MacBook to iMac, possibly...

[ivanwi11iams]

On 13th May, I bought a MacBook Pro 13". I've been saying for years, I'd get a Mac one day (been a Windows user my entire life, and I'm an IT Support Manager, too).

I've also been looking at the iMac 21" or 27" (to be honest, 27" might be too large).

Obviously, the difference between the iMac and MacBook is that one is portable. Besides that, would one lose anything if moving from a MacBook to an iMac? I'm mainly thinking from a speed and memory perspective...

 

[varian55zx]

Well, MacBooks come default with fast SSDs and some iMacs will come with a platter hard drive as default. SSD's provide a far better user experience.

If you do most of your computing at home I imagine you'd prefer to have a desktop, they're far more ergonomic.

I have both but easily prefer my desktop iMac 27 inch.

Depending on the MacBook it could also have a better processor than one of the 21.5 models.

Also, 21.5 iMac doesn't have user upgradable ram and only has integrated graphics. You already mentioned you don't have it but one of the 15 inch MacBooks comes with a dedicated graphics card.

There's probably more to cover but that's some of it.

 

[MRxROBOT]

If you go with the base iMac you will lose significant drive speed. PCIe SSD vs HDD.

Can you list specifics about the models you are trying to compare?

 

[Fishrrman]

If you do end up getting an iMac, get the 27".

You will NEVER regret having done so.

 

[ivanwi11iams]

...thanks for the replies. Currently, at home I have an HP Z600 Workstation. A beast of a machine, with a 500GB SSD, and a second hard drive (SATA), for backups. Do I need that beast, probably not.

I mainly use my computer for browsing the Internet, Office 2016 applications, Quicken, VPN and RDP.
I've always wanted a Mac, of some sort, and I'm in a position, currently, to purchase one.

Today, I was browsing the Best Buy shop, and noticed that the MacBook Pro 13.3", I just bought, has $150 off (it had $100 off, when I bought it on 13th May). Then I started looking at the iMac, and thought I could return my MacBook, and buy an iMac...

In addition, I guess I could get an iMac, and then get a keyboard for my iPad Air II. That way, I can certainly type much bloody faster, when sitting on the sofa

See, decisions, decisions...

 

[scott911]

Similar to you - I just moved from PC world, and bought Both a 27" imac, and a 13" macbook pro wihin last three weeks - all in, right?

Performance wise, no real massive differences outside of what you'd anticipate from specs - and being in IT support role, you probably already have a pretty good idea what differences you'll see across range when choosing options, like ssd vs spinner. Spinner sucks btw, but I got one on imac due to big sale on base imac - so I plans to upgrade latter.

In terms of 27" imac - - I seems huge when unboxing. but give it one day. It will feel just fine. And the spec upgrade between what's included between 21" and 27" models is significant. So for me it was an easy up-sell.

In terms of form factor - I have to say, I'm using the desktop a lot less than the laptop. and less than I expected. Being tied to the computer desk, in the computer room, kind of idea seems a bit old fashioned.

 

[ivanwi11iams]

I appreciate the feedback. You're giving me even more to think about now.
And with that, another idea would be to simply get a MacBook Pro 15", FULLY LOADED.

All in...Oh My Goodness! The choices...

Similar to you - I just moved from PC world, and bought Both a 27" imac, and a 13" macbook pro wihin last three weeks - all in, right?

Performance wise, no real massive differences outside of what you'd anticipate from specs - and being in IT support role, you probably already have a pretty good idea what differences you'll see across range when choosing options, like ssd vs spinner. Spinner sucks btw, but I got one on imac due to big sale on base imac - so I plans to upgrade latter.

In terms of 27" imac - - I seems huge when unboxing. but give it one day. It will feel just fine. And the spec upgrade between what's included between 21" and 27" models is significant. So for me it was an easy up-sell.

In terms of form factor - I have to say, I'm using the desktop a lot less than the laptop. and less than I expected. Being tied to the computer desk, in the computer room, kind of idea seems a bit old fashioned.

 

[MRxROBOT]

You're now comparing the base $1,299 MacBook Pro to the fully loaded $3,199 MacBook Pro (2.8GHz 1TB)?

I think you need to sit down and decide what you need from a MacBook before purchasing another Mac and (possibly) returning it. In your other thread you stated that your new iMac is slower than you're MacBook but you assumed it would be faster because of clock speed not factoring in the PCIe SSD vs HDD. See Post #3, It could have saved you a trip to the store .

If you have the money to spend go ahead and buy the fully loaded MacBook Pro, it will outperform the 13.3". Will you make use of the additional cores? If the answer is no than you can take the $1900 (or whatever the price difference is at Best Buy) and put it words a MacBook with a larger SSD and purchase a 4K external display plus have money left over. Just some things to consider.

 

[maflynn]

And with that, another idea would be to simply get a MacBook Pro 15", FULLY LOADED.

If you're going with that, why not buy an iMac with the SSD and also select the 27" model which has a Skylake processor and dGPU.

Givne your other threads, it appears you opted for the hard drive (non-fusion) model, which unfortunately is the slowest.

 

[sartrekid]

Using a laptop as my main machine has never worked for some reason. I use my Retina Macbook Pro for its intended use - for when I need mobility. When I work at home, I need my own space, a quiet room and a desktop computer. I have been using workhorses before (Mac Pros) and recently did the switch to the 27" iMac (late 2015). I chose the m395 and the 2TB Fusion drive which has a 128 GB SSD.

While at home, I use my Macbook Pro as a secondary machine. I spent the majority of my time (work) on the iMac and am 100% satisfied. I use it for productivity (illustration, editing, and the like). I can say that it's been a wonderful experience for me. I absolutely adore the screen. In fact, had Apple offered an even larger display, I'd have gone with that instead of the 27". I need a lot of screen real estate while working and I like the form factor of the iMac. I could use an external screen for my Macbook Pro but I am not a fan of having to plug and unplug all the time. It's a matter of convenience.

 

[Sirmausalot]

I can see you're overloading yourself with options and choices. But looking at your posts, you do 90%, maybe more work at a desk. You also have an iPad Air to cover your portable needs.

The 27 iMac is the right choice simply because the screen size and resolution is fantastic and you'll have a much better 'user experience' is you're primarily at your desk. But what I don't understand is what you hope to gain by switching from the HP? You could simply get a nice super high res monitor to go with that and you'd be fine. Yes, the Mac software and such generally is a bit easier (no surprise upgrades to the operating system for example), but not so much as to justify a new machine. You can always buy the mac keyboard separately...

But if you have money to burn and want a Mac, get the iMac. It's probably the best machine Apple makes.

I appreciate the feedback. You're giving me even more to think about now.
And with that, another idea would be to simply get a MacBook Pro 15", FULLY LOADED.

All in...Oh My Goodness! The choices...

 

[ivanwi11iams]

So very valid arguments. The main reason for getting a Mac of sorts, is to learn the OS and in time, offer the company I work for, another choice. They keep asking about us ordering Mac's and supporting it. Yet, they don't want to give any to I.T. Yeah, that's a separate conversation. Regardless, I want to learn a different OS, one that I can teach to others.

Brilliant info and input. Thanks

PS: I cloned the Mac OS, onto an SSD drive. And flipping hell is it faster...

I can see you're overloading yourself with options and choices. But looking at your posts, you do 90%, maybe more work at a desk. You also have an iPad Air to cover your portable needs.

The 27 iMac is the right choice simply because the screen size and resolution is fantastic and you'll have a much better 'user experience' is you're primarily at your desk. But what I don't understand is what you hope to gain by switching from the HP? You could simply get a nice super high res monitor to go with that and you'd be fine. Yes, the Mac software and such generally is a bit easier (no surprise upgrades to the operating system for example), but not so much as to justify a new machine. You can always buy the mac keyboard separately...

But if you have money to burn and want a Mac, get the iMac. It's probably the best machine Apple makes.