What should I do?
