iMac w/ Laptop... Good choice or waste of $?

[Sun Baked]

You are correct, but the MBP GFX card is noticeably slower than the iMac's and has been shown to be under-clocked to control heat.

The higher thermal envelope in the desktop does indeed help, and allows the faster CPU/GPU speeds far earlier than the notebook. And as Fonzijr1964, the lack of a battery is also a major plus.

Still comes down to deciding on how much you want to spend on duplication of equipment, and how much you want to spend to get a specific GPU in the machine -- and whether that money is worth it.

Looking at barefeats will help, if they have the benchmarks for the game you are interested in. But $2200 for a machine just to play WOW is pricey.

 

[nidserz]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8310/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/107)

I am in college and I have the same iMac model you are looking at and a laptop. It works for me as only school stuff is done on the laptop (can take it to class, friends place, library). All my personal stuff is on the desktop. Personally I find it a good combo while others find it a waste.

 

[Fonzijr1964]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8310/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/107)

I am in college and I have the same iMac model you are looking at and a laptop. It works for me as only school stuff is done on the laptop (can take it to class, friends place, library). All my personal stuff is on the desktop. Personally I find it a good combo while others find it a waste.

thats exactly what i just said

 

[Mac In School]

I have a Mac Pro and a MacBook Pro. One for in-office use, one for traveling and moving around the house.

I've already decided that my next Mac is probably just going to be a MacBook Pro with an external monitor, etc. I love the .Mac syncing, but there's something to be said for having the exact same stuff wherever I am. The only reasonable, reliable way to achieve this is to have only one computer.

But that's just me. We can help you weigh the pros and cons. In the end, it's up to you to decide what works best for you.

 

[Genden]

I can't thank you all enough for your informative replies. All of them have been very helpful in the processing of this decision. It's all going to come down to this Friday when I get my paycheck. Thanks again, and if I have wasted your time in anyway possible please find it in your heart to forgive me. Much love and respect,

Genden

 

[D4F]

I have a Mac Pro and a MacBook Pro. One for in-office use, one for traveling and moving around the house.

I've already decided that my next Mac is probably just going to be a MacBook Pro with an external monitor, etc. I love the .Mac syncing, but there's something to be said for having the exact same stuff wherever I am. The only reasonable, reliable way to achieve this is to have only one computer.

But that's just me. We can help you weigh the pros and cons. In the end, it's up to you to decide what works best for you.

Have you tried External HDs??
I have 3 computers + one at work and I have pretty much all same stuff on all of them.

 

[Tannerozzy]

I'm in the EXACT same boat! I've had the Macbook Air since it was released and I love it. It was my first mac. But honestly... it can be a little slow. It does what it was made for, and it does it amazingly; portability. But lately I've been thinking about the new iMac. I like to mess around with editing video, audio, and pictures a lot and it just goes sooo slow on the Air. I just can't decide if the speed is worth $2,300 (I would customize the iMac as much as possible to make sure it's up to date for awhile). I know it just comes down to choice, but wow... it's a HARD choice!

 

[Fonzijr1964]

I'm in the EXACT same boat! I've had the Macbook Air since it was released and I love it. It was my first mac. But honestly... it can be a little slow. It does what it was made for, and it does it amazingly; portability. But lately I've been thinking about the new iMac. I like to mess around with editing video, audio, and pictures a lot and it just goes sooo slow on the Air. I just can't decide if the speed is worth $2,300 (I would customize the iMac as much as possible to make sure it's up to date for awhile). I know it just comes down to choice, but wow... it's a HARD choice!

the Air is definitely a second computer

 

[gehrbox]

FWIW, the iMac uses the same RAM as the MacBook, MacBook Pro and Mac mini.

The iMac's released in 2008 use PC6400. The MacBook Pro, MacBook and Mac Mini use PC2-5300.

 

[Fonzijr1964]

The iMac's released in 2008 use PC6400. The MacBook Pro, MacBook and Mac Mini use PC2-5300.

ha ^HA

 

[mslide]

I own both an iMac and a Macbook and wouldn't have it any other way. For the longest time, I owned only a single laptop (windows laptops before my macbook). I would hook the laptop up to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse when at home. Then came external speakers, printer, iPod, etc. It got to the point that I was never using my laptop as a mobile computer because I hated unplugging all the wires, packing everything up and whatnot. I finally decided to get an iMac and it's great. I now use my macbook for what it was made for... mobile computing.

I would much rather have both a smaller, lighter and less powerful laptop and a good desktop computer, than only have one single really-powerful (and larger/heavier) laptop. I travel a lot and I hate lugging around big laptops, even something like a 15" MBP. Yet, I still like to play the occasional game when at home and it's nice to have something more powerful there. I also feel better having my personal information only on my desktop.

 

[glowjangles]

I own both an iMac and a Macbook and wouldn't have it any other way. For the longest time, I owned only a single laptop (windows laptops before my macbook). I would hook the laptop up to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse when at home. Then came external speakers, printer, iPod, etc. It got to the point that I was never using my laptop as a mobile computer because I hated unplugging all the wires, packing everything up and whatnot. I finally decided to get an iMac and it's great. I now use my macbook for what it was made for... mobile computing.

I would much rather have both a smaller, lighter and less powerful laptop and a good desktop computer, than only have one single really-powerful (and larger/heavier) laptop. I travel a lot and I hate lugging around big laptops, even something like a 15" MBP. Yet, I still like to play the occasional game when at home and it's nice to have something more powerful there. I also feel better having my personal information only on my desktop.

Word. Is the back and forth syncing of files a hassle at all?

 

[Genden]

I know this is kinda late, I guess it's my style, but since someone revived the thread, just wanted to let you know that I didn't end up getting an iMac... Especially in these times, I thought it was going to be way too much. Much love and respect everyone.